Friday the 13th Deluxe Editions 2009 DVD Reviews
Friday the 13th Deluxe Editions 2009 DVD Reviews
Parts 4, 5, and 6 get all gussied up
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the woods, Paramount rereleases their Friday the 13th franchise on disc again in yet another incarnation. They call it "Deluxe" now. I've gotta tell you, my DVD collection is starting to resemble that of a budding rampage-sniper, or at least someone who is heavily invested in hockey mask manufacturing stocks.
Of the four iconic 70s and 80s celluloid slayers (Leatherface, Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger), it's the latter two I grew up with and hence have the softest, mushiest, gooiest spots for. I'd be hard-pressed to pick a favorite, but having watched all the Friday the 13th movies back-to-back at least twice for recent assignments (my appearance in the retrospective documentary, His Name Was Jason, and for a lengthy magazine article in connection with the 2009 remake), Jason is my Mr. Right-Now.
On June 16, 2009 the remake (in "Killer Cut" clothing — sack-head AND hockey mask!) will be out on DVD for the first time and so of course to cash in, er, I mean support the newbie, the vintage flicks are all made over and ready for their close-ups on that same date. Usually this is a lazy, half-hearted ploy on the part of the studios, and we fans (some of us with professionalism intact) can smell Denmark's most rotten a half mile away.
However, in the case of these additional release materials, Paramount Home Entertainment wisely employed filmmakers who are longtime fans of the Friday the 13th series. What's more, are also successfully working in the horror industry on a variety of movies and documentaries, thereby ensuring some real out-of-the-oblong-box thinking and output that's actually worthy of purchase. Daniel Farrands is the mastermind behind most of these, working with the dedicated assistance of Andrew Kasch (and many others — do read the 'who's-who in horror' of credits!).
Since most Horror.com readers have no doubt seen all the movies many times over, I offer only a brief recap with my personal thoughts on the films. Friday the 13th: Part IV: The Final Chapter (1984, directed by Joseph Zito), was meant to be just that: the final Friday film (or so they insist to this day… I do have my doubts). In it, the presumed-dead Jason Voorhees (who was offed in semi-spectacular 3-D in Part III), springs back to life in the morgue, killing a coroner and a naughty nurse before finding his way back to his old hunting grounds. There, for the first time, he encounters his true nemesis: preteen Tommy Jarvis (Corey Feldman). This movie has a lot of slow, dragging spots, but you have to love the moments of brilliance with Feldman, and of course Crispin "Dead Fuck" Glover, plus Jason's most-vicious slaying of the hapless hottie in the wheelchair, and the sexy twins with their big hair, acid wash denim and shoulder-pads.
In the next installment (definitely the most undeservedly maligned of the franchise), Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985, directed by Danny Steinmann), Tommy (now played by John Shepherd), having been committed to a laughing academy for several years, is back in the woods (why, oh, why Tommy?!) and ready to face his worst fear: Jason Voorhees. Tommy doesn't do much but get all nerve-wracked and angsty, but the kills are outrageously unjustified: the chubby kid only wanted to share his chocolate bars; the new wave chick was only practicing her robot dance (!); the greasers are only time traveling and minding their own business (albeit off-key); and then the big reveal at the end is so hysterically bad you can only shake your head and chuckle. Plus there's child-actor Shevar Ross as Reggie the Reckless in his little red jammie jumpsuit talking trash throughout the entire film. What's not to love?
In Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986, directed by Tom McLoughlin), Tommy (Thom Mathews), is once again just-released from a mental institution. First day out, he visits Jason's grave and discovers that Jason's body was never cremated as he thought, but instead buried in a very, very shallow grave in the Forest Green Cemetery (formerly Crystal Lake). Tommy inadvertently resurrects Jason ala a clueless Dr. Frankenstein and the fun and games begin again.
Now, here's a look at the all-new special features for each film (all newly packaged as well, with cool hologram style slipcovers).
Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter
• Fan commentary by Adam Green and Joe Lynch
Green (director of Hatchet) and Lynch (director of Wrong Turn 2), both alumni of the His Name Was Jason documentary, team up to talk Feldman and fatalities, not to mention offering up a good bit of solid information on the film. So you see kids, it's not only fun — it's educational! Meticulous fans, Green and Lynch even notice stuff like the dirt underneath Jason's fingernails in the morgue scene, and argue whether or not there's a continuity error in the scene where Tommy pretends to be asleep when his mother comes into the room — but far from coming off like basement-dwelling nerds (oh, wait a minute… Green does say he first saw The Final Chapter on VHS video in a friend's basement), they both a show a genuine enthusiasm for not only the Friday movies, but the horror genre in general.
• The Lost Ending
Here's a holy grail for Jason fan: an alternate ending which shows the aftermath of the morning after Jason's late night rampage that left Tommy forever freaked, and his sister Trish (Kimberly Beck). There isn't any sound, so it's shored up by captioning and commentary from Zito and Beck. I really liked seeing it, but I can understand why it wasn't used in the finished film.
• Jason's Unlucky Day: 25 Years After The Final Chapter
Written, directed, shot, etc., by Andrew Ceperley, this out-of-nowhere short follows what I believe is supposed to be a Jason-victim waking up in the hospital. He wanders out of his bed, meets up with a nurse, goes into the hospital parking garage, and is stalked and attacked by an ax-wielding dude in jeans and a hoodie. I didn't get it. (I even went back to the one on the Part VI DVD and still couldn't connect.)
• Lost Tales from Camp Blood—Part IV
New interviews with director Joseph Zito, screenwriter Barney Cohen, effects guru Tom Savini, and Jason-player Ted White, plus several others from the cast and crew. Conspicuouly missing is (no surprise) actor Corey Feldman. But that means everyone can talk about him! And boy, do they. It is very funny to hear the wildly disparate opinions on the child actor (from "mean," "a brat," to "professional," to "great to work with" — or words to that effect. There is also some wonderful outtake footage and rehearsal scenes which I am pretty sure have never been on disc before.
• The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited—Part I
This is the first of the newly-produced mockumentaries which send-up the idea that Camp Crystal Lake is a real town, and that Jason is their local cross to bear. As if he's the Loch Ness Monster or Sasquatch, experts, townies, conspiracy theorists and victims' families all say their piece on the Voorhees legacy. Some of the characters are one-offs in relation to the story in Part IV, while others continue through into the next two DVDs (all sold separately, by the way). I loved them all, but some of my favorites were Del Dellesandro ("It was drugs, I tell you!"); the town historian who reveals that Lars Kruger founded Crystal Lake way back in 1666 (natch!); Cookie Rae Brown, the waitress who serves up thematic dishes (The Pamela Patty Melt, the Jarvis Sandwich) at the local diner; Deputy Don Dorf, Jr., a donut-nibbling naysayer; the rabid conspiracy theorists; the 'Voorhees 5' cult; and so many more. Briskly edited and cleverly cobbled together, this lead-in mock really shows how Crystal Lake could indeed be a real-world Transylvania or Salem. In addition, no detail was spared when it came to childhood photos of Jason, coroner's reports, websites and newspaper clippings. These are definitely on the, er, campy side and not for the humorless viewer — but if you're willing to take your Jason with a grain of salt, I think you'll really appreciate these mocks.
Also:
• Commentary by director Joseph Zito, screenwriter Barney Cohen and editor Joel Goodman
• Slashed scenes
• Jimmy's Dead Dance Moves
• Original theatrical trailer
Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning
• Commentary by director/co-screenwriter Danny Steinmann with actors John Shepherd and Shevar Ross, and writer Martin Kitrosser (on the phone).
This is a pretty spirited commentary with Steinmann as irreverent, cocky and nutty (I mean that in the nicest possible way) as ever. Wild cards like him always make for entertaining commentaries, and I find his steadfast opinion on the quality of his work quite amusing ("I filmed that [great] scene myself, using handheld!"). The rest of the guys are a little more philosophical about it, and it's a kick to hear Shepherd talk about how he thought A New Beginning (which he accepted, thinking it was a movie called Repetition and not knowing it was in fact a Friday the 13th sequel) would be his Brando or De Niro style breakthrough. He studied The Craft assiduously, and even interned at a mental hospital in order to really understand Tommy Jarvis' inner pain. Ross just riffs, also talking about his stint on the Diff'rent Strokes TV series, while Kitrosser points out that the greaser's song lyrics ("root-toot-toot, I'm gonna kick your ass") were not scripted (shocker!).
• The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited—Part II
I loved this one too, but I recuse myself from reviewing it since I appear in it as a one-off character (Saffron Fontaine, the sister of robot-dance girl Violet).
Also:
• New Beginnings: The Making of A New Beginning
• Lost Tales from Camp Blood—Part V
• Original theatrical trailer
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
• Commentary by writer/director Tom McLoughlin with cast and crew
This is a fantastic commentary, mostly driven by McLoughlin, who offers up a lot of little trivia tidbits and looks back fondly on the film that was basically meant to be an apology to the outraged fans for the "fake Jason" in Part V. It's a very funny, humble, and lighthearted look at the Crystal Lake legacy.
• Meeting Mr. Voorhees
This is a storyboarded recreation an alternate ending scene which was never shot — it's all about how The Caretaker (Bob Larkin) and Jason's dad (never cast for the film) know each other and what their relationship is. Interesting stuff, but indeed best-left unfilmed.
Also:
• Lost Tales from Camp Blood—Part VI
• Crystal Lake Massacre Revisited—Part III
• Slashed scenes
• The Making of Jason Lives
• Original theatrical trailer
= = =
Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson
Latest User Comments:
| :) i love all the friday the 13 movies but i still did not get to watch the new one just out i hope to see it soon im new at this computer thing so bear with me. | |
| 07-12-2009 by johnnykimball | discuss |