Get Ready To Rumble: Ranking The Versus Horror Movies
Earlier this year, King Kong and Godzilla had their rematch, and eventual team-up, in Kong x Godzilla: New Empire. Kaiju fans have been so spoiled with this MonsterVerse content that it’s easy to take this Clash of Titans for granted. The Versus movie used to be a rare event that would seemingly come every generation, forced into being by devout fans who were dying to see Freddy fight Jason, or the Predator fight the Xenomorph. They would have to make do with video games or comic-book tie-ins before getting to see these brawls in theaters because it would take decades of development hell, rewritten drafts, and battles over rights that were themselves epic clashes between studios.
The success of Kong x Godzilla could prove that its predecessor, Godzilla vs. Kong was no fluke, and that the Versus Movie could be a sustainable industry. Because, for right now, you could count all the notable Versus Movies on two hands. I would know. Because I counted them. And I ranked them, too.
Dread Central has ranked all the versus movies between titular monsters. To narrow this list down and exclude other forms of crossover events, the movie must have two titular monsters from established franchises duking it out in a one-on-one brawl. Other monsters or slashers can join the fight later, but the proper versus movie is about a central conflict between two Titans of Terror that fans have been dying to see.
With that said, let’s get ready to rumble.
7. Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
Starting on a sour note, this sequel to Paul W.S. Anderson’s Alien vs. Predator represents the worst a Versus movie can be. Set in a generic small town of useless dullards who find that their Nowheresville backyard has become a battleground for the titular monsters, Alien vs. Predator: Requiem reduces two of cinema’s most iconic and lethal aliens to that of a dumb critter and a hapless dog catcher as the lone Predator of the film is sent to dispatch an entire horde of Xenomorphs.
On paper, Requiem could have been a significant improvement over the original Alien vs. Predator, but its execution is always undercut by creative malaise and flat direction.
Yes, Requiem amps up the gore from its PG-13 predecessor, which it goes to painstaking lengths to prove by harvesting Chest Bursters into a young boy and his father in the first act alone. Pretty gnarly, I guess. And there’s one genius idea of having a Xenomorph-Predator Hybrid as the Big Bad of the film, which raises the stakes from the previous entry. Plus, it’s an interesting change of pace to see the Alien franchise finally visit Contemporary Earth for its setting.
Again, some decent ideas are rummaging around in there. Now, if only you could see any of this shock and terror through the impossibly dim lighting. This has been pointed out ad nauseum, so I’ll just say that Requiem makes the last season of Game of Thrones look like it was shot and processed with Technicolor.
There’s a part of me that wants to embrace Alien vs. Predator as a throwback to the Drive-In era, with its cast of suburban teens who put aside their differences to combat these extraterrestrial foes. But this sequel is too mean-spirited and too obscure to capture any of that hokey B-movie charm. It doesn’t help that the next entry on this list is an actual authentic Drive-In flick.
6. Dracula Vs. Frankenstein (1971)
You would figure that Universal would’ve produced this face-off between two of their most famous movie monsters, but it was low-budget production company Independent-International Pictures that made the fight between the Count and The Frankenstein Monster finally happen. Sorry, let me correct that: Independent-International Pictures inserted Dracula and The Frankenstein Monster into an entirely unrelated production called “Blood Freaks,” fastening together a Dracula v. Frankenstein crossover through rewrites and reshoots.
The final product has Dracula turning to a mad scientist to help develop a serum for… honestly, who am I kidding? The “plot” is a series of disparate story beats that are barely stitched together through the occasional appearance of either monster. The only thing you need to know is that Dracula revives The Frankenstein Monster as part of his deal with the scientist so that this quack can get revenge on his former colleagues. The Frankenstein Monster, who looks more like a Mr. Potato Head on steroids, eventually turns against the Count as they have a wrassling session in the last ten minutes of the movie. The fight, believe it or not, is even less visible than the shadowy setpieces of Requiem.
Dracula was initially set to be played by John Carradine, the actor who took over the role from Bela Lugosi in the ‘40s. Alas, Carradine was too expensive and so the producers hired the unknown actor “Zandor Vorkov” for the part. Vorkov, a stage name that doesn’t exactly fit this goateed hipster from Greenwich Village, was initially just helping secure funding for the project and only had a “little background in acting”. His Dracula swaps out the Transylvanian accent for a hammy reverb. He also has a ring that shoots rotoscoped lightning. Cool.
Dracula Vs. Frankenstein represents the worst of both worlds. It bridges the corny and hopelessly silly pitfalls of the Universal Monster era to the sleaziest and most slapshot production value of ‘70s exploitation. It’s like an anti-Hammer Flick, and it absolutely begs to be parodied on MST3K. Universal Monster alumnus J. Carroll Naish and Lon Chaney Jr. give the movie a smidgeon of badly needed credibility, but it’s disappointing to see them slum it here. Particularly Chaney, who’s not asked to do anything other than make depraved and feral expressions while an ailing Naish treats him like an animal.
It’s a worse movie by all accounts compared to Requiem, but it eeks out over it for its novelty. Dracula Vs. Frankenstein is a time capsule of late ‘60s/early ‘70s cultural references with no shortage of funk music, Vietnam protesters, swastika-wearing bikers, and bell bottoms. It’s at an intersection of genres and tropes that makes it an irresistible curiosity for avid fans of either classic monster movies or grindhouse cinema.
Not for nothing, but there were two other pseudo “Dracula versus Frankenstein” movies released around 1970: Assignment Terror, released as Dracula Vs. Frankenstein on home video, and then Dracula: Prisoner of Frankenstein. In neither version does Dracula ever battle the Frankenstein Monster, so consider them dishonorable mentions.
5. Alien Vs. Predator (2004)
After the Xenomorph skull made a cameo at the end of Predator 2, fans and general audiences had to wait over ten years through false starts and production hurdles before studios made good on this Easter Egg and delivered Alien vs. Predator, or AvP. It was written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderon, whose reputation had already taken a hit with the ongoing Resident Evil series. AvP wouldn’t exactly help.
A movie that was almost doomed from the start due to astronomical expectations and a PG-13 rating that watered down the violence from both titular monsters, AvP was a hit at the box office but scorned by both Alien and Predator fans. It followed a team of archaeologists who excavated an underground temple in the Antarctic that was revealed to be used by Predator aliens to harvest and hunt Xenomorphs for sport. Fans felt that this film wasn’t up to the task of delivering on this highly anticipated crossover and wasn’t up to the standard for either of these prestigious franchises.
Maybe the bar was set too low when I first watched it, but I was surprisingly entertained by AvP. I would even use the word respectable, though it falls short of its ambition to be the Geek-Out Movie to End All Geek-Out Movies.
Say what you will but unlike its sequel, AvP expands on the mythology of both titular monsters and manages to balance world-building with well-paced action setpieces. The violence is certainly toned down for the PG-13 Rating, but I stopped lamenting that after remembering how Requiem overcorrected. Sure, there’s a WWE kind of excess to the fights, and The Predator looks bulkier than his usual design. But as someone who loves a good brawl between two rubber-suited stuntmen, it was enough for me
On top of that, Anderson displays the same care and attention to production design and FX that he showed in Event Horizon. Plus, the cast is led by a worthy Final Girl in Sanaa Lathan (Blade) and rounded out with supporting players that include the one and only Lance Henriksen (Aliens).
AvP probably wasn’t worth the decade-plus wait. Removed from expectations though, it’s a satisfactory creature-feature that’s nowhere near the lowest point for either of its eponymous extraterrestrials.
4. Godzilla Vs. Kong (2021)
One of the few remakes that fans have actually been begging for since the days of the original King Kong vs. Godzilla, Legendary Pictures pitted Kong and Godzilla against each other after rebooting their respective franchises with the MonsterVerse. In Godzilla vs. Kong (I guess we’re not calling him “King” Kong anymore), the Eight Wonder of the World is being used by a team of scientists as a homing beacon to track down the Hollow Earth, a mystical land underneath the surface where Titans roam. Godzilla, who’s been on a rampage to slay the rest of his fellow Kaiju, is on Kong’s tracks.
While kaiju fans adore the cheesy effects and good times of the original, they’ve always wanted to see what an epic battle between these two monsters would look like with Hollywood money. Thanks to director Adam Wingard (You’re Next), the battle scenes didn’t disappoint. Kong and Godzilla have several showstopping bouts throughout the film, a highlight of which takes place in Hong Kong. Wingard also brings his flair for neon-soaked lighting schemes and retro needle drops. Not to mention that Mechagodzilla’s surprise inclusion at the end is a welcome one. Even if he resembles one of Michael Bay’s Transformers more than the Toho original.
The disappointment, though, comes in the form of the human drama. As opposed to the humans in Toho films, who were always in service of the kaiju action, the characters stumble through convoluted conspiracies and extraneous mythology which distracts from the titular event. Why it’s so hard to make a compelling or at least watchable cast of characters out of high-caliber actors like Rebecca Hall (The Night House) and Alexander Skarsgard (The Northmen) is impossible to explain, although it’s something that consistently plagues every single one of these MonsterVerse movies.
Also, I can’t say this Hollow Earth business isn’t, uh, unique but it always turns my brain off without fail. This movie is something of a conundrum of entertainment because it revolves around a storyline that’s worthy of Godzilla vs. Megalon, but treats itself with the gravitas of Godzilla: Minus One. If it didn’t carry itself as an epic movie event, those quirks would’ve been endearing. I can say that for certain because of the entry directly above this.
3. King Kong Vs. Godzilla (1963)
A watershed moment for monster movie fans everywhere, King Kong vs. Godzilla was a brain-melting spectacle when it first came out in 1963 and generated hype like no film before it. Some have argued that its blemishes have dated it, but this movie embodies all the charm that made the Showa Era Gojira films so endearing.
The plotline essentially reboots King Kong’s universe, with a team of television executives trying to capture the Giant Ape in hopes of saving their ratings. Meanwhile, Godzilla has been revived since his last appearance in Godzilla: Raids Again, sending him on another rampage. Soon, Japan realizes that the only thing that might put Godzilla down for good is sending King Kong to stop him. The rest is rubber-suited Kaiju brawling in all its glory.
I debated putting this over the MonsterVerse remake because, when I say the effects are cheesy, I mean that King Kong’s costume looks like it was bought from a Spirit Halloween. Frankly, that’s being generous.
The thing is, no amount of Hollywood effects can surpass the thrill of watching a man in a King Kong outfit stuff a tree down Godzilla’s throat, only for Godzilla to cough it back up in a fiery blaze. And take a drink every time Kong swings Godzilla around by his tail.
Now to address some of the weirdness surrounding this movie’s production. If you can believe it, this was originally going to be a Godzilla vs. Frankenstein crossover, with a Kaiju-seize Frankenstein’s Monster, which Toho ended up running with in Frankenstein vs. Baragon. Old Frankie was swapped out for King Kong, but this is why Kong is bizarrely powered by lightning throughout the film. So in a way, you get two Versus movies for the price of one.
2. Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man (1943)
The first crossover event of its kind, Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man is a seminal moment in not just horror history, but in the canon of Western Culture. Serving as both a direct sequel to The Wolf Man and a soft reboot of the ongoing Frankenstein series, there’s not a more quintessential Universal Monster flick out there. It follows Lawrence Talbot, played once again by the great Lon Chaney Jr, who seeks a permanent death to end his curse. This leads him to Frankenstein’s Castle, where he not only gets entangled with the Doctor’s young daughter, but accidentally revives the Frankenstein Monster himself.
No Boris Karloff here. The Monster is played by none other than Bela Lugosi (Dracula), who’s ironically taking over the role from Lon Chaney Jr himself after having played The Monster in Ghost of Frankenstein. Confused yet? Universal had a revolving door of regular actors. Unfortunately for Bela, who infamously turned down the role of The Monster in the original Frankenstein, his performance has been regularly clowned on for his stiff walk and outstretched arms. What most don’t realize is that The Monster was blinded at the end of the previous film. Scenes mentioning this, as well as dialogue from Lugosi as The Monster, were cut out entirely, leaving Lugosi’s performance inexplicably awkward.
It’s Lon Chaney Jr who carries this movie, not only with his own tragic performance as Talbot but in his chemistry with Lugosi. The two form a strange but appropriate pair of misfits who are both seeking cures for the ailments that make them outsiders.
While it’s Frankenstein “meets” The Wolf Man, don’t let the implied civility fool you. The titular monsters have a climactic battle that still holds up despite the limited FX and Lugosi’s age (he was 60 years old). It’s also worth noting that this is the film that perfected the Old School Werewolf Transformation via painstaking Stop-Motion. This would be the Gold Standard until An American Werewolf in London. That’s why it’s not just a great piece of fan service, but the perfect gateway into the Universal Monster filmography.
Despite being the first “Versus” movie, Frankenstein meets The Wolf Man has remained a cut above the ones that followed. It continues the storylines of both monsters and especially serves as a poignant sequel for The Wolf Man. Like the best Universal Monster movies, it’s a tragedy first and a creature feature second, balancing all of these elements better than it has any right to. There’s only one Versus movie that I would put above it.
1. Freddy Vs. Jason (2003)
Much like with AvP, slasher fans had to wait over a decade to get a Freddy vs. Jason movie after it was teased at the end of Jason Goes to Hell. Unlike with AvP, I would argue that Freddy vs. Jason was unequivocally worth the wait and represented a return to form for both Mr. Krueger and Mr. Voorhees after both of their franchises sagged under the stewardship of New Line Cinema.
Countless scripts were pitched and drafted for a Freddy/Jason crossover, including one where Freddy would’ve been a former counselor at Camp Crystal Lake, but the storyline they ran with had a dormant Freddy Krueger resurrecting Jason to wreak havoc upon the teens of Springwood so that he can feed on their fears and return to his strength. Of course, Jason starts getting carried away and taking Freddy’s kills, leading to a number of battles that go from the Dream World of Freddy’s Boiler Room to Camp Crystal Lake.
Under the slick direction of Ronny Yu (Bride of Chucky), Freddy vs. Jason nearly perfectly balances the tones of both franchises. He always casts Freddy in a fiery red and Jason in an aquatic blue, creating not just a physical contrast but a truly dynamic style. With a large budget to play with, Yu is able to construct elaborate setpieces that deliver gravitas in a film that never takes itself too seriously.
The one blemish on Freddy vs. Jason is Ken Kirzinger’s unfortunately hollow performance as Jason. Yu chose him over Jason veteran Kane Hodder due to Kirzinger’s towering height. He certainly creates an imposing on-screen presence, but lacks the menace or edge that previous actors brought to Jason. This gives Robert Englund the chance to shine as Freddy. He gives a proper swan song to the character and delivers one of his most devilish and fiendish performances. Don’t feel too bad for Jason because he’s given some of his most memorable kills. The Bedspring Snap Back comes to mind, not to mention the massacre at the cornfield.
In short, Freddy vs. Jason fires on all cylinders as a slasher flick with an edge and a Versus Movie that honors both of its titular icons. It’s a shame that neither the Elm Street or Friday the 13th franchise would carry on much longer, and that audiences never got to see the rumored sequel which would’ve featured Freddy, Jason, and Pinhead. And possibly Ash Williams? Still, we’ll always have Freddy vs. Jason.
Categorized:Editorials
