Welcome everyone to the newest feature here at Coming Soon. ‘5 Reasons Why’ is dedicated to featuring and defending a controversial topic that is sure to spark a healthy debate among readers. The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of this writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Comingsoon.net, Mandatory.com, Crave Online or any of its other subsidiaries.
Freddy VS Jason, despite its faults, was a massive hit when it came out in 2003. There were a lot of things we didn’t necessarily like about the film, but there were a lot of things we liked as well. What we didn’t like was that, at the end of the film, there was no definitive winner. Now, Jason emerged from the Crystal Lake with Freddy’s head in tow, which could signify that Jason won. But then, in the final frame of the movie, Freddy offered up a knowing wink to the camera, signifying that there was no true winner. We’re here to set the record straight, though. Freddy might have more lines, but there can be no doubt that Jason Voorhees is the unparalleled King of 80’s Slashers. Here are 5 Reasons Why.
5) Higher Body Count
At the time of this writing, Jason Voorhees has killed approximately 146 people. Comparatively speaking, Freddy Krueger has only killed about 35 people. Obviously, this is a major difference. While Freddy likes to stalk and play with his victims, Jason is more of a shark. He doesn’t necessarily have a vendetta against anybody; he’ll kill everybody! Jason cannot be reasoned with. He can’t be talked to. He doesn’t go away when you wake up. Jason Voorhees is on a single mission, which is to destroy everything and everybody who gets in his way.
4) More Movies/More Longevity
Because of his absolute ambivalence when it comes to his victims, Jason has been featured in 12 movies as of this writing. He’s not looking to kill the last few remaining children of Elm Street. He doesn’t need to stalk a sibling or get revenge. Jason just kills. Period. Whether it’s at Camp Crystal Lake, Manhattan, Springwood or Space, Jason will go anywhere and kill anything that he happens across. That is why he has so much more longevity than Freddy. Freddy ran out of people to kill because he wiped out all the Elm Street kids. But for Jason, as long as there are still teenagers drinking, smoking pot, and having sex, he will never run out of victims.
3) Physical Attributes
Physically, there’s no doubt that Jason is superior to Freddy. Jason, depending on the actor portraying him, usually stands over 6’ tall. Comparatively speaking, Freddy is approximately 5’10. Jason is a machine. Freddy is a skinny nerd with a razor glove. Freddy knows how weak he is too, which is why he can only attack people in their dreams. Jason has gone toe-to-toe with Army sergeants, boxers and robots. And he won every single time. Freddy relies on tricks and shadows and exploiting insecurities. Jason just opens up cans of whoop ass.
2) Better Backstory
According to legend, Fred Krueger was a “filthy child murderer.” He was a janitor that would lure children into the boiler room that he worked at and he would kill them. Depending on the iteration, he may have done even more than that. Kind of hard to root for a guy that murders kids. Jason, on the other hand, is more of a victim than anything. Jason was a little boy with a severe handicap that just wanted to feel normal for a summer, which is why he went to summer camp at Crystal Lake. His mom was a cook there, and the two had the chance to live a semi-normal existence for at least a few months. Unfortunately, the counselors tasked with watching Jason while he swam were “too busy making love.” Because of this, Jason drowned. He didn’t die, but his mother still took revenge on the counselors for not paying attention.Years later, Jason had to witness ANOTHER counselor decapitate his mother, the only person that he had. Naturally, this infuriated him so he took revenge on the girl who killed his mom, as well as anybody that even resembled her.
In truth, Jason isn’t really a bad guy. He has a heartbreaking backstory that kind of makes audiences empathize with him, which is what makes him even scarier.
1) He’s Not A Joke
And this is the biggest reason why Jason is better than Freddy. Jason isn’t a joke. Even when he was in a satirical situation (space,) it was never Jason that was the joke. He just kept doing what he does best- murdering horny teenagers. Freddy, on the other hand, spent the majority of his time on film cracking jokes which, in turn, made him into one himself. In the original Nightmare on Elm Street, Freddy was scary and intimidating and downright evil. 5 movies later, he was playing video games and parodying the Wizard of Oz. Freddy Krueger is a joke. Jason is a killer. And that’s why Jason is now, and will forever be, the ultimate slasher icon.
