Freddy vs. Freddy

Freddy vs. Freddy is a Nightmare on Elm Street fanfiction published on Fanfiction.net by author Rurrlock-God of Power. It was published on October 12, 2010. Freddy vs. Freddy is a one-shot, pitting together two different interpretations of the character Freddy Krueger The serious, darker version from the original (and appearance based off the New Nightmare Freddy) against the comical version from the sequels. It has received positive reviews since release.

Plot
School student Debbie is having a disturbing nightmare in class in which Freddy Krueger is tormenting her. He begins taunting her over her poor grades in school, and disguises himself as her divorced parents to drive her insane. Before he can finish her though, another Freddy in a dark cloak arrives and the two begin to fight over who gets to kill for Debbie's soul. After a long fought battle, where it appears both Freddy's are evenly matched despite their multiple powers, they agree to go all-out to see who can get their 'victim'. However, before a winner can be determined, Debbie wakes up.

Fifteen years since the incident, Debbie hasn't told anyone about what happened and secretly vowed to make something of her life. She becomes a famous author, her best-selling book inspired by the nightmare she experienced.

Development
Rurrlock felt inspired to do a match-up involving the character Freddy Krueger, after hearing of forums and debates about face-offs between the original Freddy, and the remake Freddy based on Jackie Earle Haley's performance. But instead, thinking that a fight between original and remake had already been done, Rurrlock decided to do a brawl between the serious Freddy from Wes Craven's original film, and the more wise-cracking Freddy from the Post-Craven sequels. Rurrlock thought it would be more interesting because despite them being the same character in the same continuity, their personalities differed greatly, and would make the fight more imaginative and balanced-out.

'Serious Freddy will torment at first, but only because he wants to strike fear into the hearts of his victims. He would get to the point if things weren't going his way. Sequel Freddy though, he does it for the fun, he likes to go over-the-top and try to out-do himself with each dream sequences. So we have one who is quicker, more deadly, and leaves fear in hears forever; and the other who doesn't like to limit himself and does whatever the hell he wants.'

Despite the story focusing on the two versions of Freddy, the main protagonist is Debbie. Something that Rurrlock found common in most Nightmare on Elm Street one-shots, is the protagonists are killed most of the time. Rurrlock knew from the start he wanted Debbie to live and give her a hopeful ending after the nightmare, basing the idea of her book that makes her a success on the idea of over-coming nightmares and seeing our problems to become better people. This theme is also hinted at with both interpretations of Freddy, as they both see each other's faults and try to exploit and out-do them, despite being one-in-the-same.

Reception
The story received high praise from reviewers, particularly well-known Nightmare on Elm Street fanfiction authors such as Darkness Takes Over. It was praised for the portrayal of both Freddy's, particularly the humour of the comical Freddy, and was also lauded for its descriptive and imaginative nightmare sequences.

Trivia

 * Debbie is the name of another main protagonist for Rurrlock's story Scarlett (2011)
 * Although the serious Freddy was meant to represent the original from the 1984 film, his appearance was based on the New Nightmare version so that readers would be able to tell the differences between the two.
 * There is actually no explanation as to how the two Freddy's meet each other. Rurrlock felt it would have been too distracting to have a set-up for how they meet, and that it would feel more like a nightmare with it being sudden and unpredictable.

Disclaimer
The rights and characters to Nightmare on Elm Street are owned by New Line Cinema, Wes Craven and other respective creators and holders. This story is a non-profit fanfiction.