Despite 2003’s Freddy vs. Jason becoming a smash hit, several other proposed horror crossovers ended up trapped in development hell. That’s almost fitting in a way since Freddy vs. Jason itself spent about a decade trapped in that same Hollywood purgatory as New Line Cinema rejected script attempt after script attempt. When it finally did release, the battle of the slasher titans made big money, leading many to predict that it would lead to a wave of onscreen match-ups between horror icons. For better or worse, that didn’t come to pass.
While a few titanic monster battle movies did eventually happen, most notably Godzilla vs. Kong and Sadako vs. Kayako, it’s fair to say that most commentaries in 2003 expected to see more of those off the back of Freddy vs. Jason and less B-grade efforts like Lake Placid vs. Anaconda. As it turns out, though, several filmmakers, actors, writers, and studios lobbied to get more Freddy vs. Jason-like horror vs. movies made, but for varying reasons, most of these projects were unable to come to fruition.
Every movie trend tends to come back around eventually, so moviegoers likely have not seen the last of two killers battling it out for horror supremacy. What is less likely, however, is that any of the failed projects included below will finally see the light of day. Still, horror devotees may eventually at least have new potential movie battles to look forward to, like Saw’s Jigsaw vs. Don’t Breathe‘s Norman Nordstrom or It Follows‘ The Entity vs. The Babadook. Here’s every canceled horror vs. crossover movie explained, including why they ultimately didn’t happen.
Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash
With Freddy vs. Jason making more money than any entry in either the Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13th series up to that point, New Line Cinema naturally wanted to make a Freddy vs. Jason 2. Jeff Katz, who had worked as a producer on Freddy vs. Jason, delivered a script treatment for Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash, a sequel that brought in Bruce Campbell’s hero from the Evil Dead movies. While Freddy actor Robert Englund was keen on the prospect, Campbell and Evil Dead creator Sam Raimi were not so enthusiastic, as New Line proved to be very controlling on anything to do with Freddy.
Wary of having little creative input on anything not concerning Ash and worried about a potentially cumbersome three-way rights split when it came to profits, Campbell and Raimi ultimately backed out. All was not lost, though, as Katz’s treatment was adapted into a well-received run of Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash comic books. With Campbell retired as Ash after Ash vs. Evil Dead and Englund also retired as Freddy, the prospect of a Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash movie ever happening looks deader than one of Jason’s victims at Camp Crystal Lake.
Helloween (Michael Myers vs. Pinhead)
Impressed by Freddy vs. Jason’s success and that of Alien vs. Predator, Dimension Films grew increasingly interested in the previously pitched idea of a crossover involving the two biggest horror properties it owned at the time: Halloween and Hellraiser. Helloween was to see Michael Myers go toe to toe with Pinhead, with Hellraiser creator Clive Barker writing the script and even getting Halloween creator John Carpenter on board to direct. It’s unclear how the story would have potentially explained the two monsters crossing paths, but the prospect immediately drew interest from many horror devotees, and Dimension saw dollar signs in their future.
Unfortunately, Helloween’s union of Halloween and Hellraiser ran into one huge stumbling block in the form of longtime Halloween franchise producer Moustapha Akkad. Carpenter had long since sold his interest in the franchise to Akkad, and while Akkad licensed the rights to Dimension to make movies, he retained the final say over any potential projects involving Michael Myers. Akkad had zero interest in doing Michael vs. Pinhead, as he was extremely protective of Halloween and did not want to risk any damage to its public image. It can be argued that terrible sequels like Halloween: Resurrection had already done damage, but Akkad disagreed. Thus, Helloween ended up dead on arrival.
Leprechaun vs. Candyman
Another potential horror vs. crossover movie proposed not long after Freddy vs. Jason was a meeting between hook-handed urban legend Candyman and the gold-obsessed fairy called Leprechaun. Lionsgate controlled the rights to both series at that point and wanted to capitalize on the love for slasher icons facing off by having the eloquent but vicious Candyman face-off with the diminutive trickster. On paper, that seems like a huge mismatch, both in stature and reputation. Then again, both are supernatural characters, so physical prowess doesn’t mean much.
Still, it is highly likely a Candyman vs. Leprechaun crossover movie would have been a disaster, albeit a potentially hilarious one. The idea was to bring stars Tony Todd and Warwick Davis back, but Todd took one look at the pitch and immediately pledged to have absolutely nothing to do with the project. That is not surprising, considering Todd’s love and respect for his signature character and desire not to let him become a laughing stock. Todd then tried to get a Candyman 4 in motion, but that too fell through. Candyman would not return until 2021’s requel, which featured Todd in a cameo.
Child’s Play On Elm Street
In 2014, Child’s Play creator Don Mancini first revealed his pitch for a crossover between the Child’s Play and Nightmare on Elm Street franchises. The simply titled Child’s Play on Elm Street was to see Chucky end up owned by an Elm Street resident and, while there, eventually meet Freddy Krueger within the dream world. In a fun twist, the idea would first be for the two verbose, quick-witted killers to become friends, admiring each other’s work and establishing a rapport.
Ultimately though, in a turn somewhat similar to Freddy vs. Jason, Freddy and Chucky would realize that Elm Street was not big enough for both of them and that they were eating into each other’s victim pools. Instead of fighting, Mancini planned for Freddy and Chucky to make a wager, with whoever killed the most people in one night winning control of the area. By 2017, Mancini had hinted he was actually pitching the idea to New Line but expressed hesitancy about Universal – who controls Chucky – and New Line agreeing to work together. Sure enough, the crossover never got off the ground.
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