Monster Movies

AUGUST 10, 2003

Opening tomorrow, “Freddy vs. Jason” is something unique in this summer’s otherwise bland Hollywood lineup. A horror film featuring Freddy Krueger of the “Nightmare on Elm Street” film series and Jason Voorhees of the “Friday the 13th” series, “Freddy vs. Jason” is a film conceived to deliver exactly one thing – the apocalyptic meeting of these two popular horror heavyweights.

It is an intriguing gimmick, serving as the eighth film of the “Elm Street” series and the eleventh film of the “Friday the 13th” films, but it is hardly something new as far as Hollywood is concerned. Horror films have been released since the very first days of cinema, and movie match-ups, such as “Freddy vs. Jason,” were popular long ago.

Continuing A Tradition

Starting in the 1930’s, Universal Pictures became the leader of the movie monsters. With releases starring Frankenstein, Dracula and an assortment of other characters, including the Wolf Man, no other studio was scaring audiences as much as Universal. However, by the ‘40’s, audiences were tiring of these silly sights, and the real-world tribulations of World War II soon led to the end of the monster era.

That is until 1948, with the release of “Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein.” For this film Universal dusted off all its favorite monsters and released one of the more enduring comedies of all time. The story is pretty simple: Dracula comes upon the remains of Frankenstein’s creature, and begins reassembling him, much to the dismay of the Wolf Man. Yes, preposterous, but this fun and ridiculous story is the perfect fit for Abbott and Costello’s antics.

“Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein” is certainly the most impressive monster duel to date, serving up a lighter course of mayhem and comedy. However, many other titles have paved the way to this summer’s “Freddy vs. Jason.”

Another famous monster match occurred in the “Godzilla” series. While the franchise has always embraced head-to-head battles, from “Godzilla vs. Mothra” to “Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla,” the pinnacle of the dinosaur’s fights came early in its existence, in 1962. In “Godzilla vs. King Kong,” the massive ape is transported from a remote island to Japan, arriving just in time to fight Godzilla who has emerged from a glacier.

If you have never heard of this film, there’s a good reason for that – it’s preposterous and occasionally painful. But, if viewed at two in the morning with a bowl full of popcorn, it can still be a fun diversion.

Other historic matches include the campy “Dracula vs. Frankenstein,” made with, to be kind, an unusual visual flair in 1971, and “Billy the kid vs. Dracula,” which pitted the outlaw against the supernatural criminal in 1966.

Rejuvenating A Genre?

While many of these historic match-ups did well at the box office (“Godzilla vs. King Kong” is one of the top grossing Japanese films of all time), relatively few have been seen in wide release. Part of the problem is finding two personalities worth pairing. Another problem is then developing a story that can bridge the two backgrounds of the central characters.

“Freddy vs. Jason” seems like a natural mix, taking two horror icons and putting them together. However, the question remains – how interesting and successful will it be when they finally meet?

Many in the movie industry are looking for the answer to that question. Numerous films are in the works right now that mimic “Freddy vs. Jason’s” formula, and depending on the success of this horror film, many more movie studios and producers could start pursuing films of this sort.

Among the most talked-about upcoming films is “Alien vs. Predator,” where the space creatures of 1979’s “Alien” combat the earth-bound hunters of 1987’s “Predator.” This film is in pre-production, and is scheduled to be a 2004 release.

Another hyped film is “Batman vs. Superman,” directed by Wolfgang Peterson (“Air Force One”), which is repeatedly considered and postponed by Warner Brothers. Early rumors suggest a film that paints both superheroes as opposite sides of the same coin, highlighting their similarities and differences before they must eventually join forces.

As Hollywood continues to rely on well-established franchises to bypass the need for high-cost actors and original scripts, movie match-ups seem like a logical next step. Already this summer, with the likes of “X-Men 2,” “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,” “Lara Croft,” and so many more, movies have drifted away from fresh ideas and towards characters and storylines that millions of Americans are already familiar with. Given the state of the industry, “Freddy vs. Jason” could be far more than a cheap summer horror flick. It could be the rebirth of a genre.

5. “Freddy Vs. Jason.” 2003. Pitting the central characters of the two most popular horror film franchises against each other, this film could either reenergize the genre of monster match-ups, or become yet another embarrassing title in the long list of failed horror projects.

3. “Alf vs. E.T.” Both pretend to be cute, cuddly aliens, here to learn about Earth and our way of life. But just watch what happens when E.T. starts to steal collect calling endorsements away from the popular fuzz ball.

3. “Van Helsing.” Slated for 2004. Though not officially based on previous material, this film appears to be the big-budget version of Universal’s early monster films, resurrecting Frankenstein, Count Dracula, the Wolf Man, and vampire hunter Dr. Abraham Van Helsing.