Directed by Adam Marcus
Starring John D. LeMay, Kari Keegan, Steven Williams, Steven Culp, Richard Gant, Erin Gray, Rusty Schwimmer, Leslie Jordan, Billy Green Bush, Kane Hodder
This film is a strange one, that is for sure. Not just in the storyline in the film itself, but as a picture as a whole, such as the background behind it. Coming off from Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, which is one that most fans dread even thinking about and had the worst box office returns in the series, it would make total sense for the creators to try and do something different. Which is exactly what they did with Jason Goes to Hell. And while it did better than the last entry, it didn’t get the results the producer was hoping for.
A lot of fans, including this writer, did not care for it when it came out. This was the first Friday feature in the entire series that I did not go see in the theater. Maybe I was still pissed about paying to see Part 8 there. When I finally caught it on video, I immediately dismissed it as not being a real Friday movie because it was so different, and just not being a good movie.
Funny how some of us fans can be so damn fickle sometimes. My cousin Brett was the biggest Friday fan ever and loved every entry that came out, even Part 8. Even though he was a much younger horror fan, both in age and as a fan, he was at least wise enough to understand that it didn’t matter if the plot didn’t make sense, or even how silly it might be, he took it as what it was supposed to be and was entertained. God love him for that.
So, Jason Goes to Hell was never one I gave much thought about other than I didn’t like it. Years later, during one of our many after-hours convention conversations, another friend mentioned that this entry was one of his favorites. After getting over the initial shock, I decided that I would rewatch it again and see what I was missing. And believe it or not, looking at it with a fresh perspective and not going in with a pre-set attitude, I found myself being pretty entertained.
I have to give the creators credit because they were trying to do something new and different, rather than the same old retread that they’ve been doing since its first sequel back in 1981. They created a lore behind the character of Jason, trying to give us some clues as to what exactly this mass-murderer is and why he can’t be stopped. Sure, the hockey-masked version of Jason isn’t in the movie through much of it, but again, trying to give us something different. So, for that, I have to give them a lot of respect. Unfortunately, it seems that fans did want the same old hockey-masked Jason running about killing naked teenagers. Go figure.
The thing that really blew me away when I went back to it with a fresher outlook was the special make-up effects, handled by some of the masters of the craft, K.N.B. EFX Group. There are some truly gruesome pieces in here, including a melting effect that is so amazing. So even if this isn’t a “real Jason” movie in your eyes, who cares. Just watch it for a gory-as-hell monster flick and enjoy!
The opening of the film is something that fans have been wanting to see and wondering why it has taken this long to happen, but it is a lot of fun. Starting off just like any other Friday film, it quickly changes, showing that Jason may be all powerful, but when it comes to modern firepower, maybe not so much. Then again, we all know a simple bullet or explosion isn’t going to keep him down for good! This entry does not hold back on the inventive ways of killing the different cast members, and with the help of K.N.B., it hasn’t looked this good in a long time.
In the cast, we have John D. LeMay, making his crossover from TV’s Friday the 13th: The Series to the Friday film series, which was a nice nod. Genre favorite Erin Grey is here, alongside wonderful character actor Steven Williams as the formidable bounty hunter Creighton Duke. And the loveable diner owners Rusty Schwimmer and Leslie Jordan, that not only have some unfortunate (but brilliantly executed) deaths, but are just a hoot to watch onscreen. And I’ve been a fan of Billy Green Bush ever since I saw him in Critters (1986). We even get to see Kane Hodder, sans makeup, in a little cameo as a guard.
Now there is an even bigger story of what was going behind the making of this movie than the film itself. And a lot of that can be found in this new special 4K edition just released from Arrow Video. Director Adam Marcus was only 23 at the time he directed this film, being the youngest director ever to direct one of the series, whose inexperience came through very early one. From dealing with actors, not getting enough footage shot, to all sorts of “creative differences” with producer Sean Cunningham, it truly is a fascinating story. This new release has 3 different commentaries where you can learn a lot about those. The 2 archival ones feature Marcus and author Peter Bracke, and Marcus with screenwriter Dean Lorey, and the brand new one is from Michael Felsher and Steve Barton. Within those, you will get a lot of insight into the troubled production as well as some fascinating look behind the scenes.
This new release does contain both the R-rated theatrical version and unrated version, which runs about 3 minutes longer. Both are in 4K and both look amazing. It also comes with interviews and featurettes, both old and new, where we get to hear from director Marcus, with Kane Hodder and his thoughts on playing Jason once again, makeup man Robert Kurtzman, actor Julie Michaels, and composer Harry Manfredini. We also get to see some TV footage with optional commentary by Marcus. This is probably the best this film is ever going to look and gives fans a chance to see it again, in all its blazing bloody gory glory.
While knowing a lot about the making of the film, for better or worse, it is the final product that we see here, and no matter what was going on outside or behind the shoot, I am so happy I was able to revisit this with an open mind, because now I consider it one of my favorites of the series. Any fan out there that night not feel the same way about this entry, I would ask when was the last time you watched it, and did you keep an open mind? And this new release by Arrow is a real gem to see the movie like we’ve never seen before, and one that can store a little bit of the history behind it and keep it around for future generations to continue to enjoy.
