Packaging - ***1/2
Ah, a boxed set. While not as stylish as the Predator’s trapezoid packaging, I still prefer this to the huge blister cards the Alien figures came on. The graphics are nicely done and showcase the figures on the back of the box. The figures themselves are displayed nicely on a blood-spattered red plastic tray. I thought the speckled red paint splashes were a cool touch. The display bases are hidden behind the tray, attached to the back of the cardboard insert with a blister.

Sculpting - Leatherface & Freddy: *** ½; Jason: ***
You usually don’t look too hard at sculpting on most mini figures out there, but Mezco changes that with this line. All the Mez-Itz bodies are pretty simplistic to begin with, but the detailed head sculpts and little extras really make up for it most of the time. All three figures have the same cylindrical legs, torsos, and banana arms with U-shaped hands. 

Leatherface’s head sculpt is pretty cool. The hair is nice and wild and the huge scar across his forehead looks great. The eye sockets and mouth are set back deep enough to give the feeling of the skin mask he wears.

Freddy’s just as good with all his little burn scars and wrinkles. I would have liked it better if he’d been sculpted with a rounded head as opposed to the flat top he’s been given, but we can’t have everything. Freddy’s right hand is sculpted with the four blades of his glove. The whole hand is done is soft plastic, which is probably a good thing remembering how brittle some of the Predator hands were.

Jason is good, but just comes off as a little lackluster next to the other guys. His mask has some great detailing and scarring, but the rest of the head is left completely featureless.

Paint - ***1/2
Red paint must have been on sale when these guys were made.

The paint jobs themselves on these guys are all pretty well done. The highlights and washes on the head sculpts are close to perfect, especially Jason’s mask. The body paint is basic for the most part, but clean and good-looking. Each figure is also splattered with healthy doses of blood as well. For a figure like Freddy who’s already got a lot of red on his shirt, it’s a bit of overkill, but for the others, it’s a nice detail.

Articulation - **1/2
As usual, in comparison to other figures like the Art Asylum Minimates, these guys are a little lacking in the movement department.

All three figures have eight points: ball joint neck, ball shoulders, ball hips, cut wrists, and a waist cut. The ball-joints are limited by the sculpt, but work okay. There’s nothing to really write the farm about here. All the waist joints are pretty loose, and Jason’s right arm seems to pop off far too easy, but everything else seems to be doing fine. 

Accessories - Leatherface: *** ½; Freddy: ***; Jason: ** ½
Accessories seem to be the bane of most mini figures out there. Mezco’s Predator line was well done with weapons all around, but a lot of the Alien figures were a tad lacking. This group is pretty good overall.

Jason gets the short end of the stick here with his base and machete. The machete is made of soft rubber and has a decent amount of blood splattered on it, but the blade feels a tad flimsy. Mezco routinely uses the same display base bottom for their Mez-Itz figures, with a different sculpted backdrop inserted into the two peg holes on the back. Jason’s base only utilizes one hole, and the other one is just filled in. It’s quite visible and looks a little cheap. The base is painted gray with blue water. A sign for Crystal Lake sticks out from the “dry” side. The sign has a nice wash, but the overall effect is pretty barebones compared to the other two figures.

Freddy’s base bottom has a nice stone pattern painted on it, with a boiler room door and a skull as the backdrop. The texture on the door looks really nice, and the skull has a good dirty wash to it. Freddy also has a removable soft plastic hat that works pretty well.

Leatherface is the clear winner in this category. The base bottom is the same as Freddy’s but is covered in blood running down from a table. There is also a nice bloody vice that can be set in the tabletop. The blood pattern lines up nicely on all three pieces when assembled. Of course, he also has his blood-soaked chainsaw. The chainsaw is a different design than the one found with Ash in the Army of Darkness Mez-Itz pack. It looks great and I’m glad to see that Mezco didn’t try to cut corners with reusing a previous accessory. 

Durability/Quality - **1/2
These guys pull apart at the waist quite easily. All the limbs are removable, but a few of them are overly loose. 

Value - ***
Most of these are going for around $12.99, which is not a bad price. If you hunt around a little, you can get them for ten or lower though. You’ll probably find them at Tower Records, Spencer’s and Hot Topic. 

I got mine at Tower Records for $9.99, an excellent price. They also have several other Mez-Itz sets at low prices. Spend a total of $20 or more and you get free shipping!

Overall - ***1/2
I have to say that these guys are now my favorite set of Mez-Itz. Of course I haven’t been able to find any Hellboy sets out my way, and I have yet to thoroughly examine my Army of Darkness set (next review boys and girls), but each of these guys holds a place close to my heart. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was the only horror movie to ever really give me a good scare –albeit I was extremely young when I first saw it (and wasn’t supposed to be watching it in the first place). The Nightmare series is my overall favorite horror series, and has the best overall production values compared to most of the other heavies out there. Pinhead has gone straight to video, Michael Meyers ran out of steam after the second one, and Friday the 13th has yet to have any series entry that hits above a one star rating in TV Guide. But after all, Friday the 13th was the movie that inspired my decision to work as a camp councilor one year. (Don’t ask, it’s a long story involving a stupid bet I can only half remember.) It was that rat-hole job that made me want to go to college more than anything else, mainly because I never wanted to do it again.

All of these figures capture the look and feeling of the characters they’re based on quite well and go great on display next to any other modern horror figures you may have. I hope to see another Cinema of Fear set from Mezco down the road, hopefully with the likes of Meyers, Pinhead and some other modern horror stars. Who knows? Maybe it’s time for a Mezco Movie Maniacs line. 

Where to Buy - 
On-line options include:

- Killer Toys has them for $13 for the set.