Ever since Freddy vs. Jason debuted back in 2003, many fans have relished the idea of horror icons crossing over with one another. However, even with the interconnected franchise boom established by the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we haven't seen many of these crossovers take place. That said, it seems that Chronicle screenwriter Max Landis has an idea for a horror villain crossover that would pit Freddy, Jason, and Chucky against Pinhead and a Cenobite-worshipping cult, and it's honestly a fascinating idea. He recently revealed a lot about what it would be about during The Writer's Panel podcast.
According to Max Landis' pitch, the story opens on a troubled, teenage orphan (compared to John Boyega from Attack the Block) adopted by a couple who live on a lovely, suburban street. However, these adults are the parents of Johnny Depp's Glen Lantz from A Nightmare on Elm Street. While eating dinner with the Lantz family, the orphan becomes violently ill and falls into a coma. Landis explained that a dream sequence is how the villains start to come into play:
He starts walking up the street, he hears weird music, there are kids running--it's like fall. He's like WTF is this. And, at the house he was in, one house over, there's three little girls. And they are doing jump rope. He's like, 'What the fuck is this.' And he hears, 'One, Two, Freddy's coming for you.' So the street's Elm Street, Freddy stalks the kid, pops out, claws to the face. Dead instantly. Except he's not. Freddy can't get his claws out of the kid's face. And the kid is like, 'What the fuck are you?' Freddy's like, 'What is happening?' All of a sudden chains, like the movie Hellraiser--like the cube chains--go all around Freddy, pull him up like that, like he's a scarecrow, and lock him. In the hospital room, which the foster parents have closed off, they've drawn the Hellraiser symbol on the floor, under the bed. The kid's heart rate spikes and one of [the adults] goes, 'We got him.'
This idea during the Nerdist's The Writers Panel podcast, we learn that the Lantz family is part of a cult that worships Pinhead and the Cenobites. They're responsible for the murder of "Fred" Krueger (a seemingly innocent man) and turning him into the nightmare stalking serial killer we all know and love. Now the cult wants to sacrifice Freddy once and for all, forcing him to forge a tenuous alliance with the orphan as they move through the dream world. Krueger and the orphan make their escape through various dream realms and eventually go on to team up with Jason Voorhees and Chucky, and they all journey down to hell on a quest to beat Pinhead (and by extension, defeat the cult).
The basic idea behind this crossover is an attempt to make these killer characters into the main heroes of their respective franchises. In his description of the overarching plot, Landis is adamant in his lack of interest in characters like Laurie Strode, Tommy Jarvis, or really any other famous horror movie hero. By reframing characters like Freddy and Jason as tragically cursed figures, he seems to think that he could breathe new life into these series.
Of course, it's worth mentioning that a crossover such as this would be pretty tricky to pull off. Rights for these characters are spread across several studios, so it's not quite as easy as putting Batman and Superman in a film together. The amount of money and moving parts required would be staggering from a logistical standpoint.
That said, it's hard to deny that this is a pretty good idea for a subversive horror film. It takes a Cabin in the Woods-style approach to rethinking the way we look at these horror icons and the people they kill -- which might be precisely what they need to stay relevant. After all, if the long-rumored Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash or Freddy vs. Chucky never happens, this could be a great idea worthy of exploration.
Looking beyond this pitch, make sure to take a look at our guide to horror movies that we're dying to see, as well as our 2017 movie premiere guide and 2018 movie premiere guide.
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