By Geno McGahee
Here we go people. This is the main event of the evening. It’s a rematch from 2003, where the two biggest names in horror collided in a bout that is still being debated to this day. Who won? It is hard to say, but let’s go over what we know.
In the 2003, FREDDY VS. JASON,” we saw the smarter Krueger use his wits and obvious advantages in the dream world to control the large killing machine, Voorhees to do his bidding. Eventually, a group of smart kids, were able to find a way to bring Freddy out of the dream world and make him face off with Jason in an one on one match. This is where Jason shined. He used his brute strength to beat Freddy up, but to the surprise of many, Krueger was far better outside of the dream world then people gave him credit for.
In the original NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, Nancy was able to use some explosives and fire to hurt Freddy…so it was hard to imagine Jason having any trouble should he encounter Krueger in the real world, but he did. Perhaps Freddy learned to be prepared after his run-in with Nancy.
At the end of the 2003 flick, Jason was the recognized winner, but the jovial Freddy made many think that he just lost interest in the fight and moved on. The matter just wasn’t settled. Now, here we are, 10 years later, and the public has demanded that these two go at it.
The negotiations were horrific with Jason demanding a fight outside of the dream world and Freddy insisting that they battle it out in his realm. In the end, the defending champion, Jason, had the right, and the fight will take place at Crystal Lake. Jason is a 3-1 favorite going into this.
THE BREAKDOWN
Jason Voorhees
11 movies, 1 remake
120+ kills
Scared Stiff Record: 2-0
Current Condition: Zombie
Strengths – Power, size, ability to take a punch, cannot be killed.
Weaknesses – Gets frustrated, can’t think on his feet, very self-conscious about his looks, goes into sleep mode when buried or chained to a rock in a lake.
Jason is one of the most intimidating horror icons that is just a tower of power to say the least. He tends to use basic weapons like an axe or machete, but he has also been spotted using power tools. He doesn’t need a weapon because of his strength, often using his power to break people in two. A veteran of 12 films (OK, #5, #9, #10 and the remake we should probably not count), Jason brings experience into this fight and is also looking for closure.
Freddy Krueger
8 movies, 1 remake
40+ kills
Current Condition: Demon
Strengths – Intelligence, nearly invincible in the dream world, constantly improving and learning, and doesn’t take life or death too seriously.
Weaknesses – Overconfidence, outside of the dream world, he isn’t that impressive. He loses power if people do not believe in him and is not a fan of Dokken.
Freddy Krueger is as tough as they come. He uses his in-dream skills to dominate and destroy anyone that gets into his way. He is living off of his grudge towards the parents that caused his demise, but seems to like the new job he has in death. He is not a dream lover. He is a dream assassin. His main weapon is his finger-knives, but he uses various items and techniques in the dream world.
THE FIGHT
The Freddy music blasts as young children sing his them: “One, Two, Freddy’s coming for you…” Immediately, Freddy doesn’t seem too comfortable in the real world. He is noticeably anxious but walks to the center of the woods and starts shadowboxing. Word has it that he put 50,000 bucks on himself to win. At 3-1, that’s a lot of finger-knives.
With a 2-0 record in the Scared Stiff Horror Battles, out comes Jason Voorhees with machete in hand. He storms to the center of the woods, ready to get it on and get it over with. With both icons in facing off, this battle is about to begin.
Immediately, Jason begins throwing Freddy around like a ragdoll. Freddy is taking a beating. Jason pins Freddy to a tree and starts landing vicious body shots. The parents of the kids that Freddy has killed are cheering loudly as they watch this battle on PPV at home. This fight could be over quickly as Freddy slumps to the ground.
Jason makes the mistake of overconfidence as he turns to the crowd and flexes his muscles, allowing Freddy to reach into his pants and grab some sleeping powder. When Jason returns, he gets a face-full and quickly dozes off. This is now a winnable fight for Freddy, who finds his way back into his realm and is ready to do some damage.
Jason awakens inside the nightmare boiler room world and jumps to his feet. Freddy approaches casually and starts throwing Jason around, bashing him into walls and launching him like a football, smashing through metal and landing in a mangled heap. The underdog looks like a clear winner here.
As Freddy is about to deliver the death blow, Jason disappears. Somehow he woke up. Back at Crystal Lake, Cropsy of THE BURNING fame has shown up and has given Jason an emergency shot of caffeine via a Trenta Starbucks iced coffee. When Jason awakes, Cropsy nods, takes his hedge clippers and moves along, but would later say that: “I was taken advantage of when I was sleeping and I’m not going to sit back and let it happen to somebody else.”
As Jason gets his faculties together, he storms around the woods, but Freddy is nowhere to be found. It appears that he is not coming back. The crowd reaches the count of 10 and Jason is declared the winner, bringing his record to 3-0, but this is once again, an unsatisfying victory. Freddy lost but he wasn’t beaten.
WINNER: JASON VOORHEES
And Now a Special Treat Horror Fans – Get All of the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREETS in one Awesome Set!
“Don’t fall asleep” — words to live by for Elm Street teens. Not a problem for fans wide awake with fear (and glee) as they experience these 7 Nightmare movies released from 1984 to 2003. Each features Robert Englund’s masterfully macabre incarnation of slouch-hatted, razor-fingered Freddy Krueger, who mixes wicked wit with even wickeder mayhem as he haunts teens when they’re asleep and most vulnerable. A newspaper article about children who died after having fearsome nightmares provided the real-life springboard for filmmaker Wes Craven’s breakthrough series. Perhaps that underlying reality helps make these shockers so unnerving. Or maybe it’s just that we all like a good scare…and that this series consistently, imaginatively delivers some of the best.
All original Nightmares on 5 discs. Plus the new featurette – The Tales and Crimes of Freddy Krueger