Freddy vs. Jason
Two horror icons clash in a supernatural crossover.
Freddy vs. Jason is a 2003 American supernatural slasher film directed by Ronny Yu and written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. It is a crossover between the A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th franchises, serving as the eighth installment in the former and the eleventh in the latter. The film features Robert Englund reprising his role as Freddy Krueger and pits the two iconic horror villains against each other.
- release_date
- August 15, 2003
- director
- Ronny Yu
- writers
- Damian Shannon and Mark Swift
- studio
- New Line Cinema
- box_office
- $117 million worldwide
- franchise_rank
- Highest-grossing in Friday the 13th series; highest-grossing in A Nightmare on Elm Street series
Quick Facts
- Writer
- Damian Shannon / Mark Swift
- Based On
- Characters · Wes Craven · Victor Miller
- Starring
- Monica Keena / Kelly Rowland / Jason Ritter / Christopher George Marquette / Lochlyn Munro / Robert Englund
- Director
- Ronny Yu
- Producer
- Sean S. Cunningham
- Music
- Graeme Revell
- Cinematography
- Fred Murphy
- Editing
- Mark Stevens
- Studio
- New Line Cinema / Crystal Lake Entertainment
- Distributor
- New Line Cinema
- Released
- 2003 · 8 · 15
- Runtime
- 97 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film follows Freddy Krueger, trapped in Hell and weakened because the residents of Springwood suppress their dreams with medication. To regain his power, he resurrects Jason Voorhees to spread fear, but Jason becomes uncontrollable, leading to a violent confrontation. The plot involves teenagers Lori Campbell, Will Rollins, and others who attempt to force the two killers to fight each other. The film ends ambiguously with Jason emerging from a lake holding Freddy's severed head, which winks and laughs.
Reader's Guide
Freddy vs. Jason marks the final portrayal of Freddy Krueger by Robert Englund and was the last released film in each franchise's continuity before their respective remake and reboot. Despite negative reviews from critics, it grossed $117 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film in the Friday the 13th franchise and the second highest-grossing in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, behind the 2010 remake. A planned sequel and crossover with the Evil Dead franchise, Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash, was repurposed as a comic book limited series. The film's development involved multiple writers and years of negotiations between studios, reflecting fan demand for a crossover.
Did You Know?
- The film is a sequel to both Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991) and Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993).
- Evangeline Lilly had a walk-on role as a high school student.
- New Line Cinema spent a reported $6 million on script development alone.
- The film's ending is ambiguous: Jason emerges from the lake holding Freddy's severed head, which winks and laughs.
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