Following over two decades of terror and covering nearly 20 films, Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees – the men collectively responsible for terrorizing Elm Street and Camp Crystal Lake respectively – finally received the opportunity to face off in a final, monolithic battle in “Freddy Vs. Jason.”

Made for a scant $30 million, New Line Cinema’s horror gamble paid off, as the film not only turned a bigger profit than any film in either franchise, but breathed new life into the ailing slasher genre. New Line’s double-disc gives fans of “Friday the 13th” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street” series a beautiful presentation of a somewhat disappointing film.

The story here is relatively unimportant. It’s the two icons who count in this film. After years in a purgatory, Krueger (Robert Englund) resurrects Voorhees (Ken Kirzinger) via a nightmare to rekindle memory of Krueger’s former Elm Street carnage. When Voorhees refuses to return to Crystal Lake, however, the scene is set for one of the biggest standoffs in cinema history.

Any remaining plot points or character traits beyond this point are inconsequential or simply cliche. There’s a requisite female heroine, a “nerd” who dies a hero, a few wry Krueger one-liners and a liberal dose of drunken, carousing teenagers marked for death. It’s formulaic but effective.

Despite a lackluster script and broadly stroked characters, the film makes many subtle nods back to both franchises while creating a unique mythology encompassing both horror characters’ legends. The plot leaves something to be desired, but references to the past like Krueger morphing through boiler metal, the use of hypnocil and the style of deaths proves New Line’s heart was ultimately in the right place.

The DVD set offers insightful, entertaining commentary, 19 deleted scenes and a slew of featurettes offering a peek into how and why the film was made. New Line is known for elaborate DVD packages and “Freddy Vs. Jason” is among the best of them.

Horror is typically the proverbial redheaded stepchild of cinema, but this film is given the royal treatment with Dolby 5.1 surround sound, anamorphic widescreen format and beautiful color saturation.

All of the extras are fascinating or entertaining,, and the set was obviously created with hardcore fans in mind but is pieced together simply enough for horror neophytes as well. The mythology and history of both films are treated with reverence as well as healthy sense of humor, while enveloping the viewing in a fanciful yet gory universe.

Horror fans have been salivating for this film since 1984 and the subsequent DVD is appropriately lush and sure to sate them. Soaked in blood and dripping with mythology, “Freddy Vs. Jason” finally honors horror fans with a DVD befitting their devotion and love of the genre.