I know, I know Alice In Chains isn’t even in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame yet (and that MUST happen next). But hear me out…
The Screaming Trees are the 5th most mainstream successful Seattle Grunge band for sure. Mark Lanegan is rock vocal god on par with Kurt, Chris, Eddie, and Layne. Is it time we formally anoint the Trees into the S Tier of Seattle?
I think so. Thoughts?
Okay this is take two. My first offering was met with critique so I’m back with a revised format. I present to you the Freddy vs Jason narrative broken down into a thematic phased watch order.
If you like this let me know. If you have critiques that’s fine, talk them out. But please don’t just be a random fly-by dick.
The narrative flows very well with little interruption. Only Jason Takes Manhattan’s rough transition to JGTH and Jason X require some head canon. I proposed leaving Manhattan out of the saga but many complained. So I consider it an optional watch. I left it in for those who like it. Make your own story as to how it makes sense to the greater narrative.
As to Jason X it’s included because I see it as an epilogue to FvJ. How? I’ll give some props to YouTuber The Haddonfield Registry (The Definitive Lore Accurate Friday the 13th Timeline) for showing me how. He explains that Freddy entering Jason fundamentally altered Jason. It made him able to regenerate, as we see in Jason X.
I believe that the ending of FvJ and the wink by Freddy also adds upon this. You see Freddy, now dead in the outside world, now lives solely in Jason’s head. Jason’s mom is no longer calling the shots, Freddy is. It’s an odd couple dynamic for sure but as Jason emerges from the lake holding Freddy’s head through their joint incineration entering Earth 2’s atmosphere, they are inexorably linked. How? As Freddy was physically dying on the dock at Crystal Lake, Jason lost consciousness and Freddy was able to sneak back into the big killing machine’s head. The evidence to consider is that Jason is far more whimsical and personality filled, by his standards, in Jason X than in prior films. This is Freddy’s influence.
This idea adds a whole new element to watching Jason X, which is already a surprisingly fun watch. Watch it right after FvJ and let me know what you think. I see it as the true end to Jason and Freddy.
Above is my proposed timeline for the Freddy vs Jason saga. I’ve divided it into 6 “Phases”. Phase 1: Jason’s Origins and First Rampage, Phase 2: Freddy’s Origins and First Rampage, Phase 3: Undead Jason, Phase 4: Expanding Freddy’s Lore, Phase 5: To Hell with Freddy and Jason, and Phase 6: Monster Rally.
These 14 films represent a narrative that is continuous and builds towards a crossover between the two slasher titans. You’ll notice I’ve excluded films that don’t fit into this narrative saga. These films are either in a separate continuity (WCNN, F13 2009, & ANOES 2010) or are so disruptive to the timeline/narrative, and devoid of quality, that I deem them non-canon (F13 5, F13 8, and ANOES 2). These exclusions do not have a bearing on the story and thus can be skipped.
Some may argue that F13 3 and 7 are not particularly story/plot filled but I’d argue that they do add to the overall story. 3 is clearly the day after 2 and a few days before 4. It also explains Jason’s hockey mask and damage going into later films. 7 introduces Jason to battling magical beings which will come into play with Freddy later, gives him gnarly battle damage that is reflected in 9, leaves him at Crystal Lake which is where we find him in the beginning of 9, and introduced us to the Kane Hodder style of Jason that appears again in 9 & 10.
As to Jason X it’s included because I see it as an epilogue to FvJ. How? I’ll give some props to YouTuber The Haddonfield Registry (The Definitive Lore Accurate Friday the 13th Timeline) for showing me how. He explains that Freddy entering Jason fundamentally altered Jason. It made him able to regenerate, as we see in Jason X.
I believe that the ending of FvJ and the wink by Freddy also adds upon this. You see Freddy, now dead in the outside world, now lives solely in Jason’s head. Jason’s mom is no longer calling the shots, Freddy is. It’s an odd couple dynamic for sure but as Jason emerges from the lake holding Freddy’s head through their joint incineration entering Earth 2’s atmosphere, they are inexorably linked. How? As Freddy was physically dying on the dock at Crystal Lake, Jason lost consciousness and Freddy was able to sneak back into the big killing machine’s head. The evidence to consider is that Jason is far more whimsical and personality filled, by his standards, in Jason X than in prior films. This is Freddy’s influence.
This idea adds a whole new element to watching Jason X, which is already a surprisingly fun watch. Watch it right after FvJ and let me know what you think. I see it as the true end to Jason and Freddy.
This film always leaves me wondering where in the Universal Monsters family it belongs.
It’s 23 years after The Creature Walks Among Us which is generally considered the last of the Classic Era. It’s 20 years before The Mummy/Van Helsing Sommers Action/Adventure Era. And it’s way before the 2010’s remake/ Dark Universe Era.
At the end of the day I see it as the last attempt to resurrect the Classic Era. It is a gothic horror to be sure and it still tries to maintain some of the feel of the original series. So I guess I’ll place it there? I think it should be included with any future classic package release in much the same way that the 1943 Phantom is included; especially with the 1931 Dracula going into Public Domain soon. Release the 34 film collection!