A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th are two of the longest-running horror franchises out there, and in 2003, the two main characters collided on the big screen. Fans had been wanting to see Freddy fight Jason for years, and when it finally came out, the film made a lot of money at the box office.

Freddy vs. Jason would end up being the highest-grossing film from both franchises until the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street came out in 2010. Robert Englund’s last outing as Freddy drew a lot of people to the box office, but even die-hard Freddy fans probably don’t know everything about the movie. Here are 10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Freddy Vs. Jason.

Over A Dozen Writers Wrote Scripts

Out of all the Nightmare on Elm Street sequels, Freddy vs. Jason was in development for the longest. In the documentary Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, it was revealed that over a dozen writers wrote scripts for the film, some of which had crazy ideas.

One script focused on a cult that called themselves Fred Heads, while others showed authorities catching Jason and sending him to trial. There were also boxing and hockey matches between Freddy and Jason, and a scenario where Freddy assaulted Jason’s mother. There was even one idea to have Freddy pee into the Holy Grail, but it’s unknown where that plot point would have gone.

Monica Keena Was Terrified Of Freddy As A Kid

While A Nightmare on Elm Street might seem pretty tame by today’s standards, it horrified people back in the 80s. Monica Keena was born five years before A Nightmare on Elm Street came out, and when she finally saw the film, she was terrified.

Keena admitted in Never Sleep Again that she was so scared of Freddy that it affected her physical appearance because she couldn’t sleep. Keena’s teachers even called her parents and asked if everything was okay at home, thinking that she was being abused in some way. Eventually, Keena’s mom put up a picture of Freddy next to a picture of Robert Englund without makeup in her room to help her sleep.

Kane Hodder Doesn’t Know Why He Didn’t Get To Play Jason

Several actors have suited up as Jason Voorhees over the years, but Kane Hodder first took on the role in 1988 for Friday the 13th: The New Blood. Hodder would return for Jason Takes Manhattan, Jason Goes to Hell, and Jason X, but he didn’t return for Freddy vs. Jason.

Hodder thought he had gotten the role, but when Ronny Yu stepped into the director’s chair, he got the feeling that they were going to cast someone else. To this day, he doesn’t know why he wasn’t able to return, but many people think it was because of his height. Hodder was not a short man coming in at 6’ 2’’, but Ken Kirzinger, who played Jason in Freddy vs. Jason, was a daunting 6’ 5’’.

The Ending Almost Included Pinhead

While Freddy vs. Jason finally saw two of the biggest horror icons go head to head, there was almost a third villain introduced. Pinhead, who has been featured in 10 Hellraiser movies, almost appeared at the end of the movie. One of the ideas pitched for the ending of the film saw Freddy and Jason winding up in hell.

Chains would have then gone through their bodies, and Pinhead would have emerged saying, “Now gentleman, what seems to be the problem.” Unfortunately, New Line Cinema didn’t own the character, so they weren’t able to include Pinhead.

Brad Renfro Was Going To Play Will

When Freddy vs. Jason was still in the casting stage, Brad Renfro had been cast as Will Rollins. Will is Lori Campbell’s boyfriend, who was sent away and locked up in a mental institute. Jason Ritter got the role in the end, but only after New Line Cinema fired Renfro from the project.

Initial reports claimed he parted ways with New Line Cinema due to “creative differences,” but he was fired a week before shooting because of his addiction to substances and alcohol. Renfro even reportedly came on set being too under the influence to act. Renfro later died in 2008 of an overdose.

Kelly Rowland’s Monologue Wasn’t Scripted

Certain things in horror movies don’t age well, and one of those things is Kelly Rowland’s monologue right before she dies. Kelly Rowland was once a member of Destiny’s Child but also appeared in Freddy vs. Jason as Kia Waterson. When Kia dies, she makes fun of Freddy’s sweater and glove and even calls him a derogatory term for a homosexual.

Everyone was surprised that the line was kept in the film, especially since it wasn’t in the script in the first place. Originally Kia was going to be talking to Jason and use Nancy’s trick of turning her back on the villain, before Freddy said, “Wrong one b****” and killed her.

They Had A Weigh-In In Las Vegas

Horror movies often have clever ways to advertise their films. In the case of Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, New Line Cinema actually had a funeral for Freddy. In Freddy vs. Jason they had a weigh-in at Bally’s in Las Vegas.

The mock weigh-in was one way to promote the film, which just consisted of a press conference with Freddy trash-talking Jason and getting the weight and stats of each character, with security having to pull them apart several times. Michael Buffer (the “Let’s get ready to rumble!” guy) even appeared to introduce Freddy and Jason.

Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. Ash Could Have Happened

For years, fans have been asking to see Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash. The storyline may have played out in comic books, but the characters have yet to cross over on the big screen. In Never Sleep Again it was revealed that the idea was considered, and Sam Raimi even pitched some plans for the movie.

In the film, Ash would have defeated both Freddy and Jason, which effectively would have prevented each film series from getting more unneeded sequels. A few years ago, Adam Marcus (the director of Jason Goes to Hell) said that he considered Jason to be a deadite, which would have been an interesting plot point to see in Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash.

The Ending Could Have Been Much Different

The final shot of Freddy vs. Jason is Jason emerging from the water carrying Freddy’s head, but it could have been a lot different. They shot an ending that showed Will and Lori making out on her bed before Freddy’s blades shoot from Will’s fingers.

The conclusion didn’t go over well with test audiences, so it was changed for the final cut of the film. The director Ronny Yu said he didn’t like the original ending anyway since he thought the last scene should focus on Freddy and Jason instead of secondary characters.

The Director Thinks Freddy Won

Everybody has always wondered who would win in a fight, Freddy or Jason. Freddy vs. Jason sees the two characters battle, but there isn’t really a clear winner. Jason emerges from the water with Freddy’s head, but Freddy looks into the camera and winks, making people think that Freddy has something up his sleeve.

A Nightmare on Elm Street fans tend to believe Freddy won, while Friday the 13thfans think that Jason won. Everybody is welcome to have their own opinion, but the director of the film feels that Freddy won. According to his comments in Never Sleep Again, he made it clear that he definitely thinks Freddy came out victorious.

Next: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors