Summary
Bruce Campbell opened up about what happened with the crossover horror movieFreddy vs Jason vs Ash, and after what he said, I’m relieved it never happened. Crossovers are not rare in the horror genre, but not all of them have had the desired success for different reasons. The ones that have succeeded and earned a spot in horror history are those starring well-known monsters/characters in big productions, as is the case forAlien vs PredatorandFreddy vs Jason, the latter being a long-awaited battle between two of the most popular slasher killers.
Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees are key characters in the history of the slasher genre, who, along withHalloween’s Michael Myers, established what a slasher killer is like and the structure of a slasher film. Despite not being the critics’ favorite,Freddy vs Jasonwas a huge box-office hit, becoming the second highest-grossing film in theA Nightmare on Elm Streetfranchiseand the highest in theFriday 13thfranchise. Thanks to this, a sequel was planned, but it would have been a bigger crossover with theEvil Deadfranchise. However,Freddy vs Jason vs Ashnever happened, but now I’m glad it didn’t.
10 Unmade Freddy Vs. Jason Movies That Were Wilder Than What We Got
Before the slasher crossover Freddy vs. Jason finally made it to the screen, a bunch of wild alternate versions of the movie were pitched.
The sequel toFreddy vs Jasonwould have added another slasher character to the mix, though not a villain like Krueger and Voorhees: Bruce Campbell’s Ash Williams, the main character in Sam Raimi’sEvil Deadtrilogy. The sequel crossover would have been simply titledFreddy vs Jason vs Ash, but it never happened due to creative differences between New Line Cinema and the team behindEvil Dead, one of them Bruce Campbell.Campbell had previously spokenabout whyFreddy vs Jason vs Ashnever happened, citing creative differences with the studio that producedFreddy vs Jason, but he has now shared more details.
The Evil Deadfranchise has continued without Ash Williams since 2013, becoming more of an anthology saga post-Ash.
There were some big limitations to what they could do once Ash joined the fun.
Speaking toColliderat San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Campbell opened up once more about the not-so-pleasant development process ofFreddy vs Jason vs Ashand why it never happened. Campbell explained he and theEvil Deadteam had a five-minute conversation with New Line Cinema, the studio that broughtFreddy vs Jasonto life, but there were some big limitations to what they could do once Ash joined the fun. Campbell explained they were told by New Line thatthey couldn’t kill either Freddy or Jasonnor could there be any plot or dialogue that affected them.
Campbell and company could only control Ash, and there wasn’t much they could do if they couldn’t really touch Krueger and Voorhees. The plot and dialogue limitations also made the project what Campbell calls “creatively bankrupt”.Freddy vs Jason vs Ashwas canceled, andFreddy vs Jasonnever got a sequel.
Freddy vs Jason vs Ash Wouldn’t Have Been A Fair Battle Of Slashers
One Of Them Would Have Been At Great Disadvantage
A large part of what makes Ash Williams so entertaining is that he’s a guy with chaotic good luck.
If Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees couldn’t be killed and the plot and dialogue couldn’t affect them,the story ofFreddy vs Jason vs Ashwould have been quite boring and unfair. Each of these slashers has its own strengths and weaknesses, and a large part of what makes Ash Williams so entertaining is that he’s a guy with chaotic good luck. No matter the mess he gets himself into, Ash always comes out on top, though not before a lot of chaos and almost dying more than once.
Campbell’s comments make me think that the only option New Line gave him and the Evil Dead team was Krueger and Voorhees killing Ash.
Ash not having that legendary good luck just because the studio didn’t let anything happen to Krueger and Voorhees wouldn’t have been a fair battle. Campbell’s comments make me think that the only option New Line gave him and theEvil Deadteam was Krueger and Voorhees killing Ash, which wouldn’t be easy to believe. I think I can believe a lot more that they all survived, though injured, than that Krueger and/or Voorhees killed the legendary Ash Williams.
I agree with Campbell that, with New Line’s limitations,Freddy vs Jason vs Ashwould have been a convoluted and terrible storywith a “silly” concept, and, ultimately, each franchise moved on with other projects:A Nightmare on Elm StreetandFriday the 13thgot remakes of their very first movie, whileEvil Deadcontinued with a re-imagining and a standalone entry.
Freddy vs Jason vs Ash Still Happened In Comic Books
Freddy vs Jason vs Ash Found Another Way
Freddy vs Jason vs Ashbecame a six-issue comic book limited series released between November 2007 and March 2008.
Freddy vs Jason vs Ashnever made it to the big screen, but it did happen, though in another format.Freddy vs Jason vs Ashbecame a six-issue comic book limited series released between November 2007 and March 2008. Written by James Kuhoric and illustrated by Jason Craig,Freddy vs Jason vs Ashwas based on the treatment written by Jeff Katz for a sequel toFreddy vs Jason, and it’s set five years after the events of the movie.
TheFreddy vs Jason vs Ashcomic book series gave these characters a much fairer fight.
Freddy vs Jason vs Ashsaw Krueger using Voorhees to get the Necronomiconso he could restore himself to full power, and he did, while also increasing Voorhees’ intelligence. Ash, now working at Crystal Lake S-Mart, confronted Krueger and Voorhees with a team of fellow S-Mart employees, and at the end of the series,Ash defeated both slashers, sending Krueger to the Deadite world and isolating Jason and the Necronomicon underneath a frozen Crystal Lake. TheFreddy vs Jason vs Ashcomic book series gave these characters a much fairer fight, and it’s a lot better this way.
Source:Collider.
Freddy vs. Jason
The rise of Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees in the ‘80s made them two of horror’s most iconic villains, and in 2003 after years in development hell, the pair finally faced off. In order to return to power, Freddy (Robert Englund) needs people to be scared of him again. To make this happen, Freddy resurrects Jason (Ken Kirzinger) and tricks him into going on a killing spree around Springfield. Things don’t go according to plan when Lori (Monica Keena) and her friends fight back, which results in Freddy and Jason duking it out for supremacy.
