Why Stephen King Was “First in Line” for the Worst Freddy Krueger Movie
Ironically, the 2003 slasher turned out to be the best and the worst part of both franchises, so we don’t judge Stephen King here.
Stephen King is a strict judge when it comes to all sorts of movies and especially horrors, but it’s not only because the author spent decades collaborating with Hollywood’s most prominent directors on some of his best adaptations.
Previously, King repeatedly admitted to being a huge movie fan, so his expertise in the horror genre does give him a chance to predict which movie will become a hit and which, well, is doomed to suck in the box office.
However, King doesn’t shy away from checking out potential flops as well, but there’s one thing the writer couldn’t predict about this 2003 weird horror movie.
Stephen King Was Ready to Be “First in Line” for ‘Freddy vs. Jason’
When the time came for a pretty unexpected cross-over between Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street, probably two of the most iconic horror franchises out there, Stephen King knew this was nothing more but a desperate move to keep things afloat.
Still, it never meant that the author would stay away from the movie without even giving it a chance.
“Schmucks like me keep going to see them. And why? Because the fear generated by a good horror picture is a drug, and as any junkie will tell you, you go on chasing the high long after the high is gone”, King explained in an interview with Entertainment Weekly back in 2007.
The writer then added that, despite being reassured that Freddy vs. Jason would be an awful movie anyway, he would see no obstacle on the way to a local cinema.
“When it comes to horror franchises, the second-to-last gasp is always the combo movie. And this summer we have, for better or worse, reached that point with Freddy vs. Jason. And I’ll be first in line. I mean, in my heart I know it’s gonna be terrible, but I’ll still be there”, King said.
‘Freddy vs. Jason’ Was the Biggest Box Office Hit for Both Franchises
- On Rotten Tomatoes, Freddy vs. Jason holds scores of 41% and 50% from critics and audiences
- On IMDb, the movie is rated 5.7/10
The movie doesn’t even come close to Hannah Montana, though it still got the best of both worlds, becoming the highest-grossing part of both Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street franchises.
With a budget of $30 million, Freddy vs. Jason earned $116 million in the box office worldwide, eventually even planting some thoughts about more sequels and cross-overs in its creators’ heads.
However, the future installments were eventually shelved, with the movie itself marking Robert Englund’s last appearance as Freddy Krueger.
