31 DAYS OF HORROR YEAR 3 EXTRA 1

Friday the 13th film series reviews


OK as an extra feature this month I will be taking one of the big four slasher franchises and once a week doing quick reviews of each film in that franchise.

Friday the 13th started back in 1980. Created by Sean Cunningham and Victor Miller. The series ended up producing 8 films with the Friday the 13th title. All of which were done by Paramount. They then sold the series to New Line who 3 entries. But none of the New Line entries were called Friday the 13th. Then in 2009 a remake of the first 3 films was made.

Friday the 13th-The original in the series and it is structured more like a murder mystery than a slasher. Surprisingly there isn't that much gore in this one. And the jump scene near the end is one of the best scares in the entire series. B+.

Friday the 13th part 2-Made the next year after the original was such a huge success for Paramount. We get an adult Jason that runs around with a 'tater sack on his head. Jason's look seems to be inspired by "The Town that dreaded sundown". And a few of the kills are inspired by the Mario Bava masterpiece "Twitch of the death nerve". The gore factor is up compared to the first film. And besides a kind of wonky ending this film is better than the original. A.

Friday the 13th part 3 in 3D-Another year another Friday sequel. Thanks to the 3d fad this film is one of the more unusually ones in the series. But really the film only works if you get to see it in 3D. The 2D version is pretty bad. The picture looks very fuzzy and the over abundance of stuff being thrust at the camera gets boring very quickly. Well this time Jason is back at Crystal Lake killing off teens that have sex and/or do drugs. We do get the introduction to Jason's now iconic hockey mask. And some good gore in the 3D version. The one kill where Jason squishes the head so hard the eyeball flies out at the audience is great in 3D but not so good in 2D. If you get a chance to see the 3D film print don't pass it up. The 3D DVD and blu ray are decent but don't compare to seeing the actual 3D film print. The 2D version gets a D+. The 3D version gets a B.

Friday the 13th:the Final Chapter-Made in 1984 this was suppose to be the last of the series. They managed to get Tom Savani back to do the FX work. Plus the cast is better than the previous sequels. You get a very young Corey Feldman,and a great Crispen Glover appearance. There is more gore in this one than the last two. And the acting is a whole bunch better. This is actually my favorite film in the series. A+.

Friday the 13th part V:A New beginning-Well since part 4 made a nice profit Paramount went ahead and did another sequel.I am pretty sure this one has the highest body count of all the Paramount entries and the most nudity. The behind the scenes stories on this film are legendary. And seem to all involve massive amounts of cocaine. Lots of fans hate this entry cause Jason isn't in the film. But if they could open up their narrow minds they would realize this entry is one of the better ones. B.

Friday the 13th part VI:Jason Lives-This is the first one of the series I got to see. Somehow my cousin convinced his super religious mom to take the two of us to the theater to see it. This is one of the better written entries in the series. With some well developed characters and some great kills. Plus this is also the start of what I call "Zombie Jason".B+.

Friday the 13th part VII:The New Blood-This one was made 2 years after the last entry. Originally Paramount wanted this to be a Jason vs Freddy film. But arguments over distribution kept that from happening. So instead we get Jason vs a Carrie ripoff.Part VII is mainly known for 2 things. It is the first time Kane Hodder plays Jason. And it was the entry that had the most cuts,I have heard it was submitted to the MPAA 8 times before they managed to get a R rating. I have never really cared much for this one. Mainly cause the lady playing the Carrie rip off isn't a good actress,even by slasher movie standards. C-.

Friday the 13th part VIII:Jason takes Manhattan-This is the final one made by Paramount. A group of high school graduates are heading on a cruise to NYC and Jason tags along. Most of the film is set on the ship going to NYC. And once they do get to NYC most of those scenes were actually filmed in Vancouver. Behind part V this is the other entry that most fans seem to hate. I enjoy it for how cheesy and bad it is. We do get one of the best kills in the entire series. Jason is on a rooftop fighting a boxer. The boxer punches Jason about 10 times to no effect. Then Jason hits the boxer one time and knocks his head off. This is the second time Kane Hodder plays Jason. And also is the first movie Kelly Hu was in.B-.

Jason goes to Hell:the final Friday-After part VIII bombed Paramount sold the series to New Line Cinema. This entry was released on August 13th 1993. This is another part of the series that most of the fans hate. Since lots of Jason's back story has never been explained ,the writers tried to do it in this series. We find out how Jason keeps coming back no matter what is done to him. This entry was cut to shreds for the theatrical release. But it was quickly released on VHS and Laser Disc in a uncut version. The uncut version is filled with gore and pretty fun to watch. B+.

Jason X-Set many many years in the future this entry has been nicknamed Jason goes to space. It was made as a way to keep the Jason character in the peoples minds while the much talked about Jason Vs Freddy movie was being made. For some reason after the film was finished it was shelves for awhile. During this time bootlegs of it hit the Internet. This might be the reason the movie didn't do shit at the box office. The gore is decent and the acting isn't horrible. C+.

Freddy VS Jason-Fans had been wanting this film for years. And the ending of Jason goes to hell hinted at it. So finally in 2003 we got it.This film divides the fan base. Some love it some hate it. I actually enjoyed it. The gore FX was pretty good,and the acting isn't bad. Sadly Kane Hodder didn't get to come back and play Jason for a fourth time. But at least we got Robert Englund as Freddy. A-.

Friday the 13th Remake-After Freddy vs Jason ,there was talk about a sequel to that film. But it never happened. So in 2009 a remake of the first 3 films was made and released. It came out the day before Valentine's day that year. So far outta all the remakes of the classic slasher franchises this is the one I enjoy the most. Sure the fans complain about Jason running,which he has done before. And about him setting traps and having an underground lair. But like all good entries in the Jason series we get some good kills,a decent amount of nudity,and a few jump scares. B+.