We frequently speculate on how our favourite characters from popular horror films would interact. The concept of horror movie crossovers, in which well-known villains and heroes are pitted against one another, is rather daunting.
A successful crossover has always resulted in positive box office returns, and there have been countless instances of this over the years. Freddy vs. Jason, released in 2003, pitted the famous horror villain Freddy Kreuger against Jason Vorhees. That film was a solid effort that was a commercial success.
Fans always have the wildest crossover ideas, but the majority of them never come to fruition. Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash was one such concept created to appeal to the tastes of the fans.
Wildstorm and Dynamite Entertainment collaborated on a six-issue comic book series. Because it introduces the battle-scarred hero Ash into the mix, the story feels like a sequel to Freddy vs. Jason and the Evil Dead trilogy.
This was followed by a six-issue mini-series titled Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash: The Nightmare Warriors. We’ll tell you all about how the movie version never came together in this video, and we’ll also take you into the dark realm of comic-books.
How Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash panned out!
The ending of Freddy vs. Jason was ambiguous and provided room for a sequel. With the film’s box office success, there were intentions to continue with the comic sequel’s storyline. Fans have been teased for decades with the possibility of seeing the worlds of Evil Dead, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Friday the 13th collide.
Many people believe the notion came about after Freddy vs. Jason, although it actually dates back to the 1980s. Let’s go back to 1987 and see Evil Dead 2, the sequel that made the franchise a lot more enjoyable.
There is a scene in this film where Freddy Krueger’s iconic set of gloves may be seen in the background in a shed! It could have merely been a sneak peak into the potential of partnerships, but it was evident that this was a self-aware reference, as Jason Goes to Hell: Friday is the last day.
While this is clearly not the greatest film in the franchise or the final one, it does shed some light on the union of the worlds of the mighty villains. There is enough in this movie to connect Jason to the Necronomicon from the Evil Dead films!
You surely remember that unforgettable moment where Freddy’s glove appears from the underworld and grabs Jason’s mask before disappearing back.
Another significant development was the confirmation that Jason was, in fact, a deadite from the Evil Dead films. The director of Jason Goes to Hell confirmed later that Jason was connected to the Evil Dead series.
According to him, Pamela Vorhees had struck a deal with the Devil by reading from the Necronomicon just to bring back her crazy son. Even Sam Raimi, the Evil Dead helmer, was a fan of this unique idea. However, New Line Cinema was not on board when it came to the inclusion of Evil Dead because they did not have the rights.
Freddy vs. Jason reintroduced the series’ lost spark after a brief break following Jason Goes to Hell. And having the concepts of Freddy, Jason, and Ash come together in a lethal mix would have been more interesting!
The concept, on the other hand, did not get off to the best of starts. One of the major issues was that while New Line Cinema had the rights to Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street, they did not own the rights to The Evil Dead.
Despite the efforts of a prominent producer, Jeff Katz, the creators of these iconic franchises appeared to have their own huge plans for the characters. A compromise was difficult, and they could never agree upon a fixed conclusion.
Later, Bruce Campbell, the man who played the role of Ash, elaborated on the uncomfortable meetings that were held over the proposed crossover. For instance, when New Line Cinema approached the Evil Dead guys, the latter was keen to have Ash kill both Freddy and Jason.
The creators of Freddy and Jason were immediately disgruntled, and the idea fell apart before it managed to materialize! This is what prompted Jeff Katz to give it up and go for the epic comic book series. Too many creative minds coming together is not always very fruitful, it seems!
The Crazy Comic Book Series
The first issue of the comics was published in November 2007 and lasted until March 2008. The plot is set five years after the events of Freddy vs. Jason, and it was devised by James Kuhoric and Jason Craig.
We notice that Crystal Lake has been renamed Forrest Green, and that a new S-Mart shopping centre has opened. There has been a lot of effort put forth to erase the location’s dreadful history, but can evil really be forgotten?
It’s the Christmas season, and the town is doing everything it can to shake off its dreadful reputation, which it’s hard for decades. Will Rollins and Lori Campbell are also seen driving back to Camp Crystal Lake for close.
As you know, they were the survivors in Freddy vs. Jason, but the experience has left them scarred! They split up to explore the scene to confirm that both Jason and Freddy are dead and also to offer themselves the emotional comfort that they both need.
However, things go horribly wrong from here! Lori finds out that Will has been ripped open by Jason, and later, even Lori gets a machete to her face! Jason then carries their mutilated corpses to his mother’s abode in the middle of the woods.
Here, you can see the severed heads of Freddy Krueger and Pamela Voorhees. Ever since Freddy was defeated in Freddy vs. Jason, he has been trapped inside Jason’s subconscious and has the ability to manipulate him.
He discovers the Book of the Dead, the Necronomicon ex Mortis, in the old Voorhees residence and appears to Jason as Pamela Voorhees’ boyfriend. He encourages Jason to return the book to him and promises that if he obeys, he may be the typical boy he’s always wanted to be!
Jason returns to his old house, only to discover that the Necronomicon’s participation has brought another renowned horror legend to S-Mart: Ash Williams, who works as the Housewares Domestic Engineer.
He intends to permanently destroy the infamous book. We see him enter the store and be met by the manager, who informs him of the work he must finish by Christmas. Before entering, Ash was hitting on three young ladies, and Jason had observed the same from his hiding spot.
The moment he gets his chance, he hacks the three girls to death but is seen by an old woman nearby. She screams in terror and Ash rushes out to help. The elderly lady is seemingly in shock, and all that she manages to blurt out is the word, Jason!
The cops arrive and leave when the procedures are completed. Meanwhile, Ash tries to pique the interest of some young teens with tales of his deadite hunting days, but his exploits are mocked by the young guns, who dismiss him as a crazy old guy.
Caroline, one of the teenagers, however, is fascinated by the deadites. When Ash tells the story of Jason Voorhees, she is surprised to learn that Jason could be a member of the undead species after all! He believes Jason is in possession of the Necronomicon, and the prospect of hazards if the book falls into the wrong hands is terrifying enough.
On the other hand, Jason is seen on a journey towards his old house. He comes across a group of carolers, and it doesn’t take him long to hack-and-slash through them. Ash is working in the mall, and just as his shift is about to end, a beautiful girl named Bree gets a lot of stuff because she and her friends plan to spend the night at the old Voorhees house.
The town is about to take down the house the following day, and the group leaves with all the stuff in the excitement of their upcoming adventure. Little do they know that Jason is watching every step closely. Just as they head into the cabin, Jason slays them all, leaving Bree as the only survivor.
While everything is going on, Ash, who had followed them in, discovers the book in the basement. The noise upstairs draws his attention, and when he comes, he finds Bree disturbed. Jason strikes unexpectedly, and they manage to flee with Jason after them.
Caroline, the young adolescent who told Ash about Jason, comes to their rescue, and it appears that she had followed Ash to the house. They return to the S-Mart because Ash wishes to decipher the mysteries of the Necronomicon. They require an immediate plan to follow in order to put an end to the chaos.
Freddy is not impressed by Jason’s failure in retrieving the book. He quickly scans through his memory and finds the S-Mart nametag on Ash. He orders Jason to head to S-Mart and retrieve the Necronomicon by all means.
As Caroline, Ash, and Bree walk into the store, Jason follows them, and chaos ensues! He starts slaughtering the innocent customers and staff, and the killing machine is confronted when Ash shows up with a shotgun and a chainsaw. They engage in an intense but brief battle and Ash is thrown through the wall by the mighty Jason.
Caroline tries in vain to help him out, and Bree, who is already unstable from all the trauma, is discarded as well. She grabs the Necronomicon, but Jason kills her and gains possession of the text.
Freddy’s severed head is turned towards the book as Jason returns to the old place. In no time, he deciphers the resurrection spell, and Freddy can now exist in reality as well. He tries to flee the scene, but is stopped by Jason.
Freddy recalls his vow and uses the book to bestow intelligence on Jason as well. Only an intellectual Jason is more deadly than Jason! Caroline and the surviving youths reunite with Ash, and they devise a strategy to recover the Necronomicon.
They decide to sleep first, but with Freddy on the loose, it doesn’t seem like a good idea! Then, with one of his hands transformed by Freddy’s sword, Ash finds himself in the cabin from the first Evil Dead. He finds the chainsaw in the shed and hacks off the Freddy-infected hand. Just as he feels great about defeating the deadites, he realizes that all this has happened before, and he must be in a dream.
As realization dawns on him, Freddy appears and states that the Necronomicon is all his for eternity. Ash manages to wake up using the hot shotgun barrel, but he is too late because one of the kids has been murdered by Freddy.
He seems happy about his recent kill and invades Jason’s subconscious one more time. This time, he orders Jason to finish off Ash for good. Meanwhile, Ash and the surviving teenagers are planning to get the book back.
Ash is certain that there should be something in the Necronomicon that can return both Freddy and Jason. Ash heads back to the old Voorhees house, and the kids stay outside to try and lure Jason out of his hiding. Unfortunately, because Jason is smarter, he does not fall into the trap.
Ash locates the Necronomicon in the basement once more, but Krueger stabs him just as he is about to pick it up. We find that Freddy has gleaned enough knowledge from the Book of the Dead to manipulate reality, which he has utilised to perplex Ash.
Freddy uses the claws from his dream to pull down Ash, who makes a desperate attempt to flee. Jason senses something is wrong and rushes in to stop Freddy. Krueger, on the other hand, has grown too powerful, and he calls the ghosts of Jason’s victims, who immediately attack him.
He even slams the machete into Jason with one of his dismembered hands.. The latter falls to the floor, visibly weakened from all these attacks. Freddy decides to turn his attention to Ash, but he is surprised to learn that Ash and the Necronomicon are missing from the scene.
An enraged Freddy uses his power to alter reality once again and make Ash’s memories recreate the deadite forces. However, Ash is prepared with his chainsaw to free himself from the attack.
Caroline appears to be the only one who has survived Jason’s previous assault. They discover that the Necronomicon has the ability to open a portal that will transport Jason and Freddy back into the deadite realm indefinitely. Pamela Voorhees, on the other hand, appears to be using the book to bring her dead son back to life, and time is running out for them.
In the skies, Freddy’s visage appears, and Ash and Caroline run into the Voorhees house once more. But, to their surprise, the house has been transformed into the infamous Elm Street residence.
Three girls are singing the infamous Freddy Krueger nursery rhyme, and demonised youngsters attack just as Caroline tries to warn them. Ash is tied down by the kids, and Caroline is taken by Freddy. But, Ash makes good use of his chainsaw one more time and goes on to save Caroline, who is being threatened by Freddy to hand over the Necronomicon.
Suddenly, Jason arrives at the scene, and although Freddy manages to subdue him once again, it buys Caroline precious time! She reads through the words that can help in opening the portal.
Jason attempts to snatch the book from her, but his victory is short-lived because Ash arrives and blasts his head off with the shotgun and then uses the chainsaw to hack-off Jason’s hand. The Necronomicon is freed, and Caroline runs off with it, but Jason is far from dead.
As Jason and Ash square off, even an injured Jason proves to be a handful, and he throws Ash out of the window. As Freddy and Jason engage in a tussle, it becomes a battle between the two terrible entities. Caroline anxiously tries to wake up an unconscious Ash when the house crashes on them.
Caroline is compelled to flee after seeing Freddy emerge from the wreckage. Freddy is enraged because his book has been taken, so she hides in a fishing cabin with the Necronomicon.
He demolishes the nearby shacks, and Caroline’s whereabouts is soon exposed. He reclaims possession of the book, but only for a short period because Jason assaults him once more. Freddy defeats a weakened Jason, but just as we think he is the victor, Ash runs him over with a car. He single-handedly takes on the two villains, and Caroline manages to open the portal to the dimension of the deadites.
Everything near Crystal Lake is sucked up by a giant vortex overhead, and Ash and Caroline cling on for dear life. Freddy is drawn into the gateway, but Jason seems unfazed by its pull. Just as he is about to strike Ash, his car slams into him, and he is left in the icy waters of the lake.
Freddy makes one last attempt to use the Necronomicon and reverse the spell, but it doesn’t work out, and he disappears. In the end, we see the portal open briefly and drop the Necronomicon on Crystal Lake. We are shocked to see the underneath the ice, Jason suddenly opens his eyes!
Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash: The Nightmare Warriors
Jeff Katz and James Kuhoric wrote this six-issue comic series as a follow-up to Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash. The story continues where the previous one ended, with a team of government operatives exploring Lake Crystal for the Necronomicon.
They intend to use the book of the dead for Initiative Black Book, a top-secret project overseen by Gordon Russell. Russell locates the book and departs the scene with it, while the remaining agents attempt to recover Jason Voorhees’ frozen body from the lake.
Jason, on the other hand, rises from his coma and murders them all. Freddy Krueger is once again up to his evil tricks, and he poses as Jason’s mother to make him leave Crystal Lake and look for Ash Williams.
Ash is trying to get over the trauma of his experiences, and he lives in Michigan with his girlfriend, Caroline. We see him preparing to host a barbeque when Doctor Maggie Burroughs meets him and tries to convince him to join her group of people who have fought some form of unnatural evil and survived.
Ash is irritated by the same old topics and sends her away. He goes to the store, trying to stock up for the backyard party that he is hosting. Caroline is left alone in the house, giving Jason the perfect opportunity to kill her!
Elsewhere, we see Alice and Stephanie getting strange visions of Freddy and Jason. The scene moves to the Pentagon,where Russell is planning to summon an army of demonic soldiers via the Necronomicon!
When Ash arrives to see Caroline’s dead, he tries to flee, fully oblivious to the fact that a man in a hummer is watching him. Russell makes effective use of the Necronomicon, bringing a powerful version of Freddy Krueger from the deadite’s realm to Earth.
As Ash tries to track down Maggie and her posse, Jason pursues him and attacks the group. Jason is mows down by the man in the hummer, and we find that this strange chap is Tommy Jarvis from Friday the 13th. Jason is killed by rockets and gunshots as government forces arrive at his home.
The survivors are now holed up in a motel, and Maggie, whose father is Russell, wants to help him in using the Necronomicon to defeat the vicious killers. Tommy does not agree with the idea and he goes solo. In the mean time, Jason has been locked in a cell with the deadites, and Freddy pays a visit mentally.
He proposes an offer where they team up to rule the world, and Jason agrees when he learns that his arch-enemy Tommy is also there. Following the agreement, Freddy restores Jason’s decomposed body and makes him the General of the DeaditeArmy.
When Russell and Maggie visit Freddy, he reveals that he still can go back to his demonic form. Russell tries to attack Freddie, but Maggie steps in and kills him. A shocking revelation is made wherein we learn that Maggie is actually Freddy Krueger’s daughter.
Jason descends on the streets of Washington with his deadite army, and Tommy faces off against him. Some powerful winged deadites attack him as he tries to open fire, and he is taken to Freddy.
Freddy briefly defeats them all and addresses the country while costumed as the President. The broadcast in which Freddy unveils his dark ambitions for the world is watched by Ash and his friends. They arm themselves and make their way to the White House for a final showdown.
Stephanie uses a blade to impale her uncle, and Tommy uses glass to sever Jason’s head. Freddy amplifies his abilities by using Jason’s soul, but he is eventually brought down when Neil reads from the chapter of the Necronomicon that can exile him.
The gateway is reopened, and even the Necronomicon finds Freddy unworthy and takes away his abilities. Ash blasts him into the realm, and we see Mrs. Voorhees’ voice stating that Jason can never die!
Future Possibility of a Live-Action Movie
We love to cheer you up in this part with some crazy movie possibilities! However, alas! We don’t have anything exciting to say about this one. As of now, there appears to be nothing in the works to indicate that someone is genuinely considering turning it into a live-action version.
However, for horror enthusiasts, just the prospect of it is tantalising, and it’s a shame that such a fantastic concept is currently limited to comic books exclusively.