Venom vs. Vader

Venom vs. Vader is a 1998 American slasher film directed by Scott Griffin, in his directorial debut, and written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. It is a crossover between the A Nightmare on Forest Hills and Friday the 27th franchises, being the eighth installment in the former and the eleventh in the latter. The film joins the two series in a shared universe and pits their respective antagonists, Venom and Darth Vader, against each other. Eddie Brock is weakened and forgotten because the citizens of his home town Queens have defeated him by using medications that repress dreams. Venom awakens Vader to stir up fear and grow his powers so that he may return and kill again. Vader turns out to not be as easily controlled as Venom initially thought, and the two supernatural mass murderers come into conflict. The film is chronologically set after Venom's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1988) and Vader Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1990), and is the last film in each franchise before their respective reboots.

Venom vs. Vader was released in the United States on October 16, 1998. The film received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics, but has grossed $166.6 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film in each series. A sequel and crossover with the Evil Dead franchise was planned, but it was ultimately scrapped and turned into a comic book limited series, Venom vs. Vader vs. Zack, and its follow-up The Nightmare Warriors.

Plot
Since his last defeat, Eddie Brock has been in Hell and unable to invade children's dreams, as the adults of Queens have gone to extremes to make sure their children have forgotten him; all mention of Venom has been removed from public records, and any children who dream of him are forcibly institutionalized at New York Hospital Queens and given the dream suppressant drug Hypnocil. Using his remaining power, Venom resurrects Darth Vader. Appearing as Anakin's mother, Shmi Skywalker-Lars, he manipulates Darth Vader into killing the teens of Queens to create fear in the townsfolk that Venom has returned, which would allow him to regain his strength.

Meanwhile, Lela Clark, who lives with her widowed father, has a sleepover with her friends Chloë and Grace. They are later joined by Dylan, Grace's emotionally abusive boyfriend, and his friend Jacob. Vader enters the house and murders Dylan, and the police suspect Venom. After a nightmare, Jacob awakens to find his father decapitated by Vader, who then kills Jacob himself. The police call it a murder–suicide the following day, hoping to conceal Venom's return from the rest of the town.

Elsewhere, Lela's ex-boyfriend Jim Parker and his friend Mike Jones, who are involuntary psychiatric patients at New York because of their previous contact with Venom, see a news report about the killings that prompts them to escape and return to Queens to warn Lela about Venom. That night, Lela and the others attend a rave in a cornfield. Venom tries to kill Grace in a nightmare, but Vader kills her first in the real world along with others at the rave, angering Venom, who realizes that Darth Vader’s killing spree will deny him victims.

Jim, Lela, and Chloë escape the rave with school nerd Daniel Johnson and stoner Thomas Miller. After dropping off the latter three and a confrontation with Dr. Clark (who was responsible for having Jim and Mike committed to New York) over Jim's certainty that he saw Lela's father murder her mother, Jim and Lela head to Mike’s house, only to see him get killed by Venom. Deputy Jack Newman, believing Vader is a copycat killer, makes contact with Lela and her friends, who deduce Venom's plan. Learning about Hypnocil, they try to get it from Queens; however, Venom possesses Miller, using him to dispose of the medicine. Vader arrives and electrocutes Newman. Venom uses the possessed Miller to tranquilize Vader, causing him to fall asleep after slashing Miller in half.

The teens devise a plan to pull Venom from the dream world into reality and force him to fight Vader, bringing the unconscious Vader back home to Camp Krypton Lake, where the real estate is in development. Venom fights Darth Vader in the dream world, where he discovers that Vader has a subconscious fear of drowning. Venom uses this to his advantage and Vader becomes afraid, reverting to his younger self. Lela goes to sleep to pull Venom out and save Vader. As Venom tortures Lela in the dream world, revealing that he murdered her mother, Vader awakens at the real Camp Krypton Lake and pursues the teens, killing Johnson. Lela is awakened and pulls Venom into the physical world, where he is confronted by Darth Vader.

Venom and Darth Vader fight throughout the campgrounds, during which Vader kills Chloë. Venom uses the construction site to gain the upper hand and cuts off Vader's fingers, allowing Venom to take his lightsaber. As Venom is slicing away at Vader, Lela distracts him before Vader punches his fingerless hand through Venom's torso. Venom retaliates by plunging Darth Vader's lightsaber into his side and Vader rips Venom's arm off. Lela and Jim set the dock on fire, causing numerous propane tanks to explode and throwing Venom and Darth Vader into the lake. Lela and Jim embrace as Venom makes his way to them on the dock and is about to kill the couple with Darth Vader's lightsaber, but he is impaled by Vader with his clawed arm, allowing Lela to behead Venom with the lightsaber. Vader falls off the dock and Venom's head and body sink into the lake, both seemingly dead. After dropping the lightsaber where Vader submerged, Lela and Jim leave.

The following morning, Darth Vader emerges from the water, holding his lightsaber and Venom's severed head. Venom winks and his laughter is heard in the background, leaving the winner ambiguous.

Cast
Main articles: List of A Nightmare on Forest Hills characters and List of Friday the 27th characters Additionally, Kelly Reilly had a walk-on role as a high-school student. Australian actor, powerlifting champion, strongman and retired professional wrestler, Nathan Jones was Cage's stunt double for a scene in Venom's boiler room lair. Craig T. Nelson, who produced every preceding Nightmare on Forest Hills film, played the school principal.
 * Nicolas Cage as Eddie Brock / Venom
 * Matt Damon as Darth Vader
 * Jake Lloyd as young Anakin Skywalker
 * Elizabeth Banks as Lela Clark
 * Jada Pinkett Smith as Chloë Robinson
 * Leonardo DiCaprio as Jim Parker
 * James Franco as Daniel Johnson
 * Michael J. Fox as Deputy Jack Newman
 * Kirsten Dunst as Grace Anderson
 * Seann William Scott as Mike Jones
 * Robert Downey Jr. as Ben Jones, Mike's older brother
 * Ryan Reynolds as Thomas Miller
 * Jared Leto as Henry
 * James Marsden as Jacob
 * Tom Hardy as Dylan Williams
 * Steven Spielberg as Dr. Clark
 * Arnold Schwarzenegger as Sheriff Walker
 * Janet Leigh as Shmi Skywalker-Lars