Remaking FRIDAY THE 13TH For A New Generation!

I’m not a fan of the FRIDAY THE 13TH film series but there is no denying the impact it has had not only on the slasher genre but on the horror genre as a whole. It is one of the longest running horror franchises (unless you include GODZILLA in this group) and there has never been a doubt that there would be another film (even after the abysmal response to JASON X). If there is any franchise that needs a make-over it would be this one and when I heard about the remake I was actually intrigued by the concept as it was not going to be a remake of the original film (in which the killer Jason Voorhees only shows up in a dream sequence) but a loose origin film.

Hearing that director Marcus Nispel, who so excellently revived THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE franchise, was at the helm was a plus as I enjoyed both that film and his other film PATHFINDER, so, I knew the film was in good hands. And even though I hate just about every film Michael Bay has ever directed, his production studio Platinum Dunes has crafted some of the best remakes in the past few years. When I saw the first trailer of the remake I was hooked; I was definitely going to be in line to see this new Voorhees on the coveted day Friday the 13th (aka Feb. 13).

Boy was I let down.

Even though I had high expectations for the remake (which so very few films ever reach) I was not expecting this completely derivative hack ‘n slash film that resembled some of the worst FRIDAY plots from past films. A bunch of party and sex crazed kids go out to the woods for the ultimate party weekend and piss the “killer in the woods” off and then get killed one by one, all the while continuing to do the “stupid” thing rather then the smart thing. Is it my opinion or has the horror genre gotten worse over the years. In this new age of “smart” horror films (i.e. 28 DAYS LATER, THE SIXTH SENSE, THE MIST, THE DESCENT, BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF), why is it still customary to have these throwbacks to bad ‘80s horror movies that don’t even try to be better then the films they are remaking?

This new FRIDAY starts off with a bang with the beheading of Pamela Voorhees (like the end of the original film) and then jumps to present day with a group of back backers looking for weed in Jason’s back yard. They stumble upon the dilapidated Camp Crystal Lake and soon fall victim to Jason’s blade. All of this is done with style and flair by Nispel and gets you hooked into the film (even though the prologue is a bit long). The running Jason actually is an improvement and as played by Derek Mears I say he is the best Jason so far, hands down. Then once the title “FRIDAY THE 13TH” graces the screen it all goes down hill from there. Clay Miller (Jared Padelecki) is in town searching for his sister (who disappeared during the opening of the film), again, when he crosses path with the group of party drinkers and sex seekers (that I mentioned before), none of which are at all remotely interesting.

Clay and the partier’s paths cross once they step into Jason’s playground, but there in lies the biggest problem with the film. The characters don’t actually have to enter Jason’s Camp Crystal Lake to be killed. The first two are killed on the lake (in one of the best kills seen in any of the franchise’s films); a lake, which is used by presumably hundreds of people all the time. I hate to say this but if Jason just killed random people on the lake all the time he sure wouldn’t have been able to keep himself secret for as long as he has. The next thing is that Camp Crystal Lake (or what’s left of it) is suppose to be on the other side of the lake from the house in which the main action takes place. If the two people killed on the lake had to take the car out to the dock to get to the boat (which has to be near the camp) then how in the heck can Jason get from his camp to the house and why would he even want to?

From the moment you learn that Jason did not kill Clay’s sister (but kept her as a prisoner in his domicile) the logic behind the film is thrown out the window and it’s hard to bother with the rest of it as each of the impending victims do the opposite of what they should do even when they are warned not to. The film is filled with everything that killed the slasher genre to begin with.

This isn’t all of Nispel’s fault as he brings the “scare” back to one of the horror icons biggest characters. Death scenes are extremely well done and the production design overall is better then all the other films combined. The cinematography is top notch for a horror film of this type but much of this will get over looked by the bad screenplay with all to often flat characters that you want Jason to kill.

FILM REVIEW: FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER - THE WORKPRINT

Anyone who has seen the original theatrical release of FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER knows that this film was meant the be the one that put the nail in the coffin on Jason Voorhees. Coming on the heels of the third part (which had its 3-D gimmick) this film was the one in which Jason dies. History know that you just can’t keep a good mass murderer down and after the unexpected success of this film the series had a new lease on life and the carnage continued (to this year’s remake).

If you’re lucky to get a copy of the WORKPRINT version of the film then you’re in for a treat (in regards to the die-hard Jason fans) because there are several scenes that were trimmed from the final release version. Although none of these scenes add any blood to the proceedings they do add to characterization especially in regards to the Tommy Jarvis (Corey Feldman) character. There are several added scare moments in regards to Tommy and his masks. One scene extends the scene in which Tommy & Trish (Kimberly Beck) are having car troubles before getting help from Rob (Erich Anderson) and the scene with Tommy and Rob in his bedroom are extended.

There are several other scenes like this that are extended but no scenes that were ultimately cut and then re-instated. It appears that nothing significant was missing from the film (although I always thought that the off-screen death of Tommy’s mother was left on the cutting room floor). Like my viewing of the CREEPSHOW: WORKPRINT, not much was left out that truly adds to the plot and/or story of the film but it’s interesting to finally see some of the scenes that were trimmed in their entirety (unless of course that death scene of Tommy’s mother truly was filmed and I’m still missing out).
I will say that I find it very interesting the differences between the release version of a film and its workprint or alternate cut. With the impending release of the FRIDAY THE 13TH remake, the first three films in the series will finally be released uncut so many fans will finally be able to see those films in their entirety. I just hope this version is not so far behind.

FILM REVIEW: FRIDAY THE 13TH: A NEW BEGINNING - VERSION 2

Not being a fan of this film in particular I was curious when I heard about “Version 2” which claimed to have alternate scenes and takes and different music, so, I decided “what the hell” I’m game. As directed by Danny Steinmann FRIDAY THE 13TH: A NEW BEGINNING was a departure from the previous films in that the killer was not Jason Voorhees but a paramedic who wanted revenge for the death of his son. To many people this film was a lame attempt trying to find a way to revive what should have been a dead franchise, but it did just this (as the subsequent 5 sequels and upcoming remake will attest). Don’t be ashamed, I thought it was a lame movie as well, until now.

Upon viewing the film again (for the first time in many years mind you) I realized that the film had a good template as a starting off point; it was just the “green” cast that made the film seem worse then it was. There are many parallels to the original film mainly in that like the original the killer is never seen but only hinted at whenever s/he kills someone. This was meant to hide the identity of the killer. The first film had the huge reveal of it being Pamela Voorhees who is the killer whereas this film has the killer being the paramedic. Both killers are motivated by the death of their child at the hand s of a caregiver; in the first film the caregiver was the camp councilors whereas in this film is was the so-called half-way house for disturbed teenagers. Both films also feature the death of random teenagers/characters (although in this film the killer seems to mover all over the place to various locations).

Although both films are filled with relatively fresh actors (so that you don’t know who will be killed next), the first film had an excuse as it was done on an extremely low budget whereas this film should have had a higher caliber cast given the much bigger budget. What this film does have is a huge body count even though the deaths are somewhat less imaginative then in some of the previous sequels. Another asset to this film is the continued reliance of the character of Tommy Jarvis (from the previous film) who is still haunted by the image and presence of the Jason Voorhees after having killed him in the previous film.

All in all the film had the marks of being an interesting sequel that would take the franchise in a new direction but producers of the subsequent films had a change of heart and resurrected Jason in the next installment.
Getting back to the “Version 2” aspects of the film, I hate to say this but I saw no significant differences between this version and the original release version. Some takes and scenes may be alternates but they’re so miniscule that you’ll never even notice and even if there were music cues that are different much of the score is similar so there couldn’t have been that much of a change (unlike say the original theatrical version of HALLOWEEN: H20 versions the PRODUCER’S CUT which restores the original music cues of composer John Ottman). Unless you truly are a devout fan of this film the “Version 2” has nothing new to offer even though the film as a whole was an interesting rewatch.