8 Horror Movies Where The Villain Is Really The Hero

2. Freddy Vs. Jason - Jason 

Freddy Vs Jason Freddy Kruger Kureger Jason Voorhees Friday the 13th Nightmare on Elm Street
New Line Cinema

Freddy Krueger? Battling Jason Voorhees? With a whole slew of disposable teens ready to be sliced and diced? Lovely stuff.

It may have its flaws, but Ronny Yu's Freddy vs. Jason is an absolute blast for horror hounds - with these two behemoths of the genre squaring off to finally do battle.

In terms of modern-day horror icons, few can match Freddy and Jason when it comes to notoriety, presence, the amount of movie outings, or the sheer number of dead bodies amassed. But as Freddy vs. Jason played out, it soon became apparent that Jason was actually the hero of the piece rather than just on yet another rampage to carve up a gaggle of disposable teens.

With Freddy manipulating Jason for his own means - complete with taking on the form of Jason's deceased mother, Pamela - as he looks to make the residents of Springwood remember him, the final act of the movie sees the remaining protagonists get a major assist from the hockey mask-adorned Voorhees.

Sure, Jason still manages to take his literal pound of flesh during Freddy vs. Jason's final act, but he emerges as the hero of hour as he stabs Krueger with his own clawed arm and gives Monica Keena's Lori the chance to decapitate Freddy.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.