Nightmare on Friday the 13th

Back in July, I decided to finally get around to watching Never Sleep Again, a documentary on the Nightmare on Elm Street film franchise.  So, before sitting down and watching the documentary and getting the most out of it, I decided I would watch the NOES films.  Elizabeth gave me the DVD collection a few years ago, and I had never watched all the films in order before, and actually there were a few of them I had never even seen.  So, I embarked on this journey. 8 films featuring Robert Englund as Freddy (thankfully, I did not have to sit through the reboot from 2010.  Wasn't a fan in theaters, and don't think my opinion of the film is going to change.)

8 films.  Including Freddy VS. Jason.  So of course, I decided to also watch all the Friday the 13th films in chronological order.  Friday has 12 movies in the franchise, including the 2009 reboot (which I'm ok with. (see, Englund = Freddy.  Jason has had multiple actors behind the hockey mask.))

I finally made it to FvJ last week.  And then I watched Never Sleep Again, which is a 4-hour documentary that goes by very quickly.  I loved it, and thought it was done very well.  I was a bit disappointed that not everyone with the franchise participated, but also was expecting that.

And since I was going through the Friday franchise, I finally got around to purchasing the Crystal Lake Memories documentary.  I have the book, and enjoy that very much.  And I am currently watching it, and it is just as informative as the NOES one,

My reason for posting today is this: I enjoyed most of the movies out of both franchises.  But after watching these two documentaries, even the ones that were not my favorite, I have a little bit more love for.  Seeing the people involved talk about each film and reminisce about their time making it, you find a new appreciation for it.

 And I think this is true for any film.  That is one reason I am such a fan of the extras on DVDs, especially the retrospectives and interviews that Scream Factory puts on there stuff.  There is something about seeing the love and heart that went into the making of a film.

Also, since I've gone ahead and talked about it here, here are my ranking for each of the franchises mentioned.

Nightmare on Elm Street
1) Nightmare on Elm Street
2) Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors
3) Wes Craven's New Nightmare
4) Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
5) Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
6) Freddy Vs. Jason
7) Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge
8) Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare

Friday the 13th
1) Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Friday
2) Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
3) Friday the 13th Part 2
4) Friday the 13th Part 3
5) Friday the 13th
6) Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood
7) Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
8) Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning
9) Freddy Vs. Jason
10) Friday the 13th (2009)
11) Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday
12) Jason X