I've always been a big fan of horror films. Ever since I was little and somehow convinced my parents I wouldn't be frightened by a viewing of Poltergeist (which, of course, I was), they've had a hold on me.

Unfortunately, since then, few films have succeeded in scaring me, and I've even come to think that Poltergeist only did so because I was nine years old and had the active imagination of an entire class of kids. To this day, I still won't fall asleep in a room with anything resembling one of those freaky clown dolls that pulled that kid under the bed. I can't even begin to imagine how that movie damaged the toy doll industry.

It was right about this time that two major horror franchises slashed their way onto the big screen - Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street. While I never really cared for Friday's formula of: Horny teens go camping at Crystal Lake; Hockey mask wearing monster named Jason shows up; Teens die; it developed a cult following and spawned an almost unprecedented number of sequels. Producers of the series wisely shifted the action away from the increasingly stale campgrounds, sending Jason to (in no particular order) Hell, Manhattan, and, logically, outer space.

Meanwhile, over on Elm Street, Freddy was terrorising teens in their dreams - a form of revenge on their parents who were responsible for his death years earlier. I was always more a fan of the Freddy movies. The special effects here actually seemed special and the movies were more than just a disgruntled guy in a goalie mask silently walking around and chopping people up.

Of course, other people disagreed, and a small, nerdy subsection of the population began to wonder who would win in a fight between the two monsters. Not surprisingly, Hollywood studios took notice and, a week from now, the two will meet on the big screen. If I haven't lost you already, have a look at www.freddyvsjason.com.

I really wish I could say I wasn't interested in seeing this film and that the only movies that interest me are deep, thoughtful and provocative creations. But I'd be lying. After growing up on these franchises, Freddy vs. Jason is just too tempting. A friend said to me the other day, "What a great idea. I wonder who will win?" I laughed at the way he said it - as if it wasn't already predetermined by a script but was more like a real life occurrence whose outcome was still waiting to be decided.

And, indeed, this is exactly how the film is being marketed. As part of publicity, Jason and Freddy were both measured and weighed on scales in Las Vegas, just like heavyweight boxers before a title match. On paper, things seem skewed in favour of Jason, who, the website mentioned above reports, has seven inches and almost 100 pounds on Freddy. Jason's 127 homicides also dwarfs Freddy's paltry 30. Polls seem split, however, with a narrow majority of 52 per cent of voters believing Jason will emerge victorious.

Also of interest on the site is a quiz to test your knowledge of the two film franchises (bet you didn't know Johnny Depp made his big screen debut in the first Nightmare), as well as downloadable desktop images and screensavers.

This concept of merging onscreen personas has the potential to drastically alter the film landscape. What about all those other match-ups we've always wondered about? How about Alien vs. Predator? The Terminator vs. Blade Runner? Braveheart vs. The Gladiator? And, of course, how would Lara Croft fare against Indiana Jones?

If you can't wait for the studios to finally get around to filming these (and, make no mistake, it's just a matter of time), then head on over to www.electricferret.com/fights, where you'll find a list of the greatest movie and comic book fights that never happened. The online community suggests which match-ups they would like to see take place, and then votes on the winner. Once the votes are in, commentators write up a storyline for how the battle progressed and people can offer up their opinions on the result. In case you're curious, Indy triumphed over Lara because of his wittier dialogue, which, as someone observed, is the real way to slay your opponents.

Blade Runner managed to terminate the Terminator (score another victory for Harrison Ford). Braveheart, shouting "Freeeeeedom" throughout the match, overcame the Gladiator, who couldn't stop asking the crowd, "Are you not entertained?" With a fight like that, I'm sure they were.

As for Alien vs. Predator? Well, it's actually in development, so you're going to have to wait until next summer for the results of that one. Sadly, I know I'll be.