My Freddy Vs. Jason

I've always been a fan of the Friday the 13th movies. I'd venture to say that the first four films were legitimately good slasher flicks, and the trail of sequels after that were entertaining in their own way (meaning they were usually so bad they were funny). So, when it came to choosing my favorite horror movie icon, Jason Voorhees has always been my pick. He's the most unstoppable of the macabre mascots, and he has the highest body count to boot (over 130 kills). 

Plus, I think the character Jason is interesting. Sure, the back story of him being a kid who drowned at a summer camp is neat, but that's not what I mean. What he represents is interesting to me. He's the embodiment of moral retribution. If you go against a certain set of socio-political ideals and you are in a Friday the 13th movie, then you are as good as dead. Michael Meyers, Leatherface and a plethora of other horror movie baddies kill anybody who gets in their way, good or bad, but Jason seems to serve a higher purpose. He's more than just a boogeyman; he's the punisher of sinners. Seeing a killer that...Catholic is oddly appealing and makes for some entertaining movies. 

However, with the re-imagining of "Friday the 13th," my fondness of Jason has begun to wane. His role of executioner of the wicked is essentially the same, but now he's missing something. His creativity vanished. I knew the story wasn't going to be engaging and the characters were just going to be caricatures, but I hoped the kills would at least be interesting. Despite Jason's pedigree of humorous and inventive murders, this film contains little else beside boring hacks and slashes. Even the cinematography of this remake made me think there'd be something unique. I mean, there were several shots that hung on a bug zapper for a couple beats too long, which can usually be seen as an indicator that it will be used as a weapon. But nope. Not here. Just superfluous shots, I guess. 

I can take a lot of things from the Friday the 13th films. Ludicrous plots, over-acting actors and poorly written dialogue mean nothing to me. But when I get bored, that's when I start having a problem. And this is coming from the guy who likes Jason X, so I clearly have a tolerance for bad movies. Of this generation's array of re-imagined horror movies, I think I may have to back a different character. And after watching the trailer for "A Nightmare on Elm Street," I think Freddy Kruger might be my next choice.

The Nightmare on Elm Street movies have always been horror classics (some more than others). Freddy is essentially a demon who kills people in their dreams as a way of getting revenge for his gruesome death. When a filmmaker enters the dream world for a movie, that's virtually a promise to the audience that things are about to get interesting. And as far as the trailer for the remake goes, it seems to deliver on this promise. The ambiance looks right with equal portions of dark bleakness and bizarre scenarios. My only concern is how Freddy himself looks (CGI for Freddy? Really?), but if all of the other ingredients are in place, this could still be a good slasher film.

So, one way or another, this is the end of an era for me. Jason can remain dead for all I care. I just want to know if Freddy can step up and take his place in today's horror movie world. Too bad I have to wait until April 2010 for my answer.