A few years back, Paramount released all eight of the studio’s Friday the 13th films in a so-called “Ultimate Edition.” With cut versions of the films and no 3D, it wasn’t really that ultimate. So here we are again, with another Ultimate Edition (also Limited!) and this time, the package is much more worthy of the name, bringing together all the deluxe versions of the series.
As those deluxe editions have previously been reviewed on this site, I am now going to surrender the floor for a while. The comments below on Part 1 are by Aric Mitchell, and on Parts 2-6 are by Gino Sassani. I’ll come back for 7 and 8.
Friday the 13th
It’s 1980. The Reagan Years are upon you. The country is hopeful it will soon come out of the toilet bowl it was in for the last four years, and while things may seem bleak, you’re one of the lucky ones that still have a job, a girl, and a reason to live. As April becomes May and the days grow considerably hotter a little at a time, what better way to take a break from it all than driving you and your sweetie down to the local movie house for opening night of a new horror film you really haven’t heard all that much about entitled Friday the 13th?
A likely scenario for most teenagers and young adults growing up in the early eighties, made even clearer by the fact this film – made on a little more than $500,000 grossed nearly $40 million at the time of its release. While it wouldn’t be fair to say the film was unlike anything moviegoers had seen before – after all, Halloween debuted only two years prior – it struck a nerve somewhere in our popular culture that has never quite healed. Whether that nerve continues to be one of extreme horror or warming nostalgia is anyone’s guess. The important thing is that people still care. Now nearly 30 years later, our country is once again in the toilet bowl, once again putting its faith in a charismatic leader, and once again getting ready for the launch of a Friday the 13 horror film. To celebrate the upcoming event, Paramount delivers (at long last) the uncut version of the original film, never before released in the United States.
Friday the 13th Uncut: Deluxe Edition gives viewers more gore than ever before along with a variety of special features to commemorate the film’s approximate three-decade run. The story? Well, there never was much of one, but for the record, it involves a group of horny teenagers refurbishing an abandoned camp only to be slaughtered by a knife-ax-spear-wielding killer. Kevin Bacon is one of the teens. Tom Savini does the effects. All of it is held together quite well by Sean S. Cunningham’s direction and Harry Manfredini’s creepy score. It lacks depth, but it’s of a much higher pedigree than the flood of imitations that came after it.
Friday the 13th, Part 2
You may only see it once but that will be enough”
That was the marketing slogan for the first Friday The 13th film in 1980. Apparently they couldn’t have been more wrong, because most of us have seen the film countless times, and no, it was never enough. The franchise would thrive with over 10 sequels or affiliated films, taking us right up to the present remake/reboot of that very first outing at Camp Crystal Lake. No, my friends, once was never going to be enough.
Part 2 begins with an appearance by Adrienne King returning briefly to the role of Alice, the lone survivor from part 1. Alice is having nightmares about her night of terror at Camp Blood. Well… you get the point, and Alice most certainly does here. Now Alice doesn’t live here anymore, the key word being “live”. With Momma Voorhees out of her head, who’s going to deliver the slice and dice? From here on out, it’s all Jason.
There’s a new campground opening along the shores of Crystal Lake. This time it’s a training camp for camp counselors. Whatever the reason, it’s going to bring more horny teens than ever to the place the locals lovingly refer to as Camp Blood. Gathering around a bonfire, the leader decides to give it to the kids straight about Jason. He tells them the story of the first film and hypes up rumors that Jason is still alive and no longer a little boy. The idea now is that he witnessed the killing of his mother and is now on the warpath. After telling the story, he declares Jason out of their system. Unfortunately, nobody told Jason that. Half of the teens head to camp for a “last night out”, while the other half remain behind. After far too much talking and not enough slicin’, the party gets started and the teens begin to break off into their own hookups. That’s the way Jason likes them. It’s another rainy night, and Jason begins to take out the kids one, or two, at a time.
This film sported a higher budget than the first, and it shows mostly in a slicker feeling to the image. There are more teens and more kills than the first film. In an attempt to give us more of what they thought we were looking for, someone forgot to bring along the fright. What’s missing here is the wonderful skill of Tom Savini. Most of the kills here are predictable and done quickly with little love for the lingering camera. None of the kills are particularly imaginative, and there isn’t a one that leaves us with that reality punch in the stomach that makes us do a double take in our minds. They’ve replaced quality with quantity, and it’s amazing that Jason made it past this far more mundane film.
Manfredini’s score is actually better here. He improved on the creepy elements of the first film and provided less of the Psycho steals. We get plenty of that whispered menacing sound that has become as trademark for these films as Jason’s hockey mask. By the way, there is no mask here. Jason wouldn’t find that iconic piece of film history until the third film. Here he has a cloth sack over his face, until the big reveal.
It should be noted that both Sean S. Cunningham and Tom Savini were offered the film but decided to walk away. It was both of their idea that the Friday The 13th moniker should apply to a series of anthology films. They figured a new element would be used each year to keep the idea fresh. Neither man thought it was a good idea to use Jason in a continuing collection of films. Jason was merely a jump scene for the first film and never expected to carry the franchise. Watching this movie, you almost get the impression they were right. History proves otherwise, and it would be Jason, indeed, who would become the face not only of a film franchise, but for the slasher genre at large.
Friday the 13th Part 3, 3-D
It didn’t take the Friday The 13th film series long to reach down into the gimmick bag. The sad thing is that the franchise didn’t really need a gimmick. Steve Miner returned to the director’s chair, and he delivered an important, if not great entry into the franchise’s history. Jason would, for the first time, don the hockey mask that would make his image the iconic horror visage it remains today. This was also an important film because a young makeup artist from this staff would break out to become one of the best in the business. Stan Winston was an uncredited artist on this film. Of course, I have no way of knowing what was his, but can there be any doubt that he left his mark throughout the film? Winston didn’t often talk about the film at all. It’s almost as if he never considered it a part of his resume, but he’s likely the biggest thing to come out of the movie.
There’s nothing new at all in the story. A fresh group of teens converge on another section of the banks of Crystal Lake. This time we’re on a farm that just so happens to border the bloody lake. Jason sets about doing what Jason does, and soon there are less and less of the teens going around. In 2D the film looks silly at times. There are so many obvious scenes intended strictly for the quick 3D effect. These moments include a wash pole, an eyeball in the hands of a Crazy Ralph clone, a snake, and a passed joint. Unfortunately these stretches make this the slowest of the Jason films. Still, there’s plenty of killing to go around, and while the effects don’t quite catch up to Tom Savini’s work in the first film, there are more creative moments here than the second film. With a new system in place, the MPAA didn’t feel the need to go crazy in chopping the film, so it benefits from a smoother edit than the second film had.
You get the chance to see the film in 3D for the first time since the movie’s original release. The package includes 2 sets of glasses. Unfortunately it doesn’t work very well. I honestly could not get through more than 10 or 15 minutes before the eye strain kicked in. I was hoping for one of those switchable presentations like the recent colorization films have been. With those you can switch back and forth seamlessly between the color and black & white versions. No such luck here. Once you decide you can’t take the strain, you need to reset the film in order to enjoy the 2D version. It was a nice touch, and I think it would have worked better in HD. You will need to really calibrate your color to make sure this works. This was the days of red and green/blue 3D process. Monitors vary considerably, and that’s why the effect has never really worked as well at home. The newer polarization process has far better chance of succeeding. I tried this years ago when the Nightmare On Elm Street Box Set arrived. You could watch one 3D scene there as well. Again, it never really worked correctly. For what it’s worth, you can get the 3D effect to work, but it will strain your eyes. Maybe I’m just getting too dang old. Unfortunately, the film does lose a lot in translation to 2D.
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
When the cast and crew went about their work on Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter it appears that it really was intended as a sendoff for the popular franchise. There had been a turnover at Paramount, and the powers that be thought the slasher cycle was pretty much over. Now whether any of that is true is anyone’s guess. Everyone associated with the project claims that that was their firm understanding from the beginning. Writer Barney Cohen insists that the Paramount brass made it very clear that he was supposed to kill off Jason with such Hollywood “grammar” that there was little doubt he was dead and gone forever. We, of course, know that Jason might very well be dead, but he’s far from gone.
It’s minutes from the events of the previous film. Police and paramedics are on hand to clean up the mess left by Jason in full 3D glory. Jason’s body is taken to the hospital morgue. Fortunately for Jason, the place is has a couple of teen attendants with those raging hormones that bring out the best in our hockey-masked avenger. After a little play time with the attendant and nurse, Jason is once again on the loose. Meanwhile a group of teens are moving into a remote house out in he woods. The only neighbors are the Jarvis family. There’s single mom (Freeman), daughter Trish (Beck) and young Tommy (Feldman). Tommy is a monster fan who has a Tom Savini-like ability to create killer monster masks and prosethics. He’s a bit introverted and nerdy. Little do they know that Jason is going to crash the new neighbors’ party. It’s left to Tommy and sister to take Jason out, supposedly for good.
It’s the typical Friday formula. A group of teens acts as fodder for Jason’s unstoppable rage. The difference is the introduction of a pretty young boy who ends up standing up to the monster. Corey Feldman would go on to be both famous and infamous over the next few years. Here he’s barely 9 years old and actually does a pretty good job. Let’s face it, these films aren’t known for their collection of A-list actors, and Feldman was certainly a step above the norm. Not that some rather famous talent hasn’t emerged from these kinds of films. Johnny Depp and the original Freddy nightmare come to mind. The other future name here is Crispin Glover, who like Feldman would go on to have a mixed reputation on and off the set. Glover can be an amazing actor at times, but he also has this rather incredibly creepy persona that doesn’t appear to be totally all character. Both Glover and Feldman have been known to be real pains to directors throughout their careers. Oddly, it’s Feldman at only 9 years old that we’re told was the real monster on the set.
The real story here is the return of Tom Savini to the makeup f/x department. That automatically means a step up in the effects and the realistic killings that had become the crucial missing element in the first two sequels. With Savini at the helm the audience is invited to linger on the effects, almost daring them to spot the flaws or the mechanics behind the magic. There are no quick cuts here. Jason is allowed to linger on his job. It’s certain that a good makeup f/x man is the best friend an actor playing Jason can have. The only real disappointment here is the look on Feldman in the climax when he attempts to make himself up as Jason. It’s not Savini’s best work. I’ve met him a few times over the years. I can tell you he LOVES cake. Every time I’ve brought up that particular makeup, his usual eagerness for talking about his work shuts down and he changes the subject. I get the impression he was not satisfied with it at all. The closest I ever got to a reply was a shake of the head and a “Gino, Gino, Gino”.
The collection of characters is pretty good. You get some dress-alike twin babes, a pudgy hitchhiker, the usual horny drug addicts, and a few nerds tossed in for good measure.
Friday the 13th, Part V: A New Beginning
We were all told that the fourth film in the Friday The 13th series was going to be the last. From the cast and crew to the studio execs it was official: Jason was dead and gone. Time to move on. But it took less than a year for a new chapter to be tacked on to that final one. The fifth entry into the franchise would contain one of the more limited budgets. But it wasn’t the budget cuts that has made this one of the most highly criticized films of the series. It’s the total disregard for the tradition of the films and the poor choices that were made in making this film. The movie was filmed with little fanfare. This was in the days before the internet made such things all but impossible. It was made under the name Repetition to hide the true nature of the shoot from anyone who caught wind of the production. Perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea to try and diminish the film’s buzz. It brought in a very disappointing $21 million at the box office. That might have had a better chance of truly killing Jason than anything else.
Director Danny Steinmann’s only real credit was a porno film. You can’t mistake the tendencies in this outing. It certainly contains a greater amount of nudity than any of the other films. The sexual scenes are by far more graphic. It was also the last we’d hear of the troubled director. Meanwhile Jason was relegated to an almost non-existent part in the film. The kills all are very quick and happen mostly outside of camera range. The obvious excuse is that the MPAA had reined down hard on these films, and to an extent that was true. The real problem here was a lack of both imagination and money. Tom Savini was again gone from the scene, and his replacement couldn’t carry Savini’s latex jockstrap. The series went from using barrels of stage blood to a couple of toothpaste tubes’ worth. Finally the killer isn’t even necessarily Jason at all. It’s almost impossible to criticize this kind of a film for being ridiculous, but the series reached a low point with this outing.
As the film begins we find a group of red neck Hee Haw type boys digging up Jason’s grave. Hiding in the shadows is Tommy (Feldman) who took Jason out in the previous film. Looks like whoever buried Jason made the mistake of including his machete and trademark hockey mask in the grave with him. Jason makes quick work of the good ol’ boys while Tommy watches. The next thing you know it’s years later and Tommy is waking up in the back of a van. Was this a memory or a bad dream? We never really know for sure. Tommy (Shepherd) is now a teen and is still suffering the effects of his encounter with the masked killer. He’s been in a loony institution for the years since. Now he’s being transferred to a half-way camp out in the woods. I’m sure that everyone in the audience already saw where this one was going. There Tommy befriends young “Reckless” Reggie (Ross), the son of the camp’s caretaker. The neighbors aren’t too happy when they learn that these mental patients will be staying at the nearby camp. The most vocal is Ethyl Hubbard (Locatell) and her inbred son Junior (Sloan). The two are like something out of Deliverance. The fear is soon proven true when one of the residents takes an axe and kills another. Vinnie (Barrile) is taken away kicking and screaming from the camp. Soon there are more and more folks turning up dead around the half-way camp.
But this is more of a psychological thriller than a typical slasher, or at least that’s what it attempts to be. Is the killing actually being done by Jason? Is it Vinnie? Maybe it’s even Tommy, who appears to be somewhat possessed by the fabled killer. Or is it someone else entirely? It’s not that hard to figure it out. You might want to pay close attention to the hockey mask worn by the killer.
The film does have one of the largest and most eclectic cast of characters in the series. We’re not just talking horny teens here. Don’t get me wrong. There’s more than a fair share of jiggling and making out going on here. But there were more kinds of fodder for the killing machine. We had some rednecks, cops, and locals to throw into the mix. Still, the film never was able to hit its stride and deserves all of the heat it’s taken over the years for being one of the weakest of the films to come out.
Friday the 13th, Part VI: Jason Lives
“Just because our parents keep telling us that Jason was only a legend, doesn’t mean it wasn’t true. What if he did come back here looking for the camp counselor that caused him to drown as a boy, searching for the one that decapitated his vengeful mother? And you do know what today’s date is, don’t you?…Happy Friday the 13th.”
Legend or not, Jason’s back in the 6th Friday the 13th film, and he’s out for more blood than ever before. Filmed under the fake name of Aladdin’s Sane, in an overt tribute to director Tom McLoughlin’s favorite musician, David Bowie, the new film was a return to the franchise’s more established roots. Gone are the psychological thriller aspects of the previous disaster. Jason is back, and there’s no mistaking him for anyone else again. As the titles implies: Jason Lives.
The film begins with Tommy, once again outside of the mental institution where he still resides, this time played by a third actor, Thom Mathews. He’s joined by Horshak himself, Ron Palillo as Allen. Together they’ve sneaked into the cemetery where Jason is buried. They intend to dig him up and burn the remains. Tommy gets a little carried away and stabs at the worm infested corpse with an iron pole from the yard’s gate. Lightening strikes the pole and envelops Jason in his grave. And just like Frankenstein’s monster, Jason is back in business, enjoying some playtime with Horshak.
The town on Crystal Lake has had enough of the infamy Jason has brought them. They’ve now changed the name of the town to Forest Green and decided that Jason was a myth and that none of the massacres ever happened at all. Tommy escapes Jason’s resurrection and attempts to alert the cops that he’s alive and killing once again. Sheriff Garris (Kagen) recognizes Tommy and dismisses him as merely crazy, but when the bodies mount up he begins to suspect that Tommy is behind the murders in order to convince the world that Jason’s alive. Tommy manages to escape with the help of the sheriff’s teen daughter, Megan (Cooke). Needless to say, with Jason on the loose there’s going to be some bloodshed. This time Jason fodder includes weekend warrior paintball office execs, a cookie cemetery caretaker, a yuppie couple out on a midnight champagne picnic, and the usual assortment of horny teens. There’s a new group at Camp Blood, now renamed. This time the teen counselors have some rug rats to protect.
This is one of the better of the films from the series. There’s a good cast of victims, and the idea of having someone trying to alert the people is an added bonus. The kills still don’t measure up to the stuff Savini had done, but they are more imaginative than most. At least we’re back to the gallons of movie blood, and Jason is really Jason again. This film also does the best job of adding more humor to the franchise without ever making Jason look too silly or less menacing. There’s a James Bond spoof intro that pretty much lets you know you’re in for a more amusing ride than in previous slasher films. The humor never gets out of control, and you’ll find this the most refreshing Jason film in quite a few outings. Tom McLoughlin appears to be the first director in the sequels who seems to get it. The result is a film with higher production values than we’ve seen since the first film and a steady pace that appears to move just right. He doesn’t rely so much on the jiggling females or make-out scenes. He allows the natural flow of the horror film to play out in a way most slasher films have ignored before and since. It’s a shame he did not continue with the series.
Friday the 13th, Part VII: The New Blood
Plot? What plot? Oh right: traumatized telekinetic teen accidentally raises Jason from the bottom of the lake. Jason kills folks. That’s about it. But you don’t watch these for the plot –you watch them for the killings. These are, sad to say, relatively restrained, and some of Jason’s tool acquisitions are silly (where did he get that electric hedge trimmer from?). The characters (I use the word loosely) are even more interchangeable than ever, and the continuity goes all to #%&@ in the latter part of the film. Who’s running where and why? Who knows? There’s some nostalgic pleasure to be had here, but not much more than that.
Friday the 13th, Part VII: Jason Takes Manhattan
Jason is resurrected by an unfortunate accident involving a boat anchor and a power cable. He climbs aboard a ship carrying a graduating class to New York City, and proceeds to do his stuff. While those of us who caught this on its original theatrical run were disappointed that we had to wait a full hour before Jason reached NYC (or, more accurately, Vancouver), a return trip reveals this as one of the better made entries in the franchise. The characters, though thin, make are a bit more coherent than in Part VII, the action is competently staged, and once Jason hits Manhattan, much is made of the fact that he can chase and slaughter in full public view, and no one wants to get involved.
Video
Let’s remember that all of these films were made on the cheap, and no amount of re-mastering is ever going to make them look like Avatar. Taken as a whole, the films are eminently watchable, with a particular nod being due to Part 1, which crisply and seamlessly re-integrates the previously cut footage. This does, of course, serve only to re-emphasize the fact that the other films are not restored (so we’re still not quite as Ultimate as we might be), and some age and damage is more noticeable on some of the prints than others. The availability of 3D is, of course, a nice thing, but the result is pretty unwatchable. At least it’s there, for completion’s sake. So, all in all, a fairly standard-issue collection of prints of cheap movies – okay contrasts, some murkiness, and widescreen aspect ratio respected.
Audio
The films have all audio tracks remixed to 5.1 I’m going to let Gino step in again, as his take pretty much encapsulates the audio experience of the series:
“The Dolby Digital 5.1 track isn’t at all expansive. No complaint at all. The original was mono, and I’m against overly changing the mix on these earlier films. The score was about the only place that the field expands any. Dialog is clear, and it all happens pretty much front and center.”
Commentary Tracks: Once more, over to Aric for Part 1, and Gino for 4-6:
Part 1:
Cunningham’s fondness for the film still shows through on this track. A lot of materials are presented here that reappear on subsequent bonus features.
Commentary by Director Joseph Zito, Writer Barney Cohen, and Editor Joel Goodman: They have a lot of fun, and it’s one of the better commentaries I’ve heard. They explain that none of them wanted that montage from the earlier films that opens the movie. We also get the sense that a ton was cut from the film.
Fan Track Commentary: Featuring young genre directors Joe Lynch and Adam Green. They are certainly passionate about the film and the series of films. You hear mostly how Jason influenced their entries into the world of the horror film.
Part 5:
Commentary with director Danny Steinmann, actor John Shepherd, actor Shavar Ross (who was great as Reggie), and Victor Miller on the phone. They talk about how the film was not long planned and the attempt to take the franchise in a new direction. Shavar Ross is entertaining, but otherwise this is a pretty odd conversation.
Part 6:
Commentary with director McLoughlin and others: This is an animated commentary and is the best of the DVD series to date. He talks a lot about the humor, constantly reminding us that Paramount was cool with the idea so long as the humor wasn’t at Jason’s expense. It’s easy to see why his take was so fresh and innovative.
Part 7:
Commentary with director John Carl Buechler and actors Lar Park Lincoln and Kane Hodder: An interesting reminder that, however much the film might come across as having bee slapped together overnight, there was a fair amount of work involved by all concerned. The memories of all concerned seem to be pretty fresh after all this time.
Part 8:
Commentary with actors Scott Reeves, Jensen Daggett and Kane Hodder: Engaging stuff, with Reeves and Daggett clearly tickled to be speaking (over the phone) with Hodder again, and no one having any illusions about the nature of the movie.
Special Features
And once again, Aric, Gino and I share duties as above.
Part 1:
Fresh Cuts – New Tales from Friday the 13th: Victor Miller’s amusing anecdote about how the script came in to being is a highlight from this feature. Essentially, he admits that Friday the 13th was always intended as a rip-off of Halloween.
The Man Behind the Legacy – Sean S. Cunningham: This feature focuses on the man that started it all. Cunningham keeps a very healthy viewpoint regarding the film. He is appreciative of everything it did for him, but unwilling to dwell in the past. Instead he continues to work on new projects with son Noel, expressing eternal gratitude to fans of the franchise.
A Friday the 13th Reunion: Sorry, no Kevin Bacon. Several others are missing, too. But viewers do get to see Adrienne King and Betsy Palmer as they are today. No catfights this time, however.
Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part I: Perhaps the most surprising and pleasing addition to the disc is a short film shot on digital video, but masterfully handled nonetheless. A simple 8-minute feature with two new victims and more Jason-inspired violence, it’s interesting to see where Paramount will go with these on the other Friday releases.
Original theatrical trailer.
Part 2:
Friday’s Legacy – Horror Conventions: The 2008 ScareFest convention is the place. You get to meet many of the Friday universe cast and crewmembers. Unfortunately most of these guests are associated with the original film and not Part 2.
Jason Forever: Now this half hour feature is a great one. From the 2004 Fangoria Convention we are presented with a panel of Jason actors. We get to meet Ari Lehman, who played the child Jason in the first film. We also get to see Jasons from parts 2, 6, 7-10. There’s a huge Q&A session as the actors talk about getting the role and their favorite moments. It’s like there’s this fraternity for Jason actors out there. Good stuff.
Lost Tales From Camp Blood Part II: This is a continuation of the odd vignettes that started with the first film’s DVD release. This time it’s a couple in the woods. While none would appear in III, we’re promised more to come. Oh joy.
Inside Crystal Lake Memories: This 11 minute feature is an interview with Peter M. Bracke, who has put together a Friday The 13th coffee table book.
Trailer.
Part 3:
The 3D version of the film.
Part 4:
Lost Tales From Camp Blood Part 4: (6:21) This is a continuation of the odd vignettes that started with the first film’s DVD release. It’s fan made stuff, and I haven’t liked any of it yet.
Slashed Scenes: (15:19) There is no audio to these recently discovered outtakes. Director Joseph Zito narrates the footage. It’s mostly the kills and how they were set up. It makes for good behind the scenes footage, but a major bummer: it’s silent.
The Lost Ending: (3:21) Again it’s silent, so Zito and Trish actress Kimberley Beck provide narration to the alternative ending. What’s in the film is far better.
The Crystal Lake Massacre Revisited Part I: (18:07) This is a mocumentary that acts like a Geraldo styled expose of the events of the first 4 films. It’s funny for a while, but it goes on too long.
Trailer.
There are also a couple of features new to this box set:
Jason’s Unlicky Day: 25 Years After Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter: (11:02) Essentially a years-later making-of, but pretty interesting, and takes on an added poignancy with the cast and director recalling the young Corey Feldman.
Jimmy’s Dead Dance Moves: (2:07) A short piece, with outtakes, on Crispin Glover’s utterly lunatic dance routine in the film.
Part 5:
Lost Tales From Camp Blood Part 5: (7:10) This is a continuation of the odd vignettes that started with the first film’s DVD release. It’s fan made stuff, and I haven’t liked any of it yet.
The Crystal Lake Massacre Revisited Part II: (10:11) This is a continuation of the mockumentary that acted like a Geraldo style expose of the events of the first four films. Here it focuses on the events of this film and more on Tommy than Jason.
New Beginnings – The Making Of Friday The 13th: A New Beginning: (11:04) Cast and crew talk about resurrecting Jason, or at least the films. There’s a lot here on casting and problems with the MPAA on the films ultimate rating. There’s a clever Tom Savini cameo here that is the best 10 seconds of the piece.
Trailer.
Part 6:
Lost Tales From Camp Blood Part 6: (7:16) This is a continuation of the odd vignettes that started with the first film’s DVD release. It’s fan made stuff, and I haven’t liked any of it yet.
The Crystal Lake Massacre Revisited Part III: (9:35) This is a continuation of the mockumentary that acted like a Geraldo style expose of the events of the first five films. Here it focuses on the events of this film and even more on Tommy than Jason. They play around with the town name change.
Jason Lives – The Making Of Friday The 13th: Jason Lives: (12:54) This is a typical behind the scenes feature with a lot of deserved talk about the director.
Trailer.
Part 7:
Jason’s Destroyer: The Making of Friday the 13th Part VII – The New Blood: (15:05) Buechler is unapologetic about the Carrie influence here. In some ways, this is more interesting than the movie itself.
Mind Over Matter: The Truth About Telekinesis: (7:23) An attempt to take the whole telekinesis-triggered-through-trauma thing seriously. Ooookay. I guess if you buy this stuff, you can buy the movie as serious, too.
Makeover by Maddy: Need A Little Touch-Up Work, My A**: (2:41) Cast members Elizabeth Kaitan and Diana Barrows reunite to get a makeover. Utterly pointless.
Slashed Scenes Intro: (
Slashed Scenes: (16:15) With an intro by Buechler. All that remains of the cut gore and other moments in rough form. They do have sound, though.
Part 8:
New York Has A New Problem: The Making of Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan: (17:59) A good piece, with a touch of the promotional still present, but plenty informative all the same, and quite amusing.
Slashed Scenes: (12:21) These are in pretty good shape, with full sound and music.
Gag Reel: (4:53).
The collection comes in a handsome hardbound book, with each film’s page detailing trivia and listing the number of kills and weapons used. Finally, there’s a nifty goalie mask included. It’s too small to fit a human being, but if you have a large cat looking for a costume, it should fit the bill nicely.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it. Surely the best release this franchise has seen in the DVD era. And whereas time has not revealed this films to be neglected classics – they will always no more than cheap programmers – there is a weird glow of, dare I say it, innocence to them now. So this is a pretty fine Halloween treat for the nostalgically minded and forgiving of spirit.
