Friday the 13th is one of the most memorable franchises in horror, there no doubt about that. While the first film didn’t even include the now famous Jason Voorhees, we learnt that his psychopathic mother had a blood lust on camp councillors. In Part 2 we are introduced to the infamous Jason who brutally ends the lives of a group of young adults. While all character developments and interesting back stories were covered in the first two films, we aren’t left with much for Part 3, other than a barrage of pointless murders… sounds good to me! Released in 1982 Paramount didn’t waste any time shooting out these sequels (the first film being released in 1980), but the public was falling in love with the psychopath and the series quickly became a cult favorite.
Film
The film begins just one day after the conclusion of Part 2, and the opening sequence could arguably be the most entertaining in the film. Jason murders two shop keeps and gets suited up to wreak havoc on another group of young adults. Honestly, I can’t explain it much more than that as the circumstances haven’t changed all that much. The group are stalked one by one through the wooded areas around Crystal Lake. But I must add that the ending is extremely weak and tops off what is quite honestly a repetitive slaughter fest.
As it turns out my memory doesn’t serve me very well. I could have sworn there were more than two decent movies in this series. Then again maybe some of the decent memories I have from this franchise come later on in the series. Either way, I have to say that I’m disappointed. Friday the 13th Part 3 is disappointing in several respects, and I knew there wouldn’t be much going on in terms of the story, but I never felt that fear and tension I normally do when serial killers are chasing innocent people around with a machete. The kills became predictable and the gore became a novelty that quickly become repetitive and honestly boring. As well, I can’t stand when 3D movies overcompensate for the third dimension and have all things poke towards the screen. But I guess that’s to be expected, the real thing that I thought was ridiculous was just how similar this film was to Part 2. It literally plays out the exact same way, from opening flashback to the sequence of murders, if you take the time to notice it comes across as extremely lazy and unoriginal. You can really tell that the lack of release time between the films compromised originality, but to the credit of the filmmakers it was a nice inclusion to introduce the famous hockey mask that Jason is so famously known for wearing. With all things negative having been said, I will admit that in comparison to a lot of the trash they call horror movies these days, even Part 3 could seem fun.
Although the 3D aspect of the film doesn’t have much to do with the movie itself I feel it does deserve a mention in the review. Honestly, I was disgusted but I shouldn’t say I expected much more. After recently watching My Bloody Valentine 3D I was completely taken aback by how horrible 3D looks through the blue and red glasses they provide. It completely takes away from the movie and is definitely not worth wasting your time watching the distorted picture. If you have seen some newer movies in the theatre in 3D you have heightened expectations of what it could be, and Friday the 13th Part 3 falls completely short of them all. I felt I should let you in on that if for some reason the fact that the Blu-ray was in 3D somehow attracted you to a purchase.
So there you have it; the movie wasn’t by any means the worst slasher film in the library, but it just doesn’t live up to my idea of the Jason franchise. The action becomes repetitive, the murders almost all seem to be done in the same fashion, and the novelty begins to wear off. So unless you are a die hard Friday the 13th fan I would recommend just owning the first 2 parts, as they compliment the series very nicely on their own.
Video
Presented in 1080p 2.40:1 aspect ratio and encoded in MPEG-4, Friday the 13th Part 3 comes to Blu-ray with a flawed presentation. Included with the movie are two pairs of 3D glasses which will allow you to watch the movie in 3D or just regular 2D. The red and blue lenses 3D technology is horrid here and I do not get why it is still even being used in the home market. With the glasses the picture still maintains some sharpness and we are given some acceptable 3D images from time to time. However the color presentation is simply horrible as the red and blue filters make everything well red and blue in tone and simply isn’t worth it.
The regular 2D presentation is much better although it still is rough around its edges. Detail and color presentation are much more crisp and realistic, but lacking when compared to other catalogue titles.
If you are a fan of the movie, then you will probably want to check out the 3D portion. Even though I despised the look and the lack of 3D visuals some may enjoy it. The 2D presentation is the way to go and although it’s not without its faults, it is the best the film has looked.
Audio
Paramount has included a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD with the disc; unfortunately it does a poor job presenting the material. Like many horror movies, the only real surround sound effects are simply used to create a tense atmosphere while preparing for the jump scare. This makes for most of the track coming through the front channels. The soundtrack tries to pick up the front heavy dialogue track, but actually comes off ridiculously flat and uninspiring.
Overall the audio track is simply flat and will likely disappoint those looking for a high quality presentation of the film material.
Special Features
- Fresh Cuts (HD) – The first and longest feature on the disc gives us an inside look on why the film was chosen to be shot in 3D and the difficulties surrounding it. Although I hate the look, it did drive a lot of people to the theatre.
- Legacy of the Mask (HD) – This gives us a look at Jason’s appearance and how it changed throughout the franchise. This is the first movie where the iconic goalie mask is introduced and it is discussed in some detail here.
- Slashed Film: Going for the Jugular (HD) – What makes a good horror movie? This is the question asked throughout this interesting feature.
- Lost Tales From Camp Blood Pt. III (HD) – A fan made Jason short film.
- Trailer (HD)
Final Thoughts
Friday the 13th Part 3 was meant to be the conclusion to the series, but has since been tagged with several sequels, all which had the intention of closing the doors on the franchise. Now amongst the day of no original ideas the series was rebooted and there is no end in sight. But to be honest I really think they could have ended the series here and remained an almost untouchable horror classic. What I’m trying to say is Part 3 was disappointing but not disappointing enough to tarnish the series. But if you’re looking to add the whole Friday the 13th series to your collection I would honestly recommend you call it quits after getting the first two parts. Along with a ultimately disappointing film the audio and video transfers were very disappointing. Then there are the features, or lack of I should say. There really isn’t anything here worth your time, so in the end I would just stay away from this disc. That is unless of course you just have to have the whole collection, in that case do what you must.
