Freddy vs. Jason

Scary, gory, nightmare-inducing slasher.

Director Ronny Yu loses energy when it shifts to the dumb teen protagonists, and the script faithfully wallows in cliches so ridiculous they border on Scary Movie territory.

It's pretty obvious where director Ronnie Yu's sympathies lie. Still, he can't find a satisfactory resolution to that old teaser about an implacable force vs the immovable object: how to kill off your cash cow and milk her too.

It may not be an all-time classic, but it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp blade/finger.

It's completely daft, and the one-liners are by now just plain cheesy, but there's a good deal of gore to keep the faithful amused, if not completely happy.

It's bloody, it's loud, it's gratuitous, and it's ridiculous. Sweet.

It is a shame to see so much CGI in 2 franchises known for their practical effects work, but once the script emerges from its introductory exposition phase, the film becomes clever enough to lift these flailing franchises back up from the depths of Hell.

It manages to combine two durable franchises in a manner that doubtless made mutual devotees of the Police Academy and Rambo series green with envy.

Freddy vs. Jason is an early-aughts slasher with laughable dialogue, creative kills, and tons of blood dripping, spraying, and gushing everywhere. It’s the gory good time that fans wanted and remains an entertaining end to two long-running franchises.

It leans too heavily on the worst elements of 80s slashers. But it’ll be filling enough for those it’s catering to.