13 Frustratingly Underrated Horror Movie Sequels
11. Freddy Vs. Jason
Original Film:
This follows on from both the hugely successful Nightmare on Elm Street franchise and the even more successful Friday the 13th franchise. It's a crossover film which was eventually released in 2003 after being stuck in development hell since 1987.
Plot:
Freddy Krueger tries to use Jason Voorhees to get back into the dreams and memories of the people of Elm Street, but the two soon turn on each other.
Freddy Vs. Jason is actually a ton of fun. Sure, it isn't scary but it wasn't necessarily trying to be. It's just goofy trash cinema and there's nothing wrong with that. It knows what it is and serves up yucky gore, loads of action and plenty of silliness with a glee that's extremely hard to resist.
With this one, it shows a common problem in horror film criticism: anything that isn't scary is automatically dismissed. Not every great horror film is scary; just look at Carrie or The Wicker Man. Those two movies aren't scary in the traditional sense but they are powerful and brilliant. That's part of the magic of horror cinema: it takes on so many different forms.
With this one, it's basically trying to be a fun action movie, not a chilling horror film. It delivers entertaining action in spades.
Since this movie, both franchises have stalled after unsuccessful reboots. In the case of Friday the 13th that's a shame, since the reboot was actually alright.