Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter

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Friday the 13th, Part 3

                                       Friday the 13th Part 3, Directed by Steve Miner

   *disclaimer* 

This installment in the franchise is in 3D and to put it lightly, I hate 3D movies. I just don't like them. They are a gimmick. This movie was made for 3D and some parts are easy to spot as made specifically for 3D. I am watching the 3D version because that is the only copy I have at the moment

The first 3 minutes is part 2's ending.  This seems to be a trend with all the Friday the 13ths so far.We jump to a very redneck couple arguing and a few spots of Jason creeping around in a new jump suit. The redneck couple dies, of course. 15 minutes in and we get 2 kills.  This only solidifies that well, yeah, Jason is alive. The bigger question why were these people not dead before.  Why did Jason wait so long to kill them? The main cast includes a guy who can't act well (Andy), his love interest (Debbie) , a horn-dog country boy (Rick), and 3rd wheels Vera, a girl with little going for her story wise, "I guess she is here to just take a vacation" Shelly, the "actor"/ prankster probably the most colorful character, and Chrissy, the main character. So Shelly spends his time acing like a serial killer creeping up on people or using his impressive make up skills to look like he is dead (like an axe to the head). Then there are Chuck and Chili, two people who look like they don't belong in the movie. They have the least amount of dialog and no real character aside from being pot smoking hippies. The setting is a cabin belonging to Rick with a barn located next to a pond or embankment.  It is never explained if the water flows out to Crystal Lake. I assume it does.

Left to right:Chili, Chuck, Shelly and Vera

We get secondary characters in the form of a small gang led by a black woman named Fox and her 2 henchmen, Loco and Ali. Well shit goes down in a convenient store and let say Shelly gets in some trouble, only to make matters worse by running over one of the gang member's motor cycles. The 3 man gang tracks them down in rapid fashion and decided the best way to handle property damage is to... siphon their gas, and set the barn on fire! Suffice it to say things don't go well.

A little farther into the movie we find out Chris or Chrissy was attacked by Jason prior to part 2, blacked out, and somehow did not die, but instead woke up in her own bed. Meanwhile, Shelly has played another prank on Vera in which he jumps out of the pond water with a spear gun, wearing a wet suit and hockey mask, much to her chagrin. They argue about Shelly trying too hard to get people to like him, and Shelly storms off into the barn. We now see the iconic hockey masked Jason as he steps out of the barn Vera, playing ditsy, thinks it is Shelly, like Shelly walked into the barn.  How he went in short, fat, jew fro and all and came out nearly 7 foot and muscular this scene makes little sense.

Definitely  Shelly and not Jason

We get 4 different horror references in one death. One of the girls is lying in bed reading a Fangoria magazine, with an article about Tom Savini on special effects make up, an article about Godzilla turning 25, AND a death similar to Kevin Bacon's in the first movie that's pretty impressive. The next scene has one of the worst uses of 3D. I know I am biased but it's a horror movie. I don't want to see popcorn flying at me nor do I want to see really bad 3D effect popcorn flying around all blurry without the glasses.  Anyway, we jump to the hippies making some popcorn when the power goes out. Chili sends Chuck to go fix it.  While downstairs, Shelly stumbles though the door he is badly wounded but because of his earlier pranks Chili dismisses him, only to realize it is, in fact, not a prank.

The Final act is the "reveal" where the sole survivor Chris (the girl attacked before by Jason) stumbles upon the other cast mates that died while trying to duck, dive, dip and dodge from Jason. From the cabin, to the van, and into the barn for the final confrontation, all places are used and its a pretty fun chase. While not as resourceful as Ginny in part 2, she gets the most hits on Jason so far and he is still mortal in this chapter.

The ending from the first movie is mirrored in this movie she stows away in a kayak until day time, until she sees Jason upstairs in the house. He crashes though the front door then vanishes. I'm not a fan of this part, as the final scare is unlike the other final scares in the series. You'll understand when you see it, it makes no sense. In the end, our heroine is traumatized laughing and crying while she is driven away in the back of a police car.

Our heroine Chris looking a little worse for wear

A goof I noticed:
During the final act, Chris locks herself in a closet behind a green door. She is looking through the slits in the door to see what Jason will do. When Jason notices her, he takes an axe to the door close to where Chris's head is but when we see the door from the other side there are no slits in the solid wood.

Body count-12

Audio: 8/10
The music and sound effects are far superior to the other previous installments except maybe the ending music of the first movie.  There is a catchy beat that plays for this movie's credits but the credits are so short the beat is taken away far too soon to enjoy it.

Video: 4/10 (3D) 6/10
The 3D really hurts this movie. Without the glasses, a lot of the 3D effects look fuzzy and out of focus, but that's how 3D works. With the glasses it would be an 6/10 (Curse my 3D copy!), A few non 3D fuzzy moments and some tracking errors during the hammock love making scene. The guy says something but his lips have stopped moving. Its just before he lays down. I decided to give the movie 6/10 based on my fault of not having an original format version.

Effects: 6/10
Some of the 3D effects are wasted on practical things like Shelly and Andy juggling fruit or the above mentioned popcorn. However, a few of them I could see working. The harpoon gun shot, the hot poker close up, the ax, and most of the kills have sort of 3D attached to them. Aside from the 3D, the makeup they used for Jason's face is spectacular. The deaths are fully shown and look great even when a dummy is used. The blood is likewise well done; not large amounts but actual amounts that would occur if people sustained one of the injuries in this movie. There is one death that is highly comical because both the makeup and the 3D look so outrageous. One complaint I have is that the sides of Jason's neck are very wrinkled when they should not be. No other part of him is wrinkled. His neck looks fake and, because they show a lot of him in the final 30 minutes, we see it most of the time he is in the frame. This seems to have been rectified in the end because the actor does not wear it for the barn confrontation. Shelly's prosthetic gags are on par with the effects of the movie too.

Story: 6/10
It's not camp counselors this time. Crystal Lake is not even mentioned. It's assumed this is on the same land so we as the audience have to accept it. It not a complicated plot but unlike the other movies this gives no definitive timeline. I'd put it a year or two after the second movie as Jason has healed from his injuries. He is still human, as I said before, so there is no way this movie happened less then a year later. The vacationers are there for sex, drugs and a good time. The only 3 things that bothers me are how in the hell does Shelly have a wet suit, toy axe, harpoon gun, fake blood, hockey and killer mask and a toy knife in such a small bag it is the size of a purse. One might say it's a bad of holding! When Chris tells the story about being attacked, it is never resolved. How did she get home after fainting? Neither was the whole pregnancy thing Chris was talking about in the begin... Wait a minute... No I refuse to believe child-minded Jason would be capable of such a thing, just a... a plot hole they never fixed.
 Errata: The IMDB page on the movie says the movie takes place a day after part 2, this is ludicrous as mortal Jason could not heal from a machete lodged so deep into his shoulder in one day.

Overall: 69/100
This is where the series picks up. Characters are more fleshed out than in part 2, with only two to four characters given no development. There are no extras that get shoehorned out for the final act. The gang members inclusion was good as it gave you some people you wanted to see killed off, though that is short lived. Jason's kills are more entertaining and fun to watch. There are a few jump scares but, unlike movies today, it's not one after another. I like this installment more than part 2.  It's more fulfilling. Jason has more screen time and gets his mask. The ending is a bit lack luster, though. The ending makes you wonder if Jason is actually dead and how he could come back for the next go around. I don't blame the movie for being in 3D. I blame myself for not having a non 3D copy. Overall a good movie and solid chapter for the series to stand on.

-Rosanderman

Friday the 13th, Part 2

Friday the 13th Part 2 Directed by Steve Miner

The body count continues

Part 2 in the Friday the 13th series takes place just across the lake at a separate camp with new faces and a new antagonist, Jason, taking the reins.  Jason is not like his other incarnations, though.  He is human, he has not tasted death, and he has not found his iconic mask yet.

The first 10 minutes of this film shows our heroine from the first movie, ready to be brought to justice for her crime against Mrs. Voorhees.  It takes place in a random town and feels like it was added last minute. This will be the only time until Jason takes Manhatten that Jason will leave Camp Crystal Lake. Honestly, the first 10 minutes really don't need to be in the film as they discuss what happened to her later during the camp fire tale scene.

Speaking of later when does this movie take place? The head counselor says the events of the first take place 5 years before and this leads to some weird consistency problems. In the first film what little we see of Jason in flash backs show he is a kid and in the end, whether it is a dream or not, he is shown to still be an adolescent. The head counselor says it was 30 years ago while the first film states the accident happened 20 years ago yet in the first film he is shown to be around 12. Jason's age is disregarded in this movie's continuity.  He would either be 22, 38 or around 50, seeing as how he does not age and is still a boy after 20 years, but becomes a man 10 years later. Maybe I'm delving too deep into this, so I'll move on.

The cast is fairly bland, with few notable performances. There are a lot of camp counselors you get no backstory or even dialog from, The only black guy in the movie literally has one line of dialog and a single chuckle during one scene, he is seen in the movie quite a few times but has no character development. The nerdy prankster has a fair amount of lines but is taken out of the movie around the final act to go party in town. Mad Ralph, the town doomsayer is back from the first film and only other returning character. Sadly he won't be making it to the 3rd... shame, I like that guy

YOU"RE ALL DOOMED!

The most likable counselor and the one I hoped would make it was Mark, A man paralyzed from a motorcycle accident. He is quite the (pardon the pun) stand up fellow and seems oblivious to being hit on by one of the girls, He gives possible the best performance among the secondary cast and his character really is dedicated to counselor training. He is not there for a summer fling or joined to the camp with a significant other.

The heroine of this film is much better then the first. Ginny is resourceful, athletic and even the small detail of her majoring in child psychology has a role to play. The last 20 minutes of the film is a chase scene and one I find entertaining. She evades Jason, running from cabin to cabin, eventually stumbling upon his "home", a ramshackle mess of metal in the woods. Remember, he is still alive and did not drown in the lake (another inconsistency). 

The ending is not unlike the first with the viewer unable to discern what finally happened. Ginny is attacked by Jason while Paul, the head counselor, is on the other side of the room. Ginny wakes up in the hospital and asks where Paul is.  The policeman says that they did not find him. We jump back to Jason's shack and he is not there.

Before the hockey mask there was... a burlap sack?

Body Count: 8

Audio: 7/10
The audio has aged well, and the timing is almost perfect. The score is a little below average.  There are a few minor errors here and there but the average movie goer won't notice them

Video: 7/10.
Not much to say. Looks like the 80's, was made in 81's, and the effects are better then the first.

Effects: 6/10
Unlike the first installment, no kills happen off screen and the deaths are shown in detail, be it a slit throat, a well place spear though 2 lovers, or barbed wire choking. It's all shown on screen. The only gripe I have is Mark's death. They used a dummy fastened to the wheelchair while it is falling down stairs. Of course it wouldn't be a real actor, but it is so obvious that it hurts. The aforementioned scene is the possibly best shot in the whole movie despite the use of a dummy.

Story: 4/10
It's the same as the first but with a different killer and there are really only 3 camp counselors you get to know. Half of the cast leaves for the final act to go clubbing for the last time before the camp training begins and that never gets resolved. We never hear from those 6 people in this movie except a few jump cuts to the bar to explain why they never came back.

Overall: 65/100
A pretty good sequel with minor inconsistencies, but its horror not drama. There is a lot more nudity and visible violence than in the first. Unmasked, Jason looks a lot like the good guy doll in Child's Play. That made me laugh a bit, despite this movie being almost a decade earlier then Child's Play.  I enjoyed watching this and I am really looking forward to the 3rd. Definitely a good watch for people wanting an early 80's horror movie.

- Rosanderman

Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th, Our first review!

                                         Friday the 13(1980)- Directed by Sean S. Cunningham

  

     The one that started the franchise, the first installment is a trip down memory lane. Its 2015 so I'll skip the in-depth synopsis. Teens working for a summer camp get killed one by one by an unknown assailant its old and tiresome BUT, when this movie came out it was a pretty fresh concept. The movie's seemingly main character Annie (a teenage girl with a care free attitude and the first camp counselor we see after the intro) dies early and the film has a hard time explaining who the main character is until the final counselor is left. Speaking of main characters...OH SHIT IS THAT KEVIN BACON! why yes it is, young 22 year old Kevin Bacon in one of his first movie roles,.who says horror actors don't make it big?.

that is,in fact, Kevin Bacon

  The film says it stars Betsy Palmer though you wouldn't know because she only gets 15 minutes of screen time though her performance is solid and you feel for her character. Jason himself is seen very little and that actually is a good thing as it sets up later installments and gives him a reason to exist.The gore in this movie is quite tame with most kills happening off screen or with little blood (compared to today's standards) the audio and camera work fit with the time and there are a few instances where you can easily see how the effects where done. The antagonist is a little bizarre as it seems the person/thing would not be able to really accomplish these things, but suspension of belief is the name of the game when it comes to these kinds of movies. The ending really paths the way to the sequel. 

Betsy Palmer

  If you are looking to watch a marathon of "Friday the 13th" watch this first then the '09 as this gives you much more backstory and the 09 reboot only delves into this movie for 5 minutes and ruins the ending.

   Here are a few things I noticed, some would call them mistakes,goofs or small details

During the rousing game of strip monopoly She does not roll double sixes he rolls a 2 and what looks like a 3 

In the beginning the lady in the diner says its says 20 miles to the camp but later the sign outside of said diner reads: 12 miles to crystal lake.

The trademark Jason sound effect is heard though out the movie and its explained (kind of) what its suppose to be but it feels clunky in this movie because of the lack of said antagonist of the franchise in the film to make the well known sound

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Kill count 8

Audio- 7/10 the aforementioned trademark sound and a few gripes but its stood the test of time well and the music is pretty nice especially the soothing ending theme

Video- 6/10 the camera work is good for its time would have been an 8 in the 80's so we can just imagine it as an 8

Story- 8/10 the reveal of the killer and their motives makes the story compelling other then that the concept was fresh and underutilized for its time. Now a days a new "camp in the woods with a killer" style is a saturated market, back then not so much.

Special Effects 5/10- easily seen prognostics are easily reconizable, an under usage of blood and gore is a nice change to today's movies.

Overall score  79/100
 I like this movie and franchise, however this movie has not aged well in the effects side of things other then that I feel its solid and worth a watch. this series holds a special place in my heart and would recommend it to anyone looking into getting into horror but I would say start with Halloween (1978) first.- Rosanderman