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BY BROOKE HOLGERSON
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Ever since the Scream movies deconstructed the genre, slasher movies have seemed pretty tired, reaching into the same bag of tricks and for the most part coming up empty-handed. Hong Kong director Ronny Yu’s Freddy Vs. Jason makes a lame attempt to extend the genre’s expiration date by throwing together two of its most recognizable villains, from Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th, respectively, prompting a showdown that has been 10 years in the making (otherwise known as development hell, which is worse than anything Freddy ever dreamed up). Freddy awakens Jason to jump-start the nightmares of Elm Street teens, who have been drugged into dream-free safety by their parents, only to find Jason unwilling to hand over the victims once the killing starts. A turf war ensues, with many promiscuous, partying teens caught in the bloody crossfire. Since the movie trots out every horror cliché, from the shower scene to the lone girl in the woods, the burden of generating scares falls on the seemingly indestructible shoulders of the two villains. Their final showdown will probably please fans, but everyone else will be wondering whether those 10 years couldn’t have been more profitably spent.
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