The character of Jason Voorhees was created as nothing more than a hallucination by writers Victor Miller & Sean S. Cunningham (uncredited) in the original "Friday the 13th (1980)."  Though, with the major box office success of that film, Paramount pushed a sequel ahead which would turn that hallucination into a living, breathing nightmare.  "Friday the 13th, Part 2 (1981)" hit theatres, and though, not as big at the box office as the original, still brought in good numbers.  Jason Voorhees was on his way to becoming the definite 1980's slasher, for better or worse.  Paramount tried killing Jason in "The Final Chapter," the fourth film, but the audience wanted more.  Jason wouldn't stay dead, and in 1986, he had returned from the grave.  Though, Jason's success nagged at another horror filmmaker.

Wes Craven, the man responsible for "The Hills Have Eyes" & "The Last House on The Left," wanted to make his own 'slasher,' so-to-speak.  Being friends with Sean S. Cunningham, he saw how big of a success "Friday the 13th" was, and wanted to push his own slasher to the folks at Paramount.  They declined, and it would take a few more years, 1984 to be exact, for that dream, or should I say "nightmare", to become a reality.  In 1984, New Line Cinema released "A Nightmare on Elm Street" upon the world.  The story of a child murderer by the name of Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) that was burned alive by the parents of Elm Street in suburban Springwood, Ohio.  Though, that was not the end of Mr. Krueger.  He was resurrected into the dreams and nightmares of the children of those very parents who dared to destroy him.  A dark, frightening, and chilling masterpiece by writer / director Wes Craven.  It was a SMASH at the box office, and New Line, hungry for money, dove for an immediate sequel.  Yet, that sequel would have little to do with the first film, aside from Krueger himself.  Craven would return for the third film "The Dream Warriors," and it proved to be one of the best films of the series (behind the original).  Krueger was now rivaling the success and popularity of Jason Voorhees and the "Friday the 13th" films.

The two film franchises had such popularity that both had television spin-off series.  Though, while "Freddy's Nightmares" was simply a weekly, half hour continuation of the films, the hour long "Friday the 13th: The Series" had absolutely NOTHING to with Jason Voorhees or Crystal Lake.  No connections were made between the F13 films & the F13 TV series.  The series followed Jack Marshack (Chris Wiggins), Ryan Dallion (John D. LeMay), and Micki Foster (Robey) as they tracked down cursed antiques that were sold many, many years ago from their Uncle's store.  Though, the two entities were planned to be linked by a proposed final episode where the final item they need to retrieve would be a hockey mask, undoubtedly Jason's hockey mask.  That never happened, and neither Jason, nor a hockey mask appeared in the series.  Though, John D. LeMay is the only cast member of the TV series to actually appear in a "Friday The 13th" film, more precisely "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)" - though, as a different and totally unrelated character.  Both television series' lasted from 2-3 years, and have enjoyed some decent success on either home video ("Freddy's Nightmares") or the SciFi Channel ("Friday The 13th: The Series").

Oddly enough, right around the time these television series' were beginning production, Paramount Pictures and New Line Cinema met to discuss bringing their respective horror movie icons together in one film.  That film being entitled "Freddy vs. Jason."  Make-up effects master and director John Carl Buechler was even brought in to direct the feature by Paramount.  Though, with so many legalities in the way (film distribution, marketing, etc.), talks quickly fell through.  Buechler was kept on by Paramount to direct the seventh "Friday" feature - "The New Blood".  In retrospect, it was probably fortunate that the film did not happen back at that time.  As apparent by "The New Blood" (and other slasher films of that time), the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) was REALLY cracking down on the gore and violence in slasher films.  I don't say "horror films" because Clive Barker's "Hellraiser" & "Hellbound: Hellraiser II" were released around the same time as "The New Blood," and there's quite a lot of gore and disturbing imagery in those films (even in the R-rated cuts).  So, with the MPAA doing more hacking and slashing to these films than Freddy or Jason were doing IN the films, it was certainly best to wait until a more prime moment in time to produce this film.

By 1989, Paramount had enough of Jason and his declining box office.  They decided to end Jason and the series in a rather cheap way (toxic sewer waste).  They no longer cared, as if they ever TRULY did, for the "Friday the 13th" film franchise.  Meanwhile, Freddy was still bringing in decent money for New Line ("The Dream Master", released in 1988, is still the highest grossing film of the series).  Though, New Line felt the need to bring Freddy to a close with the generally reviled, lackluster, and piss poor "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)."  About the same time, Sean S. Cunningham, who still had some sort of legal connection with the "Friday the 13th" film series he'd rather not have, nor ever exercised, was given the future film rights to the franchise by Paramount 'cause they just simply didn't want them anymore.  Cunningham decided to make a more suitable ending for Jason Voorhees, and he handed the film rights over to New Line Cinema.  They pushed ahead with "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)".  A quite different entry in the series that explored Jason's origins in a rather supernatural and demon-like way.  It was a mixed reaction from fans.  Some despised it, some loved the departure from the ordinary "Friday" formula, and even others were "middle-of-the-road" types.  Personally, I LOVE the film, and say it's one of the BEST of the series.  But one thing NO fan could deny is what lied before them at the very end of the film - the gloved hand of Freddy Krueger bursting out of the ground and dragging Jason's abandoned hockey mask down into Hell.  It made everyone feel as though the horror epic was soon to happen, but alas, it was not meant to be.  New Line just couldn't seem to find a script they felt did the characters and the fans justice.  So, as "Freddy vs. Jason" sat in development hell, Wes Craven returned to bring Freddy a new twist.  "Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)" had Freddy Krueger moving out of the world of film into our reality!  Though, most fans felt cheated as Freddy is barely in the film at all, and it's not really Krueger at all, merely an ancient demon in the comfortable guise of Freddy Krueger.  Also, a pretty confusing marketing campaign didn't do the film any favors either.  Needless to say, the film didn't do too well at the box office.

So, over the next several years, "Freddy vs. Jason" went through many false starts, and an unknown, countless number of scripts.  The problem with all of these scripts is that the writer kept trying to turn the film into a very complicated story.  And don't even ask about the various final Freddy vs. Jason fights.  A boxing match in one script, Freddy & Jason vs. The Devil, and many other stupid ideas.  The scripts were simply too outlandish, and some even tried to make it more like "New Nightmare" where the "Friday the 13th" films were based off a REAL person named Jason Voorhees, or where a demented teen was possessed by the "demon" Freddy from "New Nightmare".  All in all, these scripts were quickly and rightfully trashed.  Many of them are spread across the internet, ready for download, but why bother?  Some of the people responsible for these shit scripts were Peter Briggs (F&J vs. The Devil), Star Trek: DS9's Brannon Braga & Ronald D. Moore (F & J fight in a shopping mall), James G. Robinson, David Schow, and many more.  Even make-up effects god Rob Bottin ("John Carpenter's The Thing (1982)") was promised his directorial debut with this film, but that fizzled out LONG before the rumors did.  And to top it ALL off, at the 1998 ShoWest film festival, a "Freddy vs. Jason" teaser poster was spotted & photographed.  It has circulated quite a lot across the web since then, but again, gave false hope to fans everywhere.  At that same time, Sean S. Cunningham was back trying to bring about another sequel in the film franchise he once wanted NOTHING more to do with.  So, Crystal Lake Entertainment (once called "SSC Films") began production on the tenth "Friday" film - "JASON X" - and it seemed as though they were kicking things back to '93 and had planned to proceed with "FvJ" after the completion of another Jason film.  So, the future space adventures of Jason Voorhees, otherwise known as "JASON X," was completed and panned by fans and critics alike.  It tanked out at the box office, and New Line Cinema wanted to try to purge the memory of that film from fans' minds by FINALLY, after 15 years, proceeded with production on "Freddy vs. Jason."  Granted, Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger) had been confirming or, at least, speculating on the start of the production for the past few years, this time we were getting official news on the project's furthering.  "Bride Of Chucky" director Ronny Yu was set to direct the long-awaited film, and screenwriters Mark J. Swift & Damian Shannon had submitted a green lit script which would be polished up by "Blade II" scribe David S. Goyer.  Things were finally moving along, until...

Rumors of the replacement of the man who had been linked with Jason himself for the last 15 years, Kane Hodder, were circulating.  Rumors from alcohol abuse to an unsatisfactory script to a complete reinvention of the character had gone around.  One quote said that the filmmakers wanted someone with "poetic eyes" to better express "the loss of a loved one".  Many said that Hodder saw the script, talked to the filmmakers, and he knew that this reinvention of Jason didn't sit well with him.  On top of that, Kane is very connected with the fans, and believed that this portrayal of Jason would put many fans in an uproar.  So, he walked away from the project.  It wouldn't be until many months later that Hodder himself would reveal that any and all "excuses" New Line put out there were a load of bullcrap.  They never gave Hodder a real or even believable reason why they fired him from the film in pre-production.  Naturally and understandably, he is still bitter about it all and gets very angered and annoyed whenever someone mentions the film to him.  I wouldn't be surprised if he decides NEVER to see the film.  It wouldn't be until after the film's release that it was revealed that Ronny Yu was not familiar with Hodder's connection to the character or the series, and by looking at production sketches of Jason, he immediately had a vision for the character that did not fit Hodder's figure or build.  Though, one man connected with Jason, but not involved in the making of the film was Sean S. Cunningham.  He was not allowed ANY involvement in the production of "Freddy vs. Jason," but was being kept on to do promotional appearances.  Cunningham presented special footage from the film at the May FANGORIA Weekend of Horrors, but his connection to the film never became anything more than that.  Nothing much was heard from Cunningham on the production, but considering that he was willing enough to do, at least, these promotional presentations says SOMETHING about his take on it all.

Anyway, back on track, the man who would now become the hockey masked, machete-weielding maniac, Jason Voorhees, was long-time stuntman Ken Kirzinger.  Kirzinger worked as the stunt co-ordinator on "Friday the 13th, Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)," and he can even be seen in the film.  He's the New York cook who gets thrown and smashed into the wall mounted mirror by Jason (Kane Hodder) in the New York diner scene.  It's been said that Kane & Ken are friends, but neither one of them has mentioned a WORD about the other in the interviews they've had in the last year.  In his first interview concerning the film, he was very friendly, funny, and professional.  He demonstrated a knowledge of the franchise's history, and a love for the character of Jason.  He changed the attitudes of many fans, including myself, that were greatly upset by Hodder's ousting by New Line Cinema.  And on top of it all, Kirzinger did the whole video interview IN costume!  Sitting there with the mask, clothes, and make-up on was a cool sight to behold.  He made us feel more confident in him and his loyalty to the character.

Now, what about Robert Englund?  Why haven't you mentioned him much yet?  Well, how's this?  Robert Englund is a movie spoiler MACHINE!  Not an interview with him would happen without him spilling SOMETHING about the story or a scene or what not.  To me, it showed just how genuinely excited he was about the production.  Granted, some of that could just be the immense anticipation that he had built up over the last 15 years, but if he did not fully believe in the greatness of this film, it would've shown.  Robert Englund is a very honest, intelligent, yet light-hearted individual.  He won't knowingly fill you full of lies and B.S.  Robert has shown us that he's extremely and genuinely excited about this film and director Ronny Yu.  And Ronny Yu is no slouched when it comes to spoiler-laden interviews.  In an interview he gave to Rue Morgue Magazine, he divulged quite a lot on several sequences in the film, but also gave off a confusing comment stating that the film had a "triple ending".  Initially, most believed that meant the film had three different, separate endings, and that people would be able to see three different endings in theatres.  Most likely one where Freddy wins, one where Jason wins, and a third where neither wins (aka "a draw").  As time went on, those beliefs faded away, but not completely.  Not until the film's release.

Though, before that interview, there was the January FANGORIA Weekend of Horrors which featured a short trailer.  It featured footage DIRECTLY from the film!  Fans in attendance were blown away by it.  All proclaimed that the trailer was phenomenal, and that only gave way to the waiting.  The waiting for WHEN the trailer would actually appear in theatres.  The first film on the list was New Line's "Final Destination 2".  Being released only a few weeks after the showing of the Fangoria trailer, but all reports stated otherwise.  No "Freddy vs. Jason" trailer would appear before the horror sequel, and they were right.  The only New Line trailer that appeared there was their horror remake of "Willard," and thus, that led everyone to "Willard" being the next possible trailer attachment choice.  In the weeks leading up to the film's release, many stated that the film would be a bad choice to slap this reportedly magnificent trailer before.  That coming from a simple promotional stand point.  No one believed the film would make much, and such, the trailer wouldn't get much exposure.  They were 100& correct.  No trailer and EXTREMELY low box office for "Willard."  Next was the Stephen King film adaptation of "Dreamcatcher".  Not only because it was a horror film, but because it was being released by Warner Bros. (who is owned by AOL Time-Warner, the same as New Line Cinema), but Warners wisely chose to further promote "The Matrix Reloaded" instead by attaching an "Animatrix" animated CGI short before the feature film.  The next New Line film due out was the Vin Diesel D.E.A. actioneer "A Man Apart."  No trailer again, and rightfully so 'cause that film didn't make too damn much at the box office either.  And so, week-after-week we waited to see if the trailer would debut ANYWHERE (theatrically, on the internet, television, etc.).  Nothing came about.

Then, on the night of April 17th, it happened.  The most momentous night for all of us.  The movie wasn't being released in theatres nationwide, hell, it wasn't even complete, but in ONE theatre in Redondo Beach, California, a test screening was being held.  A test screening for "Freddy vs. Jason!"  The reaction?  Overwhelming enjoyment and satisfaction, though, a few, small critiques here and there (that's what test screenings are for anyway).  Several reviews poured online, and FOREVER HORROR was fortunate enough to snag two of them off the ever popular Fridaythe13thforums.com "Freddy vs. Jason Discussion Thread."  Two fabulous reviews, and happily spoiler-free.  Every fan in the online horror community rejoiced that this was going to be all they had hoped and waited so long for!  And like I said, THE MOVIE WASN'T EVEN FINISHED YET!  New Line studio head, Robert Shaye and even Sean S. Cunningham were in attendance.  These people have so much devoted to this film, and have put so much care and effort into it that they must've been overjoyed when it was met with such approval by these fans (though, some non-fans were in attendance that weren't too high on the film).  And the BEST part of it all was that ALL reports said that Ken Kirzinger swung a machete with animalistic FURY!  Everyone said he was a bad ass beast that just menacingly stalked and slashed his way through the screen.  Though, some state that he doesn't quite have the presence Hodder had.  Most referring to his debut performance in "The New Blood," but aside from that, it was the consensus that Kirzinger was the right choice for the role.  Kirzinger's height really played well in contrast to Englund's, though, it wasn't like a pro linebacker next to a short, skimpy basketball player.  Aside from their heights, Kirzinger's and Englund's builds were similar.  Many believe, as I do, that this was New Line intention, at least partially, with the ousting of Hodder.  Get a guy taller, yet lankier.  Trade thickness for tallness so that Freddy's and Jason's figures would compliment, yet contrast one another at the same time.  Great dynamic.  We all thought word on this film couldn't get any better, but....

Then, on May 1st, it got better!  Bloody Disgusting got a report stating that the trailer and teaser poster would debut in theatres the same week "The Matrix Reloaded" would be released - the week of May 11th.  BD jumped on the report and contacted their inside source at New Line and checked the reported source itself (a private New Line material ordering website).  Before we all knew it, Bloody had gotten DOUBLE confirmation on this news!  The trailer would be sent to theatres as a stand alone trailer that could be presented before any film the theatre managers chose.  Though there would be no guarantee that one would see the trailer before the first "Matrix" sequel, most hopes would be put on the trailer lists that would arrive the same week as the film reels themselves.

And if that wasn't enough for us fans, the VERY NEXT NIGHT, the official "Freddy vs. Jason" website opened!  Complete with a photo gallery of 15 AMAZING photos, a kick ass-bad ass desktop wallpaper, an opinion poll asking who you think will win between Freddy and Jason, a place to sign-up for emailed website updates, and of course, the official teaser poster!  It was an experience beyond words.  Never before was there such a concrete sign that this film was a reality.  And stated, clearly for all to view "August 15th"!  The release date that we had known for a while, but now, any fear of the film being pushed back, like so many other franchise horror films had recently done, had been washed away.  It was now so close, yet still so far away.

Then, not long after the website launch, news came about that not only would the first theatrical trailer for the film would debut in theatres the SAME WEEK as "The Matrix Reloaded," but the trailer itself would be included in the film reel cans for the blockbuster sequel that would be distributed to theatres across the country!  Now, it was only the decision of theatre managers as to whether or not the trailer would play before the film.  Most theatres across the country did preview the trailer before "Reloaded," but even before that, it debuted on the web!  Monday May 12th, 2003 is when we got our first glimpse at actual footage from the film!  And this was a "blow me away" stellar sequence of images and sound.  Chilling, exciting, frightening, and just bad ass!  This trailer spread like wild fire among the online fans, and we did all we could to distribute it around the internet.  FOREVER HORROR even was able to host the trailer after help from a fellow Fridaythe13thForums.com board member, Habsolute Fate.  And to see it on the big screen was even more of a heart pounding thrill!  And not long after that, the official site started expanding and just quickly evolving.

Robert Englund was a guest at the Flashback Weekend on Saturday, June 14th where he presented a screening of the trailer along with a pair of cool vertical banners for the feature film.  They are an altered version of the profile shots of Freddy and Jason.  Each character is on their own banner, and the bottoms of each banner are tattered as if they were ripped and torn up by either a razor-clawed glove or machete.  Quite cool.  But it was only about a week later that MORE news hit!  Graeme Revell, the musical mastermind behind such films as "The Crow," "The Crow: City Of Angels," "From Dusk Till Dawn," "Strange Days," "The Craft," "Pitch Black," the SciFi Channel's "DUNE" mini-series, and a great host of more films, was confirmed to have been hired to compose the musical score for ""Freddy vs. Jason!"  Plus, Revell had previously worked with director Ronny Yu on "Bride of Chucky."  New Line had pulled through with a stellar composer to bring a dark, haunting, creepy, and frightening musical aura to this epic horror film event.  That would bring us a little under two months 'til the release of the film, and it was looking and feeling better and better with each passing week!

Then, a mere ten days later, the original motion picture soundtrack from Roadrunner Records was announced with a track listing.  At first, many, including myself, were very pissed-off by the large number of 'nu-metal' bands on the disc.  Bands like Slipknot, Hatebreed, Nothingface, Mushroomhead, Murderdolls, and so forth.  So many, for so many years had hopes for a great contribution from Alice Cooper as he had contributed three songs to "Friday The 13th, Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)" and portrayed Freddy Krueger's foster father in "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)."  Cooper, recently delving into a more heavier, darker sound, seemed like it would've fit perfectly into the style of the motion picture.  Though, slowly, said fans warmed up to the music on the album, well some of it, if not most.  Ill Niño provided a nice track as the soundtrack's lone single entitled "How Can I Live."  The songs from Spineshank, Sepultura, Chimaira, Killswitch Engage, and others turned out to be solid tracks that I certainly am glad to own.

Then, we hit Tuesday, July 15th.  It's Las Vegas, Nevada at Bally's.  The first public meeting between Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees as they weighed in for the horror matchup of the century!  Michael Buffer asked everyone if they were "ready to rumble," and Freddy and Jason were certainly ready.  After Freddy trashed talked all over Jason, Freddy tossed the table, stood up, and fought to get into the hockey masked killer's face.  It was a spectacle for sure, but it was more tame than any of Mike Tyson's press conferences, that's for sure.  Ronny Yu had a laugh riot of a time on stage, seated next to Englund as Krueger while Sean Cunningham seemed a bit pathetic next to the mammoth Jason Voorhees.  The event got featured, although briefly, on E! News Live, Entertainment Tonight, Extra, Fox News, and many more entertainment news shows.  But that was only the beginning of the television promotion.

It was only a matter of DAYS before the first commercials hit the air.  New footage, new Freddy, new Jason!  "For generations, they have been the two biggest names in terror.  This summer, for the first time ever, two legends will come together.  Freddy versus Jason - winner kills all!"  Fans clamored all over television for a glimpse at these spots, and in time, more would surface.  "On August 15th:  EVIL VS. EVIL!"  Building and building to the release of the film.  Most prominently featured on the SpikeTV cable network and Monday nights on WWE RAW!  And in the final week, two more commercials surfaced while many, many Chicagoland fans witnessed the Chicago premiere of "Freddy vs. Jason."  The two commercials' themes focused on each slasher, individually:

"For years he tormented the town of Springwood, but when justice was served, a new evil was born.  And now that evil will meet its match."

"Born with a dark curse, forged from undying hate, he became the ultimate killer.  And now that killer, has met his match."

All these commercials hit during the August 11th broadcast of WWE RAW, and it was the final bit of hype to excite long time fans, and to give the movie-going public that final bit of incentive.  It was a nerve racking few days for die hard, hardcore fans because we had been waiting since 1987, maybe longer, to witness this epic clash between the two modern icons of horror cinema!  Roadrunner Records' soundtrack to the film was release on Tuesday, August 12th, and provided even more promotion and anticipation for the release of the film.  And in a week's time, it was certainly known to have paid off.

On opening weekend, "Freddy vs. Jason" brought in $36.4 million!  I, myself, saw the movie THREE TIMES that weekend.  Twice on Friday, once on Sunday.  It was a massive, monstrous kick ass-bad ass horror flick that was simply larger than life!  Robert Englund had never looked so perfect as Freddy Krueger, and Ken Kirzinger made Jason LARGER than life itself!  Ronny Yu delivered a climactic piece of horror cinema that was stylistic, humorous, action packed, and gory!  Ronny Yu said, "Don't talk to me in gallons, talk to me in barrels!"  And the blood was damn near oozing from the screen onto the theatre floors!  It was a rousing, satisfying success!

Then, by the next weekend, it had surpassed the total box office gross of the biggest grossing entry in EITHER series - "A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master!"  This instant blockbuster spawned a whole slew of follow-up rumors.  "Freddy vs. Jason 2," "Freddy vs. Michael Myers," a prequel to "A Nightmare On Elm Street," another "Friday The 13th," Bruce Campbell as The Evil Dead's Ash joining Freddy and Jason for a sequel, and more!  Whatever the follow-up will be to this long-awaited, anxiously anticipated horror icon clash, I trust that New Line Cinema and the filmmakers will approach it with the same quality, scrutiny, and patience that they took with "Freddy vs. Jason" (though, hopefully it won't take another decade or so to make it).

On August 26th, Varése Sarabande released Graeme Revell's original motion picture score to ""Freddy vs. Jason."  Though, it was disappointing - the CD only ran for 42 and a half minutes, excluded all of the few appearances of Charles Burnstein's "A Nightmare on Elm Street" theme, and Jason's "Vocal Effect" only showed up twice (and it was the same effect, both times).  It provided some good music, but there was a lot of redundancy with the music.  Varése Sarabande could've fit Revell's entire score on the compact disc, but failed to do so.  It's an inconsistent thing with them.  Sometimes they include the full score as with Joseph LoDuca & Danny Elfman's "Army of Darkness" score, but most times, it's a quite abridged version as with their original motion picture score releases for "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines."  It's an unfortunate outcome for Mr. Revell's work, but you can experience it in the context of the film - which was released in a jam-packed dual-disc Platinum Series DVD set on January 13th, 2004.