The three most sacred icons of Horror meet together in a solemn cacophony of bright-red massacre and dripping gore!  This is a comic book event no fan will want to miss as Ash takes on both the Camp Blood Killer and the insidious Springwood Slasher. This is Freddy vs Jason vs Ash, the unholy trinity of terror come together in a battle royale to the (gruesome) death!

 

The film studios may not have seen any potential in such a project, but luckily for fans we get the violent conclusion to the ultimate slasher brawl we’ve been craving.

 

 

You know it as well as I do – this is a slasher fan’s dream come true! Just the thought alone is enough to make our skulls explode! But does it live up to the hype? Join me, Manic Exorcism, as we take a look back at a rare edition of horror’s fetid history and explore the legendary saga of  Freddy vs Jason vs Ash.

If you’re seeking carnage, look no further! Guts and gore pile up quickly as you flip through the dripping pages of each sizzling issue of this titanic horror masterpiece. It’s a full-on horror extravaganza! But pitting three of horror’s most beloved franchises into one coherent story could not have been a simple task, and yet the fiendish minds over at Wildstorm and Dynamite Entertainment made it happen in a gruesomely fun way.

 

Background to Freddy vs Jason vs Ash

Growing up in the 80’s there were two names that haunted the world of horror movies – Freddy and Jason. That’s not to say none others were less important, but there was something about those two guys that had us kids hooked. There were even gangs – we didn’t have teams, we had gangs back then – dedicated to one or the other franchise. You were either a Freddy fan or Jason fan, yeah stupid I know, but we were in Third Grade and had every right to be stupid.

Who would win a fight should the two killers ever meet for a bloody show down? All the Fred heads knew the Springwood Slasher would win. Meanwhile all the disciples of Jason unwaveringly knew their unstoppable juggernaut would crush Freddy.

 

Then – oh my God! – something happened that changed the game. They killed Freddy! Jason fans had a moment of triumph as they pointed and laughed at the opposing religion’s dead god!

 

 

The skies split open betwixt rumbling peals of thunder as lightning snaked across bruised clouds. Victory was ours and Valhalla shone upon our monkey-bars – a flimsy but appreciated fort at recess. But our victory was short lived because the masters of Hell came forth to obtain our hero as well. Both gangs were without either Freddy or Jason now.

 

 

Something happened though, a reward for our childish faithfulness as it were. It was a sign found at the end of Jason Goes to Hell. Those familiar with the movie will remember the best part of the entire experience – which God knows isn’t the movie itself – is at the very end. Soon after Jason is dragged down to Hell all that remains is his iconic hockey mask. Fans on both sides jumped out of their skins when the equally iconic razor-tipped glove reached out of the ground and pulled the hockey mask away. Down to Hell.

 

 

Freddy vs. Jason was a certainty! Little did we know we would have to wait a whole decade for it to finally happen. So much time elapsed that we questioned if it even would. Then August 13, 2003 the long-awaited Freddy vs. Jason was released, but to mixed reactions. It’s not a bad movie per say, and it’s certainly fun, but there were elements to that film that simply weren’t faithful to either franchise. Overall, was it a fun movie? Yes it was, and it can be enjoyed.

 

 

Once the credits rolled a sequel was already expected. Speculations buzzed around the rumor-mill like angered hornets. Where could either franchise go after bringing both horror killers together at long last? Would other franchises be brought in too? Would we see Halloween or Texas Chainsaw Massacre mix into Crystal Lake or Elm Street? What about Evil Dead?

 

 

Robert Englund himself had approached New Line with a (BRILLIANT) continuation pitch. A pitch he shared with me when I met him at Monsterpalooza earlier this year.

I held my issue of Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash in hand all ready for him to sign – an autograph to stand proudly beside Kane Hodder’s, because by God, Kane is Jason when I read that comic – Englund took the comic, admired it for a moment, then told me of the movie that almost happened.

 

 

“I had this idea to bring Bruce (Campbell) in for part 2,” Englund told me. “I even had the idea for the poster. Bruce would have me in a headlock in one arm, and Jason locked in the other arm. The tagline for the movie would be ‘Keeping the world safe from sequels’ but the studio didn’t like it.”

Any idea why? They told Robert Englund they didn’t want to kill Freddy off. Now how many movies have there already been where Freddy does die in one fashion or another? “You brought me back by dog piss in one movie,” he argued. The studio thought remaking both Freddy and Jason would be a better plan though.

It would seem Freddy vs Jason vs Ash would never see the light of day.

 

 

As luck would have it someone did like Englund’s idea and thought it was perfectly awesome – and turned it into the comic run we’re discussing now. It may be in comic book form, but don’t let that distract you from how incredible Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash really is.

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