Part six of the series opens up with Tommy Jarvis and his friend/fellow crazy Allen driving out to the cemetery where Jason is buried. Jarvis is determined to put a stop to Jason once and for all by setting him on fire using some gasoline. After they dig up the coffin and open it, reveling a very decayed and maggot infested Jason in the process, Tommy does what any other person would do and grabs a metal pole out of the cemetery fence and stabs Jason a few times with it before stopping and leaving the pole sticking out of Jason’s chest….during a thunder storm. One of my favorite parts of dialog follows this.
Allen: Oh boy, he must have really messed you over.
Tommy: Yeah fuck you Jason.
Not sure why I love it so much, maybe it’s the fact someone says fuck you Jason, either way I just think it’s great stuff. As Tommy and Allen go to get the gasoline ready, lightning hits the pole and brings Jason back to life in a very Frankenstein way. Tommy throws the gasoline on an advancing Jason and then strikes a match, just in time for it to start raining. Jesus it must suck to live in a horror movie, just as you get the upper hand mother nature kicks you in the face.
Allen does attempt to end Jason’s life by hitting him over the head with a shovel, but this just pisses Jason off and he then puts his hand through Allen’s chest and rips out his heart. So 8 minutes and 16 seconds into the movie we already have a kill. All in all it’s a very cool scene to say the least. Tommy gets into his truck and drives off as Jason dons the mask that Tommy was nice enough to bring with him.
Overall the 6th movie was decent. It didn’t really do anything new and exciting for the series; it just stuck to the same old formula. It offered up plenty of gore, just as would be expected of a movie in the franchise. It does offer up the most “Jason” kills out of any of the movies up to this point, with the big man clocking in with 18 victims on his hands. All in all I would say it’s a movie worth picking up if you have seen the others in the series. It’s not one to watch more than a couple of times within a short amount of time however, as nothing that new or original happens in it. I almost fell asleep while watching this one again. But it’s very solid for what it is. The actors are believable, and I liked the cinematography. The big downside to this one is the lack of boobs. Now like I said I was really tired watching this one again, but not so tired I’m going to miss the fact I just watched a horror movie that had no boobs in it, everyone knows that’s the second most important part of a horror film next to the kills. I’ll still give it a 1 however because the girl that played Megan is really cute.
As I mentioned before, Part 5 is one of the most memorable ones to me. If I had to rank them, Part 3 would probably be my favorite, then Part 5, then Part 4, with my least favorite being Part 8, since the idea of Jason in the city just seemed bogus to me, but I’ll get the honor of revisiting and reviewing it, and maybe even appreciate it later. Not that Part 5 is really better than Part 4, but it all boiled down to the time and place in which I viewed it.
Part 4 leads you believe that it was the end of Jason’s reign and finito to the Friday the 13th series, but realizing just how profitable this maniac was, a new one was released a year later. Now on it’s 4th director, Danny Steinmann, who also gave us The Unseen (1981) and Savage Streets (1984), Jason comes back with a different swagger and a blue striped hockey mask.
We pick up this time with an aged Tommy Jarvis, who’s still battling his demons over Jason Voorhees, and hanging out with the other loonies at the Pine Hurst mental facility, basically just a house in the woods with a couple of therapists. Much like Shelly from Part 3, fat-ass Joey (another white dude with a mini-fro), is an annoyance to everyone, and when he bugs temperamental Vic while chopping wood, he gets an axe in the back (a scene familiar to Don’t Look in the Basement). Within the first 26 minutes, we have five confirmed kills.
There’s really not a whole lot of character development in this one, yet so many people seemed familiar. Stuttering Jake reminds me of Duckie from Pretty in Pink, even though Part 5 predates it, Reggie’s brother, Demon, is a mix between Michael Jackson and Rick James (I’m Rick James Bitch!!), Pam looks like Ginny from Part 2, Violet is a clear reference to Blondie (and can break down a wicked robot), and Reggie looks like Little Red Riding Hood (and screams like a little girl when he sees the big bad wolf (Jason)).
After rewatching this, I think I may have figured out why I like this movie so much, it’s because of all the humor and the wide array of colorful characters. This was the first one that actually made me laugh, and Ethel and her retarded son, Junior, brought the most chuckles. This movie also hailed a couple of the most memorable kill scenes for me. When Jason wraps the strap around Eddie’s head, and then cranks it until it breaks, and when Ethel’s son is beheaded while erratically riding his motorcycle through the yard after getting his ass kicked by Tommy.
This movie will lead you to believe that it's possibly Tommy doing the killing (even though the size doesn't match up), but in the end, we find out that it’s Roy, Joey’s paramedic father, who after witnessing his slain son, puts his grief behind the mask with intent on massacring everyone. And, he does a good job of it until Reckless Reggie hits him with the front-end loader, he has a knife/chainsaw fight with Pam, and then he falls out off the barn window onto a bed of spikes with the help of Tommy. But, the last moments still leave open the possibility that Tommy may one day become Jason, or is it all just a bad dream?
So, Part 5: A New Beginning is clearly that, it’s a bit of a different direction for the franchise, but also a clear statement that they were in it for the long haul, eventually beating out every other killer in the genre in film count. And, out of all the other Friday films up to this point, it had the highest body count, totaling like 20, or one every 4.5 minutes, and also had the highest boob count, totaling 6, or 3 sets. I couldn't help but say, Damn, look at those fun bags, when Tina's donned the screen, and felt my lips pucker in a suckling motion.
As Smokeskrene pointed out, some may argue that it is not really a Friday the 13th film because it's misleading and wasn't actually Jason killing, well, I disagree, and think it's a fine addition in the series, and even though it's heavily flawed, and maybe even moreso than the others, it's still in my top 3, and very worthy of being in my collection.
So, if you are a TRUE fan of the series, you gotta pick it up. The reason I put the DVD link to the older release, rather than the reissue on June 16th, is because you can get the same content at a fraction of the price. And, if you don’t already own these movies, shame on you, and I highly recommend you buy the boxset which has Parts 1-8 and all the Killer extras. If you were wondering why you can’t get them ALL in one set in the U.S., it's because two different movie studios have the rights (Paramount and New Line), and neither want to sell. Screw making it easy for the fans when the all mighty dollar is at stake, but if done right, that would make a sweet collector's piece!!
There are few movies that have the complete package. At this point in slasherdome, victims you actually cared about had been mising. Friday the 13th the Final Chapter abandoned the campsite for the summer party house and the single mother family by the lake. It was also the first movie of the series to have really great casting. I don’t think you can say enough about how well this movie comes together. Crispin Glover and the dead fuck joke is classic. Corey Feldman as the child with a monster fetish was a great casting decision. He wasn’t some little kid trying to play the role as the cutesy child you have to be scared for. He played it has the self reliant child who was just trying to look at out for his mom and sister. And you believe it. He even pulls off the ridiculous ending where he shaves his head and makes Jason stop being ruthless. The idea of that is one of the most absurd idea’s ever but it works with the right actor. I nominate this for the best of the series. In 3 Jason gets his mask and in 4 Jason finally gets some decent people to kill.
Even though it had only been a year since we last left Camp Crystal Lake, Part 3 begins by revisiting the conclusion of Part 2. And, much like the SAW films are today, a new Friday the 13th was being churned out almost every year. Instead of Sean Cunningham helming the director's chair on this one, the torch is passed to Steve Miner, who also worked closely with him as director/producer on some of the others, and who went on to do House (1986), Halloween H20 (1998), Lake Placid (1999), and a slew of others not in the horror genre, including episodes of The Wonder Years.
Part 3 not only marked a new direction for Jason, but also for the franchise, having been shown in theatres in 3D. Never having seen it "enhanced," my curiosity got the best of me and I bought a copy of the “Uncut” 3D version, even though I already had two other copies of the 2D movie. Well, no matter what we did (I watched it with my friend Lukas and his wife Cassandra), it was clear that the red/blue cardboard 3D specs were very lame and dated, and our viewing experience wasn't enhanced whatsoever, but actually made worse. So, we finished it in 2D, and laughed at the scenes obviously intended for 3D.
So, Jason is still hellbent on revenge, and has discarded the burlap sack, grown in size, lost all his hair (damn middle-aged testosterone levels), and now wears a Dickie’s work outfit instead of a flannel. But, once again, we have the familiar scenario, kids heading off to Camp Crystal Lake for a summer of fun in the sun, sex, drugs, and rock & roll.
And, like Part 1, we have another jokester, Shelly this time (chubby white dude with an afro who reminded me of the annoying wheelchair dude in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre), who annoys the hell out of everyone, and you’ll be happy to see killed off later in the movie. We also have another cute redhead, well, strawberry-brown, named Chris, played by Dana Kimmell, and yet another weird old man, who carries an eyeball given to him by Jason?, and who continues to warn of what might happen by going to the lake.
So, once they somewhat settle in at camp, Shelly and Vera make a run to the local grocery store, but have a run-in with a few bikers (black dude Ali, black chick Fox, and white dude Loco), who try to flex their muscle. When leaving, Shelly accidentally runs into their bikes with the VW Bug, which moments later, takes an ass whooping by Ali’s chain (tough people carry those types of things ya know). But, Shelly’s tired of being pushed around, and he runs over Ali’s bike, thus setting the stage for another retaliation. So, the bikers head to the camp with intent of burning down the barn, but are pitch-forked and wrenched to death instead.
While the jock (Andy) and his girl (Debbie) make out in a hammock, Chris tells her ex-boyfriend, Rick, about her first brush with Jason. Shelly plays another trick, but on Vera this time, and this is the first time we see the infamous hockey mask. Not enthused, Vera goes off on him, and he walks away with his tail between his legs, but Jason returns to the scene with the hockey mask and harpoon gun in tow (THE MOST ICONIC SCENE IN THE FRANCHISE!!), and Vera gets a 3D arrow through the left eye.
Now, back to Andy and his girl, who have finished playing hide the salami. She decides to take a shower (boob scene), while he goes to get beers (walking on his hands), a clear set-up for a sweet kill scene. She returns to the hammock to relax, but he doesn't (isn't it obvious what happened?), and she's killed with a machete through the chest from below (yet another scene similar to Part 1). I guess I never really realized just how similar Part 1 and 3 are until now. Sure, I remember familiar scenes, but I had never watched them back to back, which made it very obvious. I know, and I call myself a big fan...but there's a difference bewteen a big fan and a film nerd. :)
Anyway, waking up after a long day of bonging, the stoner couple get the munchies and cook popcorn, but then the lights go out. Stoner dude is asked to check the breaker box in the basement (set-up kill scene #2, YES!) and gets electrocuted, but hey, this corrects the light problem. Well, Shelly, returns to the house with a bloody neck, which is perceived as another gag, but this time, it’s for real. Moments later, stoner chick takes a hot poker through the mid-section, and Jason carries off her body, possibly using it later to stage another “discovery” by an unsuspecting victim.
So, this leaves Rick (the Brave) and Chris, but Rick soon dies by a head crushing, and we witness a Lucio Fulci-esque 3D eye popping scene. As Chris struggles to save her life, she manages to escape, not once, but multiple times, and Jason takes a little bit of a beating, not only stabbed, but also hung from a pulley. But, this not-of-this-world killing machine still isn’t dead, and even gives her a Nan Nanny Boo Boo look when he briefly takes off the mask as to say, “Yeah, Bitch, I’m still here, remember me?” But Ali, the presumed dead black biker dude from earlier, reappears, only to get hacked up with a machete. Jason then turns around, and gets an axe to the head by the hands of Chris, forever scarring the iconic thing that has made him feared to this day (the mask).
So, once again, we end with Chris in a canoe on the lake (remember Alice from Part 1), but instead of Jason coming out of the water, he’s seen in the house from afar, still alive, and coming to get his prey. But then, Pam comes out of the lake to restake her claim instead. Yet another dream? Only Chris knows, as she’s hauled away hysterical in a police car, and Jason still lies dead in the barn.
Ya know, I've seen this movie many times, and it's always an enjoyable experience. I can only hope that the 3D in hi-def will be better than the crap I witnessed a few months ago (but I’m not holding my breath). It's a great marketing ploy, but 3D can only really be appreciated on the big screen (right now at least), and I can only imagine how crude the 3D VHS version was. But, that still doesn’t take away from my love for Jason, or this film, and he’s still a badass mofo, whether in 2D, 3D, virtual reality, 4D, or even in space (Jason X). So, three reviews down, but plenty more to go.
Why doesn’t anyone listen to Crazy Ralph? Is his homeless demeanor or
blatant alcoholism such that he just can’t be taken seriously? Or maybe its
because we all know he was getting his jollies while peeping during the make
out scene. I could give you a review of this movie, but instead I’m going to
talk about something that bugs me. Some people say the first Friday the 13th
doesn’t “count” because its not Jason. I’ve heard the same argument for 5.
Some say that Jason goes to hell doesn’t count because it doesn’t follow the
same formula as the others. Some say this one doesn’t fit in because he’s
not wearing a hockey mask. To all of you nay sayers I say… SHUTTUP. These
are all horrible movies. But horrible in the most entertaining of ways.
Whether its skinny dipping scenes or a guy with a gunny sack on his head
chasing wannabe counselors, these movies are made to be fun. So maybe Jason
is just learning how to be a man monster and doesn’t have a hockey mask yet.
He’s still ruthless and this makes me happy.
From the jump, Friday the 13th doesn’t pull any punches, as it sets the stage for all the films to come. Two camp counselors sneak off to make out, and within the first 4 minutes of film, we get the first kill, and what is believed another to follow, right before the opening title and score.
Now, jump to present day on Friday the 13th, where a girl is looking for camp Crystal Lake (aka Camp Blood) and is warned by the local loony, old man Ralph, that the place she seeks, “has a death curse…and she’ll never come back again.” Well, this rings true, because while she's hitch-hiking to camp, she’s picked up by a jeep, chased through the woods by the driver, and killed.
The other camp counselors, which include a young Kevin Bacon (Jack), and cute redhead Adrienne King (Alice), make their way to camp to help set up. It’s pretty clear that jokester, Neddy, will be one of the first to meet his demise, and he does as the #4 kill. Jack and his girl sneak off to a nearby cabin to do the nasty (boob scene), and when she leaves to take a pee, Jack gets an arrow through his chest/lower neck (from someone lurking under the mattress), and she takes an axe to the head while in the head (bathroom).
Brenda responds to what sounds like a little boy’s cry for help, and goes out in the rain only to get waxed on the archery range. That leaves the camp director, who’s offed within minutes, Alice, and Bill (the Brave). But, it isn’t long before Alice finds Bill dead too, so she barricades herself in her cabin.
She sees a jeep pull up and runs out for help, only to find that her “help” is the killer. If you ask the average Joe who was the killer in the first Friday the 13th, they’d probably say Jason, or the hockey mask guy, but they’d be dead wrong, since it was Jason’s mother, Pam Voorhees, played by TV veteran Betsy Palmer. See, Pam is still distraught and avenging her son’s death, who drowned years earlier while camp counselors weren’t watching. And, it’s pretty clear that Pam has went off the deep end too, as she somewhat assumes the roll of Jason, and even talks to herself in his voice.
But, all her attempts to take out Alice are thwarted, and in the final struggle, Pam’s head is lopped off with a machete. Then, the sympathetic music starts to roll, and we see that Alice has fallen asleep in a canoe while out on the lake. As she wakes, lil Jason comes out of the water and drags her in, but it’s only a dream, as she wakes up hysterical in the hospital and asks if the boy was found. And, the next lines set this up for the sequel:
Officer: “We didn’t find any boy…"
Alice: "Then he’s still there…”
Friday the 13th not only sets up the premise for it’s sequels, but also for many movies to follow. But, I had to wonder what movies might have inspired this one, and I couldn’t think up a single predecessor that had a similar plot. It’s a simple one, yes, but it hadn’t really been done before (that I’m aware of), and Smokeskrene believes the mother/son relationship was taken from Psycho.
After not having watched this for a couple years, it’s pretty tame by today’s standards, and even to it’s follow ups, but it’s still a great watch, and helped set in motion the long FX career of Tom Savini. Once this was released on Blu Ray, I knew I’d have to get it, even though my player is still sitting in the box awaiting it’s hi-def TV counterpart. But, while at the Fangoria convention in Chicago earlier this year, I was able to get it signed by Mr. Savini (as part of my ticket purchase), and I was going to have Ms. King sign it at Texas Frightmare Weekend in Dallas, but just couldn’t justify spending the 20 bucks. My loss, maybe, but I don’t pay for autographs for myself unless it’s a great deal, and preferably a bundle package.
Well, this officially starts the 13 Days of Friday the 13th. I encourage all fans to rewatch them all, and for those just getting on the Jason bandwagon with the new film, go review the originals and see how true FX were done with no CGI enhancements. Trust me, you’ll be in awe by how they pulled some of the things off.
So, the Side Show Reviewers have taken on the feat of attempting to review every Friday the 13th movie over the next 13 days, ending on June 16th with the remake/revisioning (Friday the 13th (2009)). Quite a task, yes, impossible, no, plausible, well ummm, we'll see.
All three of us have a fondness of Jason Voorhees, and I'd have to trace mine back my to when I was around 10-12 yrs old. I remember renting Part 5 with my buddy, Scott, who I was staying the night with. We ordered pizza, popped it in the VCR, turned off all the lights, and shut the door to his bedroom. While it was playing, I crept out to go to the bathroom, and when I sneakingly tried to come back in, he got scared and started yelling, "Mom, Kris is trying to scare me." It was some funny shit that still makes me chuckle today, and it definitely sparked "a new beginning" in my fanship of Mr. Voorhees.
But, it probably wasn't until after I started rewatching them over the years, that I realized just how deep my interest (obsession?) was. Out of all of the other slasher genre killers, Jason reigned supreme. Freddy was funny at best, Michael was okay, but got a little boring, and Leatherface was cool, but after TCM3, I questioned where this story was going. Maybe it was my fascination of the hockey mask and/or machette, maybe it was his relentlessness to avenge his mother's death, or simply the creativeness in his emotionless killings, whatever it was, I'm not completely sure, but it seemed like Jason couldn't be stopped and it had me hooked.
So, over the next 13 days (or so), Stalls, Smokeskrene, and I will run down all the films in this franchise. Some reviews may seem more thorough as we each have personal attachments to certain ones, but don't get us wrong, we all love Jason and will try not to disappoint, but do have blasted day jobs to attend to ya know!! So, enjoy the next 13 days of the most world-renowned killer....
(And don't be surprised if you see one or two non-Friday the 13th titles thrown in, since we really are trying to get more posts up, and I have a lot of apologizing to do for lapsed reviews.)
