Freddy, Jason and Michael - Horror Film Villains
A Look at the Three Killers who Define Horror Cinema
Sep 4, 2009
Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers are the definition of 1970-1980 horror cinema, as these three ruthless killers hunt everything from children and teenagers to family members – of course, slaying a few innocent civilians along the way. These three characters differentiate from one another by personality traits, physical appearances and interaction with other individuals. However, these character traits are threatened in the newer remakes or sequels to the original films and threaten the credibility of these feared killers.
Freddy Krueger from Elm Street
Known from the movie sequence of A Nightmare on Elm Street, the fictional character of Krueger is a disfigured stalker, who kills children and teenagers in their dreams with his razor glove. By killing them in their sleep, Krueger also ends up killing them in real-life – hence, the victims die in their dreams but also in real life while sleeping. It would appear that Krueger has powers beyond this world since he cannot die in the dream world, but whenever he is dragged into the real world, he has the strength and vulnerability of a human being.
Krueger was known on Elm Street as a child molester. To avenge their children, the parents torch his dwelling, burning him alive. It is the children of these parents that Krueger hunts in the first couple of films surrounding his horror on Elm Street. Krueger is easily identifiable with his burned and disfigured face, his red and dark green striped sweater and the metal-clawed leather glove. Another trademark is Krueger’s horrific and comedic remarks before killing a victim.
Jason Voorhees from Crystal Lake
The fictional character of Jason terrorizes the surrounding area of Camp Crystal Lake in the Friday the 13th series. The character of Jason was not meant to be the leading killer in several movies, as his mother – Mrs. Voorhees – was the known killer in the first movie of the sequence. Her motive was to avenge her son’s death by killing all of the camp counsellors who were at fault.
Although Jason’s physical appearance has gone through many transformations throughout the decades, with various special makeup effects, Jason remains a large build man. His machete and the hockey mask have become his trademarks, even though the mask did not appear until the third instalment. Jason is seen as a sympathetic character, where his motivation for killing has been cited as driven by the immoral actions of his victims – those actions that ultimately lead to his drowning. Jason is also known for having a close relationship to his mother, as she appears throughout the installments as being his guiding light. She tells him what to do, justify the killings and brings him back to life for the Freddy vs. Jason installment.
Michael Myers from Haddonfield, Illinois
Michael Myers, the fictional character from Haddonfield, Illinois, terrorizes the night of Halloween in the classic Halloween from 1978. Michael is portrayed as having no human remorse, feelings or connections with any other human being. He is the face of evil itself, killing family members and hunting down survivors several decades after the first attack. Compared to Freddy and Jason, Michael is disconnected from anything and anyone – he does not communicate like Freddy, nor does he have a connection with his mother like Jason. He is solely a man with a goal – to hunt down and kill his sister and whoever stands in his way.
Michael’s trademarks include his white mask with dark brown hair, as well as his dark grey clothing. His weapon of choice is a mere kitchen knife. Myers is a silent killer, but strong. In most of the movies, Myers is able to pick up his victims using a single hand, while strangling them or stabbing them. Compared to the dream-world Krueger or the coming-back-to-life Voorhees, Myers is the most realistic killer out of the three.
Remakes and Sequels: A Threat to the Characterization
As shown above, these three killers have little in common despite killing. They each have their own personal traits and characteristics that define who they are in the films. The remakes or sequels, however, blend more of these differential personality traits rather than keep them separated and defined.
Krueger, in Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, portrays something more powerful and ancient than his regular and relatable personality in earlier films. He was given more stature and muscles. He also walked around silent. Given this, Krueger begins to resemble Voorhees with his posture, strength and muscles, taking attention away from the grieving and scrawny Krueger known in the earlier films. Furthermore, he also resembles Myers as he walks around without saying anything and lacking in showing his personality as he would in earlier films. Jason, on the other hand, also changed as producers felt he would be more intimidating if he was given super human strength and invulnerability – like Freddy in his dream world.
Michael Myers also changes in the Rob Zombie remakes of the first two Halloween films. Myers has a relationship with his mother, killing his family to protect his mother and sister from his mother’s boyfriend. Furthermore, the second installment from Zombie shows Michael listening to his mother, who tells him to find Laurie Strode and kill her, reuniting the family – “bringing her home”. Whereas the Myers known from the 1978 film did not have a relationship with his mother, the newer depiction of Myers begin to resemble Voorhees as he kills by his mother’s demands. Furthermore, he does not act like the stone-cold killer portrayed in the 1970’s, but instead act like a little boy listening to his mother, wanting to please her wishes.
For the characters to completely lose themselves in the mixing pot, Michael Myers simply needs to learn how to make a simple joke before killing and Jason needs to wear a shirt knitted by his mother. Until this happens, one can only hope that these three characters can keep their personality traits and appearances apart long enough to remain independent of one another.
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