Y'all remember the hype-train that was
Freddy vs. Jason, right? Well, I do. And recently, I've been thinking about it. And the initial false start the project had. So I'm going to take a quick trip down memory lane for a moment.
Here is the original promotional flyer from 1997, back when
FvJ had a planned 1998 release date. Now, this is nothing new. I'm sure you've all seen this old flyer posted somewhere on the net. It's clearly a quick thrown-together sales art job using the chrome mask from the
Jason Goes to Hell poster art. And I believe that's Freddy's glove from either
Freddy's Dead or
The Dream Child. Either way, it was enough to get the fans salivating.
What's most intriguing about this poster art is that it wasn't just a close-to-the-vest project around Hollywood. Not at all. In fact, the main art on the flyer was actually used as a teaser poster and was displayed in a few theaters. Not many, but some.
I was able to find the photo of the poster being displayed in a theater lobby. The photo was taken in 2001. Almost four years after the initial art concept was on a promo flyer. I remember seeing this on horror message boards at the time.
Now, the original promo flyer was made in the very early stages of the original false start. However, the poster seen in theaters was, in fact, meant to be a teaser poster for what would become the 2003 film that was released. That version, too, encountered many roadblocks in the early days of pre-production.
But, finally, let's fast forward to late 2002 when we finally got our very first look at the two maniacs and what they would look like in the movie. The quality of the photo sucks, but this is the first image that was released of Freddy and Jason. We knew Jason was going to be a lot bigger than Freddy since that was the whole controversy in replacing Kane Hodder as Jason. It still doesn't quite make sense all these years later, but oh well.
But damn, we, the fans, were blown away by this publicity still. The ball was officially rolling. And rolling fast.
Then, in early 2003, we finally got our first look at the official teaser poster. Not recycled promo art from 1997. But a real-deal teaser. And it was cool. It did the job.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find a super hi-res version (I didn't look too hard), but here it is.
Freddy vs. Jason was real. And it was coming soon.
Okay, I'm done ranting. These are all just random thoughts I had this morning. Why? I have no idea. Have a great day!
