I enjoy both series on the levels they were established.
The first A Nightmare on Elm Street was surreal and dark. Freddy stayed unseen and very morbid images were presented before the gruesome death scene. As the series progressed Freddy came out in the light (or should I say spotlight) as a comedic type character. The last couple Nightmare movies were pretty bad.
Then there's Halloween, directed by one of the best of the genre. John Carpenter was inspired by Dario Argento as far as the killings go in the first one. The film brought the whole slasher genre to america back in 1978, predating Friday the 13th by a few years. However, the storyline fell through after part 5 and the entire series, like other slasher films, would have benefited with straight comedy - because they were so bad.
I see a better future for such films as Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street, but if they keep making the Halloween series contemporary, sticking in pop icons and making it like Scream, than I'd rather see the series die.
And why didn't they cast Kane Hodder as Jason in the Freddy vs Jason movie? That "sucks on so many levels."
-T0MMY