A Freddy Krueger Theory May Explain (And Even Redeem) Jason X's Absurdity

At a certain point, the "Friday the 13th" franchise really went off the rails. The series started as fairly prototypical slasher flicks, introducing audiences to Jason Voorhees, a seemingly unkillable monster who tears apart campers at Camp Crystal Lake. But there are only so many plots you can do with that premise, so at a certain point, Jason visits Manhattan and then has his heart consumed by a coroner in "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday," who's then possessed by Jason's soul.

However, one of the most fantastical (and some would argue one of the worst) "Friday the 13th" excursions is "Jason X," where Jason is cryogenically frozen and resurrected hundreds of years in the future and revived aboard a spaceship. It's goofy and nonsensical, with many fans viewing it as a low point in the series, but a fan theory may make "Jason X" more interesting. Brother Ghoulish on TikTok discusses the theory, which points out how at the end of "Jason Goes to Hell," his mask is dragged to the underworld by Freddy Krueger. The two would eventually duke it out in 2003's "Freddy vs. Jason," which came out two years after "Jason X." 

But a lot could've happened between those films. The theory posits that "Jason X" is a dream sequence Freddy Kreuger subjects Jason to in order to see how he fares during a battle in an unfamiliar environment. Essentially, Freddy knew he would fight Jason and wanted to see what he was up against before that happened.

It's a bit old hat to write off something as "It was a dream all along." But in the case of "Jason X," which is so out of the norm for the "Friday the 13th" franchise, it may help show why it's there in the series. Freddy Krueger has been successful at killing off numerous teenagers, but Jason Voorhees is a different beast entirely. After Freddy drags Jason to Hell, it makes sense they would fight for supremacy, but Freddy's no dummy. He wants to know what Jason can really do. Rather than invent a dreamscape where Jason also has to kill teens at a summer camp, he places him in a strange environment filled with things he doesn't understand. This sets the stage for their eventual fight.

There are slight hiccups in this theory. For starters, "Jason X" has inspired several comic books, including 2005's "Jason X Special," which sees the enhanced Jason, known as Uber-Jason, arrive on Earth II so that his regenerative abilities can be harnessed to benefit the remaining human race. There was also a two-issue comic book miniseries called "Friday the 13th: Jason vs. Jason X," which sees another version of Jason resurrected to battle Uber-Jason. It's possible these are also part of Freddy's dream, but at that point, it would run a little long in the tooth. 

While "Jason X" being a Freddy Krueger dream is fascinating to think about, it's likely that wasn't the intention. "Jason X" follows in the tradition of horror franchises eventually going to space, like in "Critters 4" and "Leprechaun 4: In Space." But if a fan theory gets more people to check out "Jason X," then it's a job well done.