Slasher Nirvana
Freddy vs Jason is a much for ‘80s kids as it is for an age group becoming aware of Hollywood horror; the clash happens because neither franchise wants to acquiesce to the other, one side wearing ugly Christmas sweater colors, the other tattered jackets.
Freddy vs Jason’s catalyst is generational change. With Jason X as the long outlier, both horror icons slipped into obscurity by the early ’90s. No one feared them in the 2000s because they didn’t know them. Adults buried Freddy and Jason’s existence.
It’s not without precedent. As the genre grew, parental groups tried shielding their kids from the sex, violence, and gore. Rarely did that work, spawning VHS-era heroes to eight-year-olds who slipped a peek at those franchises. When the films disappeared, so did that edge, and without it, gone was a sharp-bladed coming-of-age experience.
Freddy vs Jason is ridiculously aware of the world around it
- Rock Band: Limited Edition: Winger! Hockey puck, it looks like me and you are gonna be playin' this tonight. Winner gets to kill the kids. Looser has to clean the boiler!' Freddy said, popping in the game into the PS2. Then the door bell rang. 'JASON, GET THE DOOR! I'M TRYING TO HOOK UP THESE STUPID DRUMS!' Freddy screamed, and Jason obeyed.
- All the kills in Freddy vs. Jason, broken down and analyzed! JASON on.Blu-ray https://amzn.to/2UZxYbSMulti-Fo.
- In 2002 Slipknot appeared at the Des Moines release night of Freddy Vs Jason with special masks just for the occasion. Joey just used his Disasterpieces DVD mask though it was weathered a significant amount more.
There’s fandom involved. Freddy vs Jason is a much for ‘80s kids as it is for an age group becoming aware of Hollywood horror; the clash happens because neither franchise wants to acquiesce to the other, one side wearing ugly Christmas sweater colors, the other tattered jackets.
Stuck in endlessly circling development, the eventual release in 2003 came post-9/11, apt then to see parents trying to medicate their kids as to block reality. Fear is wrong and those feelings need sedated, represented in-movie via a psychiatric hospital. While instinct says to protect, fear is necessary, and the young heroes realize confrontation is inevitable.
For something so abrasive, crass, and cruel, Freddy vs Jason is ridiculously aware of the world around it. Rather than relent and follow changing tastes, the asinine, often comical bloodshed unloads pent up anger, not only rejuvenating Krueger, but forcing Vorhees to confront his own past. Eleven films, and Freddy vs Jason is the first to offer any insight into Vorhees’ mind.
Relentlessly paced, the script blitzes through the set-up, making up for any lag via ludicrously scaled murder, the height of which sends Vorhees literally blazing through a cornfield rave. And when decades earlier, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man lacked a satisfying brawl, Freddy vs Jason’s preposterously bold third act lets these two bleed by the gallon. It’s a sensational cap for both characters, a needed escalation, creatively fresh, and saluting the slasher’s prime. The brutality, the viciousness represents both movie monsters at their cruelest, and faceless as Vorhees is, the duo seems to enjoy having opposition that doesn’t fall over when struck by bladed hands or a machete.
If slasher movies mirror the worst of human nature and society – and really, what else can a genre based around stabbing nude teens be? – then Freddy vs Jason is their mainstream apex. It’s the point where screen-based serial killers garnered a deep enough fan base to warrant the film in the first place, and the content is such that seeing a naked woman with a slashed throat became so passe, it was necessary to turn the invulnerable title creatures against one another. They have a blast doing it too.
Video
Included in the Scream Factory Friday the 13th box set, this is the exact same disc as issued by Warner/New Line years ago. Freddy vs Jason needs a new master, as this one shows leftover signs from the DVD era. Notably, slight sharpening adds light halos to everything, giving imagery an unnatural, harsh quality. Grain then elevates, challenging the encode, which to its credit, does exceptionally well in the circumstances. The glowing red boiler room asks for trouble, but generally holds up.
Aggressive color timing pushes blue, stepping over a line occasionally and bleeding in spots. Saturation stays at a high point, even delivering a glow. The cooler aesthetic keeps flesh tones intact. Heavy black levels do introduce crush, problematic at times, but better than Jason Goes to Hell and Jason X prior. Nighttime settings won’t dilute contrast, boldness a clear priority.
Carrying the well textured mark of a modern production, faults like sharpening barely mar the detail. Excellent, high-grade facial definition resolves nicks and scraps on Vorhees’ mask and the burn makeup on Kreuger. Pleasingly rendered environments give lakeside cabins and nightmares suitable texture.
Audio
Frequent directional scares, brushed aside cornfields, thunderstorms, hissing steam – the TrueHD mix is totally enveloping. Soundstage use never wavers, expertly mixed to capture subtle effects and bolder action. When Vorhees becomes a pinball, stereos split to ping him to the sides. Sending victims through the air, movement follows into each channel as needed.
Couple this with boomy, tight bass for added impact. Low-end depth sells the power of each fighter, accentuating their blows. Fire kicks up a constant rumble, leading to a loud, dynamic explosion at the end. Awesome stuff.
Extras
Director Ronny Yu joins his two stars, Robert Englund and Ken Kirzinger, on commentary. They keep chatting over deleted scenes, optionally. Six featurettes show their age, pure early 2000s in their style and heavy promo focus. A dozen visual effects shots are explored over 35-minutes, also offering commentary. Held at an actual summer camp, the film’s premiere is given a paltry few minutes, and a music video trailing at the end.
- Video
- Audio
- Extras
Movie
Freddy vs Jason exploits exploitation, sending the ’80s slasher genre out in a vicious and unrelenting finale.
User Review
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Specification
- Month of Release
- Jul, 2017
- Scale
- 1/7
- Product Size
- around240mm
- Specification
- Pre-Painted PVC Figure
- Material
- PVC (Phthalate-free)･ABS･magnet
- Sculptor
- Takaboku Busujima（BUSUJIMAX)
Product Image
Freddy Vs Jasondk Edition Nintendo Switch
PROTOTYPES SHOWN,PENDING LICENSOR APPROVAL.FINAL PRODUCT MAY VARY.
CONCEPT ART SHOWN PENDING LICENSOR APPROVAL.
●”Exclusive Items” and “Reproduction” are for Japan only. Please note that not all items are available overseas.
●”Special Bonus Items” only come with products purchased directly from the Kotobukiya shops. In addition, special bonus items are offered only while supplies last.
Product Description
Freddy Vs Jasondk Editions
A KOTOBUKIYA Japanese import! You’ve never seen your favorite horror movie icons like this! Kotobukiya brings a bold new direction to their popular series of Bishoujo Statues with the Freddy vs. Jason pair up, and following after Freddy is a new character interpretation by Shunya Yamashita of the slasher JASON VOORHEES! The Friday the 13th series began in 1980 with murders at Camp Crystal Lake, though it wasn’t until the sequel that Jason put on the famous mask and took matters into his own hands. Through successive sequels Voorhees would leave a trail of bodies from Crystal Lake to Manhattan, Hell, and even the future before coming into conflict with Krueger in Freddy vs. Jason. Yamashita and Kotobukiya’s version of the slasher takes its inspiration from Jason’s on screen look but mixes in a beautiful girl in the bishoujo style. Voorhees stands in a relaxed pose in her tattered pants, top, and jacket with the iconic machete in one hand and an axe held over her shoulder. The scraps of her clothing reveal quite a bit of skin and her muscular physique, while her cute face is partly obscured by the nightmarish hockey mask strapped to the side of her head! Sculpted by Takaboku Busujima (Busujimax), Jason stands over 8 ½ inches tall (1/7 scale). She’s a totally unique addition for your collection, and the perfect companion to the Freddy Krueger Bishoujo Statue!