Review: Friday the 13th Part III Deluxe Edition

Posted by Robert Fure (robert@filmschoolrejects.com) on February 12, 2009

In my quest to live, eat, and breathe Friday the 13th I’m back again with a look at the third installment of this stalwart slasher franchise.  You may have heard that this bad boy was originally released in 3D – correct.  This DVD edition comes with both the 2D and 3D versions of the film, as well as two pairs of 3D glasses that have a cool hockey mask design on them.  Unfortunately, the 3D effect isn’t great, though if you take the time to tinker with your TV you can get a little more out of it.  HDTVs especially can benefit from some adjusting.  Luckily though, the 2D version is good!  I’ve got the poster for this one framed on my wall, so let’s get going.

Friday the 13th III takes place shortly after the events of the second film – like the next day, so technically it should be Saturday the 14th, but I digress.  In this installment, a group of friends head up to a cabin near Crystal Lake for an enjoyable weekend together.  Chris, the girl who’s parents own the cabin, is haunted by memories of a grotesque man who assaulted her two years prior – a certain mongoloid we all know and love.  As she tries to overcome her fears, Jason Voorhees decides its time to ditch the potato sack for a hockey mask and kill some teens.

Kills

My kill tally sits right around 11 this go around, making it the bloodiest of the first three films.  The kills are spaced out pretty well too, so you’re never too far away from someone getting something sharp shoved into their chest cavity.

Ills

A good one to be sure!  There is a cleaver to the chest, a needle to the mouth, a pitchfork to the throat and abdomen, a hand gets cut off, an axe goes into a head, a knife goes through a chest.  Woo, have to catch my breath.  A guy gets electrocuted, a throat gets cut, a body gets chopped up and my personal favorite – a man doing a handstand gets a machine slammed down into his groin, splitting him open.  Hells yeah!

Lust

For shame on you, part three!  There is a girl in a bikini, a sex scene, some side boob, and a very brief glimpse of boob.  For shame.

Learning

You should still listen to crazy people.  Basically any time someone says to you “Hey, don’t go there or you will die” and the area has a strong history of people going there and dying, you should stay the fuck away.

Review

Another movie, another step towards Jason Voorhees becoming what we know and love today.  It really is interesting to watch the films again so close together and see how they progress.  In this installment, Jason starts to develop the levels of strength we’re accustomed to – he squeezes a guys head so hard that an eyeball pops out.  He also holds this guy, who is probably 6 feet even, 200lbs, by his head.  There is also an in-joke for all you cool cats out there – one character opens up an issue of Fangoria magazine, revealing an article on make-up master Tom Savini, who created the effects and designed Jason Voorhees’ head in the first film.

Part III also deserves your attention for this very notable fact – Jason finds his hockey mask.  Well, not so much finds as cuts a kids throat and takes it. The mask itself is designed to mimic an old Detroit Red Wings styled hockey mask.  In moving the franchise towards its eventual derailment, the drug aspect is really pushed in this movie and there is a lot of talk about sex – though few actually put out.  Voorhees has got the moves in this film, dodging punches and weapons and walking with some serious panache, well, until the end when he gets all clumsy again.

One part that is absolutely terrifying is towards the end when Jason appears and chases Chris without any mask on and he’s got this happy sadistic look on his mongoloid face.  It will haunt you.  In all seriousness, this entry to the series is good, but not great.  It delivers more on the blood and kills and is a good addition to the series and serves to advance the character forward.  Any fan of the series or slashers will definitely have a good time with it.  Try out the 3D effect which was added at the expense of any other special features, save for a trailer.

Fun Fact: In a convenience store, a sign advertises the area as “Green Valley” in New Jersey.  A search reveals a “Green Valley Beach Campground” about 15 miles away from Hope, NJ, the location of the cemetery from the first film.  Check back with us soon as I use only information from the films to pinpoint the “real” Camp Crystal Lake.

Feel free to discuss Friday the 13th below.

Read more articles by Robert Fure