Category Archives: Films in the Friday The 13th Series
FRIDAY THE 13th (2009)
FRIDAY THE 13th-United States-2009
Jared Padalecki as Clay Miller
Danielle Panabaker as Jenna
Aaron Yoo as Chewie
Amanda Righetti as Whitney Miller
Travis van Winkle as Trent DeMarco
Derek Mears as Jason Voorhees
Directed by Marcus Nispel
Story by Damian Shannon, Mark Swift and Mark Wheaton
Screenplay by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift
Based on characters created by Victor Miller
The smartest thing Michael Bay ever did was hiring Marcus Nispel to direct the 2009 remake of Friday the 13th. As you recall, Nispel was also the director of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake in 2003. I personally thought that TCM2003 was a very good remake of a classic horror film and in fact was more of a retelling. Nispel’s version of Friday the 13th is good, but it still doesn’t come close to his earlier film.
The plot of the film deals with Clay Miller (Jared Padalecki) searching for his missing sister. The audience already knows that she met her fate, so to speak, at the hands of Jason Voorhees. This is, of course, unbeknownst to Clay. He meets up with a group of partying teenagers and is able to elicit help from some, but not all of them. Now as anyone knows, Jason’s favorite kill of choice is horny, drunken, partying teenagers who set foot in or near his woods. The killing in this film begins fairly quickly and doesn’t let up until the very end. Does Clay find his sister? If you’ve seen the film then you know the answer to that. If you haven’t then don’t expect me to tell you.
This is a good film. The trouble with it is that, like Freddy vs Jason, it has too slick a look to it and I think that hurts it in the long run. The cast of the film all turn in good performances and there’s no one in the film who stands out above anyone else. For Jason, the filmmakers decided to go with actor/stuntman Derek Mears and I for one feel that they made a good choice. His interpretation of Jason is that ”Jason watches his mother die in front of him… He was already an outcast from society for looking different and being disfigured, and his only connection to love and reality is his mother.” Mears has stated that he also found inspiration for the character from First Blood, the first film featuring John Rambo.
I don’t expect this film to make people forget the original. But I do feel that it’s a good start to a new chapter in the life of Jason Voorhees.
Trivia
In this movie Jason wears both the legendary hockey mask and the burlap sac, although neither of those appeared in the original Friday the 13th (1980/I). The burlap sac was the first mask worn by Jason in Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) and the hockey mask did not appear until Friday the 13th Part III (1982).
With $42.2 mil, had the biggest opening weekend of any movie in the “Friday the 13th” series.
Derek Mears is the eighth actor to portray the adult Jason Voorhees in the series, following Steve Dash, Warrington Gillete, Richard Brooker, Ted White, C.J. Graham, Kane Hodder and Ken Kirzinger. As of this movie, Hodder is the only actor to have portrayed the character more than once, with four films under his belt from 1988 to 2001. This also makes Hodder the only actor to have portrayed the character more than once in the first series, as this film is the start of a new series.
FREDDY VS JASON
FREDDY VS JASON-United States-2003
Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger
Ken Kirzinger as Jason Voorhees
Monica Keena as Lori Campbell
Jason Ritter as Will Rollins
Katharine Isabelle as Gibb
Kelly Rowland as Kia Waterson
Christopher George Marquette as Charlie Linderman
Brendan Fletcher as Mark Davis
Directed by Ronny Yu
Written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift
Based on characters created by Wes Craven and Victor Miller
Does anyone remember a movie entitled The War of the Roses? It starred Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner as a couple going through a divorce and fighting over who gets what. Everyone I know talked about how great the film was and how funny it was. I thought it was a manipulative piece of shit. The reason I say that is because it tried to guide you into taking sides against either the husband or the wife. The thing is, they were both a couple of reprehensible assholes and I didn’t care if they killed each other.
Okay, so I told you that story so that you’ll know that I really could care less who won in the battle of Freddy vs Jason. I like both characters and I was happy to see them in a movie together. But I also feel that the filmmakers were just as manipulative in this film as they were in The War of the Roses. The only difference is that I went into this film with the clear intent not to choose sides. I liked this film for reasons other than just the titular characters. Monica Keena was good in her role as the wide eyed final girl Lori Campbell. Jason Ritter did a good job as the hero type, but I also found his character to be boring. As for the rest of the cast I felt that Katharine Isabelle turned in the best performance overall. Too bad it was so short. Robert Englund has played Freddy Krueger so much that he probably slept through his scenes. The new Jason on the block is Ken Kirzinger. I hated the fact that Kane Hodder didn’t reprise the role, but I also think that Kirzinger did an adequate job.
The plot of the film is that Freddy is trapped in hell and powerless. The parents in Springwood have gotten smart in keeping their kids from remembering him. In the guise of Pamela Voorhees he coerces Jason into going there to spread fear and panic in order to get people to talk about (Freddy) again. But once Jason starts killing he doesn’t stop and Freddy realizes that people will become more afraid of Jason than of himself. This sets off a series of events that leads to the final battle between the two of them. Caught in the middle of it all are the surviving Springwood teenagers led by Lori and Will (Jason Ritter)
Freddy vs Jason is a good film, but it’s not going to settle any arguments about who the better slasher is.
But we all know its…
Trivia
Veteran Friday the 13th actor Kane Hodder who played the part of Jason in the last four Friday the 13th movies offered to reprise his role as Jason Voorhees in this film but was turned down because director Ronny Yu as well as New Line had their own image of what they wanted the Jason character to look like and believed Jason should be gigantically big, and because it was “Freddy Vs Jason,” Yu always thought that in this comic book style that he was going to exploit, Jason would be larger than life, almost basketball player like. So Yu wanted an actor who would tower over Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger) so he could create a David and Goliath/Popeye and Brutus/King Kong and Godzilla/Rocky Balboa and Ivan Drago sort of visual imagery between Freddy and Jason. And Yu felt Hodder was too short for the role and wanted a new actor to play Jason. Also, Yu thought Kane Hodder’s eyes were too intense and wanted the Jason character to have more sympathetic, soulful eyes that could reflect pain and loss because Yu wanted Jason to come off as a sad, pathetic, Phantom of the Opera type character. This was the call sheet New Line use for actors trying out for the part of Jason: “20′s to late 30′s . 6’3″ – 6’5″. Male, Caucasian. If you’ve ever participated in the WWE or your chest resembles a bulked up Arnold Schwarzenegger, you need not apply. Jason is not buff, Jason does not weight train. Jason is just BIG. Not fat. Big. We’re looking for some classical training here, folks. The Jason that we’re going to portray in this film isn’t just a machete wielding slasher. He has a lot of EMOTION. What we really need is an actor and or stunt man with poetic eyes, who is good at expressing himself with the slightest of movements. Because, believe it or not, Jason DOES have a sensitive side.” Veteran Canadian stunt man Ken Kirzinger, ended up winning the role of Jason Voorhees, but the decision to not have Hodder return disappointed some fans of the genre, while other Friday The 13th fans were quite impressed with Ken Kirzinger’s performance as Jason Voorhees and thought he surpassed Kane Hodder.
According to writer Mark Swift, producer Robert Shaye seemed a bit more interested in the Freddy side of things which made a huge elimination in their screenplay (and in the film) from the Crystal Lake/Jason side of things.
One early version of the script called for the beginning of the film to take place in medieval times, while another called for the beginning to start out at camp crystal lake, with Jason getting arrested. Another script was to have the beginning of the film take place at the eve of the millennium.
1/2
JASON X
JASON x-United States-2001
Spanish Poster for Jason X
Lexa Doig as Rowan
Lisa Ryder as Kay-Em 14
Jonathan Potts as Prof. Lowe
Peter Mensah as Sgt. Brodski
Kane Hodder as Jason Voorhees
Kane Hodder as Uber-Jaon
Directed by Jim Isaac
Written by Todd Farmer and Victor Miller (characters)
Jason X is the best film in the series after Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter. It is a kick-ass joy ride of a film that, unlike Friday the 13th Part XIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, takes Jason out of the element of Crystal Lake and plants him in the year 2455 on board a spaceship loaded with a group of students on a training mission. Oddly enough, teenagers are just as horny in 2455 as they are in 2001, which is when this film was released. So, even though he’s been cryogenically frozen for 454 years and then thawed out on board the ship by the unsuspecting crew Jason is never bored or at a lack of things to do. It’s sort of like when you take a kid to the bank and give them a coloring book and crayons to keep them occupied. Jason nearly meets his match in this film at the hands of Kay-Em 14, a fairly hot cyborg whose nipples tend to fall off at inopportune times. You have to see it to believe it, trust me. But, just when you think Mrs. Voorhees baby boy has bitten the dust for the umpteenth time, he returns as (cue Superman theme music) UBER-JASON!!! Faster than a speeding victim! More powerful than a horny teenager!! Able to slash through bodies with a single swipe!! Look out behind you! It’s not Michael, not Freddy! It’s Uber-Jason!! Just as soon as our boy gets his upgrade he is back in the business of killing. He even pays homage to one of his earlier kills in this one. When you see it you’ll know the one I’m talking about.
The biggest complaint I have against this film is the acting. The main cast is good, but the supporting cast leaves a bit to be desired. Kane Hodder is in excellent form as both Jason and Uber-Jason. After four films he’s got this part down to a science. It’s no wonder the guy has such a large following at conventions.
Jason X is the final film in the Friday the 13th series. I don’t count Freddy vs Jason as the last because the events in it would have taken place before the year 2455, regardless of whether it was released at a later date than Jason X. It’s like the Beatles with Abbey Road and Let It Be. The latter was the last album released, but the former was the last album recorded.
This film allows the series to go out with a bang. Not a big bang, but a bang none the less.
Trivia
The space debris floating in space has “Cunningham Reality” written on the side. This is a reference to the name of producer Noel Cunningham, the son of executive producer and maker of the original Friday the 13th (1980/I), Sean S. Cunningham.
Jason Voorhees’ eyes never blink when they are shown.
The name of the primary ship in the film is the “Grendel” which is the name of a monster in the Old English poem “Beowulf”. Grendel was a direct descendant of Cain from the Book of Genesis, a monster described as half-troll, half-ogre. Like Jason, Grendel rose from a lake in search of victims and seemingly could not be killed. Also, in their fight, Beowulf rips Grendel’s arm off, and in the movie, when Kay-Em shoots up Jason, the first thing he loses is his arm.
1/2
JASON GOES TO HELL: THE FINAL FRIDAY
JASON GOES TO HELL: THE FINAL FRIDAY-United States-1993
John D. LeMay as Steven Freeman
Kari Keegan as Jessica Kimble
Erin Gray as Diana Kimble
Allison Smith as Vicki
Steven Culp as Robert Campbell
Steven Williams as Creighton Duke
Kane Hodder as Jason Voorhees
Directed by Adam Marcus
Story by Jay Huguely and Adam Marcus
Screenplay by Dean Lorey and Jay Huguely
I guess Jason going to Manhattan in the last film prepared him for going to hell in this one. That was a joke, New Yorkers. Anyways, he doesn’t actually go to hell in this one until the very end. The rest of the film deals with the FBI finally stepping in and blowing Mrs. Voorhees favorite son to smithereens and kingdom come. Yes, the world’s most prolific mass murderer/serial killer is dead. If you believe that, I’ve got a story about a man named Jed to tell you. Jason has found a way for his soul to inhabit whoever he touches, sorta like that demon in Fallen with Denzel Washington. So now, it’s up to John D. Lemay and Steven Williams to stop him once and for all once again. The story goes that the last surviving member of the Voorhees family has to be the one to do the dirty deed dirt cheap.
I don’t know if you can tell or not, but I am seriously running out of shit to say about these movies. I love the hell out of them, even the bad ones, but how many times can you kill this guy and not really kill him? I mean, come on, the boy must have eaten a serious bowl of Wheaties before he went off to camp all those years ago. One thing I wish I could say is that this was one of the better films in the series. Unfortunately, I can’t do that. The storyline is the weak point in this one. You could tell by watching that the writers were running out of ideas (or had run out a long time ago). The acting is decent; John LeMay comes over from Friday the 13th: The Series and does a good job in his role. Erin Gray is very good in her role, as is Steven Williams. I can’t say much about Kane Hodder in this one because he’s really not in it as Jason all that much. Most of the kills are performed by the characters whose soul Jason has inhabited at that particular time.
This one is fair. It’s no Part IV, that’s for sure. But it’s also definitely not a Part V redux, either.
It’s also not the last we see of one Mr. Jason Voorhees. Now why did I know that?
Trivia
In addition to his roles as Jason and the Security Guard, Kane Hodder also played Freddy Krueger’s arm in the final scene.
Jason’s heart was used in From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) as Monkey Man’s heart.
There was a comic book that bridged the gap between Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) and this film. It followed Jason after he was dipped in toxic waste in a New York City sewer, and his killing spree all the way back to Camp Crystal Lake. It also explains why the FBI has a task force specifically for Jason.
1/2
FRIDAY THE 13th PART VIII: JASON TAKES MANHATTAN
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VIII: JASON TAKES MANHATTAN-United States-1989
Jensen Daggett as Rennie Wickham
Scott Reeves as Sean Robertson
Peter Mark Richman as Charles McCulloch
Kane Hodder as Jason Voorhees
Directed by Rob Hedden
Written by Rob Hedden and Victor Miller (characters)
So, Jason takes Manhattan. What, there weren’t enough horny teenagers coming to Crystal Lake for him to slaughter? He had to go all the way to the Big Apple to find more of them? I mean why not “Jason Goes to the Police Academy” or “Jason Goes on the Tonight Show” or “Jason in Space”? Well, wait, the space one was done two films later. But what I am getting at is that it’s ludicrous to take Jason out of his element. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Yes, they put him in outer space in Jason X. That worked, oddly enough. I really can’t put my finger on why the whole Manhattan thing didn’t work. It wasn’t Kane Hodders’ fault. He went above and beyond the call of duty as Jason. I suppose the best thing to say about the movie is that it didn’t stink as badly as Part V. It comes pretty damn close, so I know it’s not for lack of trying. I mean, even the kills in this one are lame as hell. The best one being when Jason decapitates the captain of the high school boxing team with one swift uppercut to the chin. Don’t even get me started on the acting. Other than the great physical acting of Kane Hodder as Jason this one is seriously bad.
I have said before that I am a huge Friday the 13th fan. It is my personal opinion that Jason Voorhees is one of the coolest movie villains ever created. However, this is one of the worst films in the series. So, skip this one. Enough said.
Trivia
The original posters for the film featured Jason ripping through an “I Love NY” poster. In the first poster, Jason is holding a bloody knife which was cleaned in a second poster for fear that the blood was too graphic. However, both posters were dropped following a complaint from the New York Tourism Committee.
In the scene where Jason reaches through the porthole and grabs Rennie, Jensen Daggett was reportedly really terrified. Her face was just inches from a large and very sharp piece of glass that had become stuck in the window frame, and the actor who played Jason was (unknowingly) pulling her towards it.
In the original script, when Jason makes it to the dock, a dog starts barking at him and he kicked it. Kane Hodder, who was playing Jason, felt that kicking the dog was going too far and so the scene was dropped.
Trivia
FRIDAY THE 13th PART VII: THE NEW BLOOD
FRIDAY THE 13th Part VII: THE NEW BLOOD-United States-1988
Lar Park-Lincoln as Tina Shepherd
Kane Hodder as Jason Voorhees
Directed by John Carl Buechler
Written by Daryl Haney and Manuel Fidello (screenplay) and Victor Miller (characters)
“Adam raised a Kane! Adam raised a Kane!” Alright, so I owe Bruce Springsteen an apology for paraphrasing his song. Jason is back and Hodder than ever in Part VII: The New Blood. Kane Hodder, the man who would portray Jason not once, not twice, not even thrice but four times in a row makes his debut as the man behind the mask. Jason has returned from his watery grave thanks to Tina and her powers of telekinesis. Now Jason’s hellbent on killing as many people as he can and it’s up to Tina to use her powers to stop him before it’s too late. Can she do what no one else can? Or will she become just another victim?
I am a Kane Hodder fan through and through. I personally feel that he was the best Jason Voorhees ever. Kane brought a level of personality to the character that no one has been able to achieve since. I feel that this man is a very underrated actor.
As Tina, Lar Park-Lincoln brings a sensitivity to the role and yet underneath it all there is a strong will that does not give in easily. Don’t let the fact that she’s a woman fool you, this girl is the perfect foil for Jason.
Now for the kills. This film has the best kill of any of the Friday the 13th films. If you’ve seen this film then you know exactly which one I’m talking about. I’m talking about the one where Jason picks up this girl while she’s still in her sleeping bag and proceeds to slam her headfirst into a tree. Up until the face freeze in Jason X this one was the coolest kill of them all.
The New Blood is an appropriate sub-title for this film. With Hodder coming on board as Jason, the freshness of the story and the rather imaginative kills breathe a new life into a series that was quickly running out of ideas.
Too bad the next film in the series isn’t able to maintain it.
Trivia
John Carl Buechler was so impressed with Kane Hodder when he ate live worms on the set of Prison (1988), that he pushed for Paramount Pictures to let him cast Hodder in the role of Jason. If it had not been for Buechler’s persistence, the role of Jason Voorhees would have been reprised by C.J. Graham.
There were a number of filmed scenes that were edited out of the final cut in order for the movie to gain its R rating including: Maddy’s face getting stabbed in the wood shed, Dr. Crews’ body being cut in two in the woods, a longer death-in-sleeping bag scene, Russell‘s axe in the face by the lake, Jason holding David’s head, and an ending scene of Jason jumping out of the water and grabbing a fisherman.
Kane Hodder said he had difficulty with the scene where he kills the camper in the sleeping bag by bashing her into the tree because the dummy inside was heavier than he thought it would be. The scene required a number of retakes because he kept swinging as hard as he could but no matter how hard he swung the sleeping back he couldn’t get it to look right. By the final take, he was so fed up with the situation that after he dropped the bag he kicked it angrily. This is the shot that appears in the final film. In retrospect, Hodder said that was one of his favorite “kills” and he later recreates it inJason X (2001).
1/2
FRIDAY THE 13th PART VI: JASON LIVES
Alice Cooper
FRIDAY THE 13th PART VI: JASON LIVES-United States-1986
Thom Matthews as Tommy Jarvis
Jennifer Cooke as Megan Garris
David Kagen as Sheriff Michael Garris
CJ Graham as Jason Voorhees
Ron Palillo as Allen Hawes
Tony Goldwyn as Darren
Directed by Tom McLoughlin
Written by Tom McLoughlin and Victor Miller (characters)
After the complete debacle that was Part V, Jason Voorhees is back and better than ever in Part VI of the Friday the 13th film series. This time it’s Jason vs Tommy Jarvis-Round Two. The action begins when Tommy and the guy that played Horshack (Ron Palillo) on “Welcome Back, Kotter“ try to dig up Jason so they can cremate him and end his reign of terror once and for all. One bolt of lightning later and our favorite rotting corpse serial killer is alive once more. It’s up to Tommy and the local sheriff’s daughter to find a way to put a stop to Jason once and for all…again.
This film gets kudos from me for the little things. First of all it’s got a great theme song by Alice Cooper entitled “He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask)”. This film also marks the film debut of actor Tony Goldwyn (Ghost). The kills in this one are pretty damn cool, also. My favorite has to be the triple decapitation. But the biggest thing this film has going for it is Jason himself. It wouldn’t be until part 7 and the beginning of the age of Hodder before Jason would reach his full potential, but CJ Graham does an excellent job as Jason. It’s not easy acting under tons of make-up and not saying a word. The acting has to be purely physical and Graham pulls it off with minimal effort.
So, this film is a definite step up from Part V. It’s still no where close to part 4, but it’s definitely not for lack of trying. Part IV was a four blood drop film, Part V only half a drop. I’ll balance it all out with this one at two blood drops. It’s not the best, but it’s certainly not the worst. The cool theme song by Alice Cooper and CJ Graham’s portrayal of Jason helped this one a lot.
The movie was filmed in Camp Daniel Morgan, Covington, Georgia, a suburb about 30 minutes outside of Atlanta.
The original script contained material that alluded to Jason’s father, which, to date, remains the closest the series has ever come to shedding some light on the mysterious character. In the script, Pamela’s headstone was next to Jason’s; a reference to the fact that somebody paid to have Jason buried, which would explain why he wasn’t cremated as the mayor said in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985); and a final scene in which Jason’s father visits his son’s grave, seemingly aware of the fact that Jason is not inside. These scenes were never filmed, but they made it into the film’s novelization.
The first and only “Friday the 13th” film (including New Line Cinema’s three “Jason” films as well as the 2009 remake) which features absolutely no nudity, though there is a sex scene.
FRIDAY THE 13th PART 5: A NEW BEGINNING
FRIDAY THE 13th PART 5: A NEW BEGINNING-United States-1985
Directed by Danny Steinmann
Story by Martin Kitrosser and David Cohen
Screenplay by Martin Kitrosser, David Cohen and Danny Steinmann
Would someone please tell me why this is even a part of the Friday the 13th series? Did the producers and studio bigwigs not learn anything from Halloween III: Season of the Witch? If you are going to make a Friday the 13th movie it must have Jason Voorhees in it. Not in a flashback, not in a dream sequence. Jason Voorhees must be the machete wielding, teenager hacking antagonist. Fans of this series will not settle for just any idiot wearing a hockey mask, I don’t care what reason he has for putting it on and acting like our beloved Mr. Voorhees.
Also, would someone please tell me where they got the actors for this one? Did K-mart run a blue light special on actors? I suppose since the idiots in the studio were on a roll and decided to make a Friday film without Jason, they may as well use bargain-bin actors in it, too. I mean, hey, the real Jason got to kill Crispin Glover for crying out loud. Who does this fake loser get to obliterate but some guy whose biggest acting job was the lead in his sixth grade production of “Annie, Get Your Gun”.
So, do you get the feeling I think this movie suck? You’d be right. I do think it sucks, but I’d watch it over Twilight any day of the week. Take care and stay scared, everybody!!
Trivia
The film was originally written to have Corey Feldman as the star, reprising the role of Tommy Jarvis. However, he was already working on The Goonies (1985), so the script was rewritten to have Feldman’s appearance limited to a cameo.
Tommy’s opening dream was different in the original script, and arguably made him seem more of a suspect later on. It opens as more of a continuation from the ending of the previous film – The Final Chapter – as a young Tommy is taken to the same hospital as Jason’s corpse. Then, in a sudden fit of psychotic rage, young Tommy winds up attacking half the hospital staff trying to get to the morgue and finding Jason’s bloodied body. Once he had finally found the body, Jason suddenly rises from the autopsy table. Immediately after this, the adult Tommy wakes up in the van en route to the Pinehurst house.
This is the second movie of the series in which Jason Voorhees is not the killer.
1/2
FRIDAY THE 13th: THE FINAL CHAPTER
FRIDAY THE 13th:THE FINAL CHAPTER-United States-1984
Kimberly Beck as Trish Jarvis
Corey Feldman as Tommy Jarvis
E. Erich Anderson as Rob Dyer
Crispin Glover as Jimmy Mortimer
Peter Barton as Doug
Directed by Joseph Zito
Story by Bruce Hidemi Sakow
Screenplay by Barney Cohen
Characters by Martin Kitrosser, Ron Kurz and Victor Miller
Looking back it seems kind of strange that this particular installment in the series would be subtitled the ‘Final Chapter’. Did the studio really think they were going to kill off Jason Voorhees and the Friday the 13th franchise once and for all? What were they smoking in 1984? It’s alright, though, because all the hardcore Jason fans knew better. One thing I can say is that since they intended this one to be the ‘final’ chapter they went all out with it. The story is decent, the acting is improved over the previous films, and the kills in this installment will surely please the most hardened gore-hounds. Plus, as an added bonus we get none other than Marty McFly‘s dad himself, Crispin Glover, in an early role in his career.
Now, of course there are some parts of the plot that are the same as the plots of the previous three films. It basically goes something like this:
“Hi, I’m a horny male teenager. You wanna have sex?”
“Sure, I’m a horny female teenager. Let’s do it.”
“Oh”
“Yeah”
“Oh”
“Yeah”
(Jason enters the room)
“No, please, don’t, no-HACK, SLASH, CHOP-we now have two dead horny teenagers.
Yeah, that parts pretty much the same in all of them. What’s different is that Jason has two adversaries in the form of Rob Dyer and Tommy Jarvis. Rob is after Jason for the death of his sister, Sandra. Tommy is the precocious younger brother of Trish Jarvis, the final girl of the film. His love for horror films and make-up effects will play a major role in the final battle with Jason.
This is the best film in the series. I don’t know if it’s because it was supposed to be the final film; or if the film makers were just following on all cylinders. If the series had ended here, it would have gone out a winner. However, after six more sequels, Freddy vs Jason and the remake, that’s just not how it happened.
Trivia
FRIDAY THE 13th Part 3
FRIDAY THE 13th Part 3 -United States-1982
Dana Kimmell as Chris Higgins
Paul Kratka as Rick
Richard Brooker as Jason Voorhees
Directed by Steve Miner
Written by Martin Kitrosser and Carol Watson (Screenplay) and Victor Miller and Ron Kurz (Characters)
Friday the 13th Part 3 is a new a chapter in the life of everyone’s favorite mass murderer Jason Voorhees. Not only is this the first (and so far only) Friday the 13th to be shot in 3D, it is also the very first time Jason puts on his now iconic hockey mask. They say that clothes make the man and our boy Jason is stylin’ and profilin’ like the Nature Boy Ric Flair in his new facial accessory. Our most fashionable serial killer is once again after those horny teenagers who dare to fornicate at Camp Crystal Lake. But wait, there’s more. For a limited time only Jason will not only hack and slash his way through those randy teens but he will also take on an entire gang of bikers who just happen to be in the area to get revenge on the punk kids that wrecked their bikes. Bodies cut in half, pitchforks to the gut, eyeballs popping out of heads are just a small taste of the carnage created by the man himself, Jason Voorhees.
In all seriousness, this definitely wasn’t the best in the series. It wasn’t the worst; that would be a tie between part 5 and part 8. I think what really hurt this film were the 3D effects. They just aren’t that good and they really do nothing but get in the way of the story. Jason doesn’t need trickery to appear larger than life. A guy in a hockey mask carrying a machete is going to be noticed, trust me. The acting is cheesy as hell also, but this is Friday the 13th, not The King’s Speech. Another thing that bugged me about the story is where Dana Kimmell’s character Chris recounts via flashback her first meeting with Jason. To me, it looked more like Jason was not so much trying to catch her to kill her, but maybe to rape her. It’s strange to think of Jason in that light and I’m glad none of the later films expanded on it. So, with all that I will mention that I gave the first two films three blood drops apiece. This one gets 2 and a half blood drops for bad 3D effects and a flashback that just doesn’t fit in.
1/2
