By EWAN MCDONALD
(Herald rating: * *)
Another boy cult, this time well-rooted in the Game Boy-PlayStation generations. Four years after being killed by his daughter, Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) exists only in the dreams of the people in Springwood, Ohio, whom he terrorised in six earlier chapters.
When the townspeople use a
dream suppressant drug on their teens, Freddy is powerless. He frees Jason Voorhees (Ken Kirzinger) from a similar situation and sends him to Elm St, determined to strike fear into the hearts of Springwood's teens.
But when Jason won't stop killing Freddy's "children", Krueger decides it's time to take Voorhees out. Two teens, Lori (Monica Keena) and escaped psychiatric patient Will (Jason Ritter), lead a group of high-school students trying to stop the rot.
Which is all just an excuse for what fans of this offbeat genre want and expect: "blood, beasts, babes, butchering and bombastic music" sums it up, and yes, the first hour or more is just a set-up for the showdown between Jason and Freddy, choreographed in chop-shocky style by director Ronny Yu.
Trivia buffs: Yu has directed both Ritters in revivals of famous 80s horror characters — the late John in Bride of Chucky (1998); his son, Jason, in this.
DVD features: Two-disc set includes movie (97min); full-frame pan-and-scan version; commentary by director Ronny Yu and actors Robert Englund and Ken Kirzinger; "jump to a death" feature that allows the viewer to go to a specific death scene; 19 deleted scenes; alternate opening and ending; original theatrical trailer; 8 TV spots; music video: How Can I Live? by Ill Nino; features My Summer Vacation: My Visit to Camp Hack'n'Slash and Pre-Fight Press Conference with Freddy and Jason facing off in Las Vegas; 5 production features -- Genesis: Development Hell, On Location: Springwood Revisited, Art Direction: Jason's Decorating Tips, Stunts: When Push Comes to Shove and Make-Up Effects: Freddy's Beauty Secrets; 6 storyboard sections; 5 production archives; DVD-ROM content.
(DVD, video rental February 4)
