Plot: What’s it about?
I fully understand that Jason Goes to Hell will hardly be at the top of anyone’s list for favorite Friday the 13th film, but I do retain a soft spot for it. I remember my father taking me to see it in theaters way back in 1993. I enjoyed it then and have enjoyed each subsequent viewing as well. It attempts to try something different, and that must be applauded for a series that already had 8 previous films and was running on fumes. It may lack a lot of the goofy charms of previous entries, but its attempt to ground the series (albeit with some supernatural elements) felt refreshing.
The opening sequence should at least feel familiar to fans. We see a young female arriving at Camp Crystal Lake. She decides to take a shower, but this is quickly interrupted when the power shuts off. Guess who? It’s just out favorite hockey mask wearing killer, Jason Vorhees out to get her. The twist here is that it turns out to be a setup, and the would-be-victim is FBI Agent Elizabeth Marcus (Julie Michaels). The feds and police and all were ready, and Jason gets blown to several pieces. Even his head is decapitated. Back at the morgue, we see a coroner (Richard Gant) examining Jason’s body (body parts, I should say), and when he notices the heart that is still beating, he goes berserk and eats the heart. Now, Jason’s soul lives on, but in another body, of course. We learn that while Jason is using anyone’s body, the reflection is of Jason still. The film makes sure we get to know the various characters, and one of the more interesting is that of bounty hunter, Creighton Duke (Steven Williams) who knows about Jason taking over bodies and says he knows how to finally stop Jason once and for all. Duke will reveal this information but wants $500,000 to reveal this secret. Other characters of importance here are Steven Freeman (John LeMay) who is a local who used to date Jessica (Kari Kimble), Robert Campbell (Steven Culp) who is a news reporter and is now dating Jessica. And lastly, we have Officer Randy (Kipp Marcus) who is a friend of Steven’s. At the local diner one day, the server, Diane Kimble (Ering Gray) asks Steven if they can meet at her house that night to discuss something important. Steven drives there one night, but as it turns out, Diane is killed before the can tell Steven the news. Unfortunately, the one who murdered Diane (a local whose body Jason inhabited) goes missing and now Steven is framed for her murder. Since he is friends with Officer Randy and in a cell next to the bounty hunter (who was arrested during an earlier scene), who knows Steven didn’t kill her, he may have a chance. Before I become too talky in my review and reveal plot points, this all builds toward a climax at the Vorhees house where it’s understood that Jason must be killed by a dagger and by someone who has a blood connection to Jason himself.
It had been some time since I last watched the film, but not only did my enjoyment of it remain, I also forgot how quickly the film zips by. I appreciate that the film focuses on this small group of characters and how Jason comes into their lives. I also appreciated how it attempts something different, and I felt it largely works. There are even some amusing bits with some of the locals, especially with the owner of the diner and her boyfriend and son. The bounty hunter angle is also strong, and Steven Williams does a great job in the role. While Jason himself may get less screen time here than previous entries, the concept of body changing and the bloodline element are intriguing ones. It also has one of the coolest end credit teasers as well. It would take nearly 10 years to fulfill that promise of a Freedy and Jason showdown.
Video: How’s it look?
I owned this film on VHS ages ago as well as when it first hit DVD back in 2002. I do not recall ever viewing the previous Blu-Ray edition, but Arrow has done a fantastic job here with this 4K restoration. The 1.85:1 transfer looks amazing, with attention to detail evident early on. I only had a few issues later in the picture with it appearing a bit too dim, but otherwise this is a superb image.
Audio: How’s it sound?
Also scoring high marks is the film’s DTS HD track. Vocals were fine and they really drew you in. The film can get loud on more than a few occasions, but that’s to be expected from a film of this sort. Vocals had the expected clarity as well and I didn’t feel a lot of volume adjustments had to be made during those scenes. Like the transfer, this track should impress fans.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This set gives us more than we could’ve asked for. I mentioned having last viewed the film on DVD, and the two cuts and additional scenes (which make their way to this set) are most welcome, we get loads more. This 2-disc set is housed inside a sturdy case with a slipcover, reversible image and a booklet and poster which add serious value to the set. The original cover art looks especially nice with the black 4K case. Something about that orange on black is just pleasant to the eyes. Let’s dive in, shall we?
- Unrated Cut – Once again, we’re given the option of theatrical cut or unrated cut. This time each cut gets its own disc.
- Director Introduction – While self-explanatory, this 13 second clip feels a bit redundant. Adam Marcus could’ve said more, but he does in the other features.
- Audio Commentary – We get three separate tracks here. One includes Director Adam Marcus and screenwriter Dean Lorey. The other features Marcus again and author Peter M. Bracke joining in. The final track features film historians Michael Felsher and Steve Barton. I sampled all 3 tracks and for fans, they’re all worth listening to as no stone is left unturned and there are some great tidbits. We learn about the idea for the film, edits made, casting and virtually everything. These three tracks are spread across the two discs in this set.
- Additional TV footage – I recall these from the old DVD and it’s great to see them again. There are some fun and lighter moments here. Marcus provides optional commentary on why they were removed as well. One unfortunate aspect is that more scenes from the workprint version haven’t made their way to this set, or any, for that matter.
- The Gates of Hell – In this 36-minute feature, we once again hear from Adam Marcus about making the film.
- Uber-Jason – This is a segment featuring Kane Hodder, who played Jason on a few occasions. We hear about his take on films and his personal life as well. This is a quality piece for sure.
- < strong>Jason Vs. Terminator – This is a nice little feature that sheds some light on Marcus’s upbringings. If you’re wondering about the title of this feature, it is because of advice Marcus received when Terminator was playing alongside another film. He reveals when he was told what would make ticket buyers choose to see this film over the Arnold flick.
- Faces of Death – This is another solid piece with special make-up effects creator Robert Kurtzman. He has a lot to say and one particularly interesting part of this is when we see some unused footage toward the end of the film that didn’t make the final cut.
- Mixing it up – This is talk about the film’s score, featuring composer Harry Manfredini. It’s not my favorite, but still mildly interesting.
- Undercover Angel – We hear from actor Julie Michaels who plays the FBI agent at the beginning of the film. It’s a nice piece.
- Friday the 13th Props – This is a very brief segment talking about props used in the series.
- Stills Gallery
- TV Spots – While these are fun to see, we get quite a few
- Theatrical Trailer
- Posters and Behind the Scenes Gallery – I enjoyed browsing through these.
- Booklet – This is a nice 36-page booklet insert that adds value to the set
- Poster
