Friday the 13th (Paramount Blu-ray + DVD) + Friday the 13th- Part 2 (DVD) + Friday the 13th 3-D (Paramount DVD)
Picture/Sound/Extras:
Friday the 13th (Blu-ray): B/B-/B
Friday the 13th (DVD): C+/B-/B
Friday the 13th- Part 2: B-/B-/B-
Friday the 13th 3-D: B-/B-/D
Film:
Friday the 13th: C+
Friday the 13th – Part
2: C
Friday the 13th 3-D: C
The first
three Friday the 13th films
for the most part are continuous with each other; even with a few plot points
that are harder to swallow than others.
Why is it that between Part 2 and
Part 3 that Jason turned into a
bald, super strong, line-backer? OH
WELL! Let’s talk a little bit about the
plot of the first three Friday the 13th
films.
There was
a weird phenomenon for a while, where people were gobbling up low budget horror
films like nothing else; Friday the 13th
being one of the most recognizable film series to come out of that
craze. Friday the 13th borrowed from a number of horror and
teen films to evolve into the horror classic it did; but it was the memorable,
gory death scenes that set the film apart.
The first Friday the 13th
film contains a simple yet creative plot where a group of brainless, sex
crazed counselors (including unknown Kevin Bacon) reopen a summer camp 5 years
after a horrific accident took place (displayed in a brief prologue
sequence). A slasher classic is born as
a killer terrorizes the camp counselors; taking them down one by one until only
a lone girl (Adrienne King) is left. The
end of the film is an epic horror (though a tad cheesy) moment and the extended
chase scene does not disappoint.
The film
is classic horror through and through as it displays each long, drawn out,
creative death scene. For the first time
ever US audiences get to experience the international cut of the film that adds
only seconds of gore to the death scenes and may do more harm than good as the
classic murders transform into latex and fake blood with more camera time.
The
second and third (now in 3-D) Friday the
13th films are just like the first film except there is a new
cast to kill and the killer has (hem, hem) grown up a bit. The acting (if possible) is considerably
worse in the two sequels; as they are given little to say or work with before
their inevitable deaths. The classic
horror elements are all still there, but besides a larger budget, better music,
and cleaner sets everything else is pretty much the same. To this reviewer, however, the films are
still classic and are fun to watch.
There is no need to watch the torture horror films of today, like Hostel, when better films like most of
the Friday the 13th Series
exist.
These
films are a must watch and now that we have the chance to view Part 3 in 3-D it is even better than
ever.
Picture/Sound for Friday the 13th (Blu-ray):
The technical features of the Friday the 13th Blu-ray won’t be wowing anyone, but it
is as nice as a low budget slasher film could look at this point. The picture is presented in a 1080p 1.85 X 1
Widescreen that is a big upgrade from the previous DVD release. The picture quality is now brighter with much
less grain so that the scenes’ image does not get lost in the darkness. Friday
the 13th on Blu-ray is hard to grade because it is obvious and
known that the film was low budget with an array of limitations, but even with
the lack of detail there is little to no artifacting and is the best the film
has ever looked on home video. The sound
on this Blu-ray is presented as a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround Sound (48
kHz/24-bit) from newly found masters, but is not all that much better than the
DVD release. The original Mono Mix is
also available on this Blu-ray and often times sounds better than the
TrueHD. The audio does not demonstrate
the muffled quality of the DVD or VHS releases, but has not improved much as
the sound is harsh and seemingly amped up.
The sound quality overall is poor and still feels grainy, lacks bass,
and screeches in many instances that leave the viewer more annoyed than
anything else. No one would ever guess
this was a 5.1 Surround Track as it hardly ever uses the full surround range
and there is surprisingly never any ambient noises; which for a classic horror
film is just disgraceful. Personally
this reviewer would stick with the original Mono track as it seems less
problematic than TrueHD mix.
Many of the extras included on the Friday the 13th Blu-ray are the same as those found on
the 2005 DVD release, but there are a few newly added extras as well. Special features include the following:
- Audio Commentary [a recycled track from the 2004 release that
features commentators like Sean Cunningham, Bill Freida, and Harry
Manfredini. The commentary track is
hosted by ‘Crystal Lake Memories’ author Peter M. Bracke and overall can
be called amazing. There is so much
heart and content in the track that it is almost unbelievable to hear as
each story and detail is revealed.
- Crystal Lake Chronicles (SD)
[Another recycled piece from the previous DVD release that features many
people who help create the film; whether it be directors, editors, or
actors]
- Fresh Cuts: New Tales from Friday the 13th (HD) [A new featurette that
houses the likes of screen writer Victor Miller, make-up artist Tom Savini, actors Robbi Morgan &
Ari Lehman, and composer Harry Manfredini.
The featurette is mainly a continuation of ‘Crystal Lake
Chronicles’ without any repetition as it discusses the film’s surprise
success and the musical score.
- The Man Behind the Legacy: Sean S. Cunningham (HD) [A new featurette that
shows the viewer a day in the life of Cunningham, his production offices,
some memorabilia, and what he has been up to recently; specifically the Friday the 13th remake]
- Cast Reunion (HD) [New and filmed recently, but holds little new
content as most comments are featured elsewhere on this Blu-ray/DVD]
- Secrets Galore Behind the
Gore (HD) [One of the most interesting new featurettes on this Blu-ray/DVD
is a one-on-one interview with Tom Savini as he explains how he made
the films gruesome and gory effects come to life]
- Lost Tales from Camp Blood:
Part 1 (HD) [This reviewer is not quite sure what this feature is as it
creates a newly-shot horror scene where camp counselors say dumb things
and then die a creative death…just odd]
- Theatrical Trailer (HD)
Picture/Sound for Friday the 13th + Friday
the 13th – Part 2 + Friday
the 13th 3-D (DVD):
Whereas the Blu-ray for Friday the 13th was far from perfect in terms of High
Definition quality, the DVDs of the first 3 films are nowhere near as good in
terms of picture, but perhaps on the same level as far as audio. The picture on the DVDs is seemingly the same
as that found on the previous DVD releases, except there may have been some
lightening work as the image is much more discernable through the
darkness. Friday the 13th Part 3: 3-D had never previously been
available in 3-D on home video. The
picture on the first two films is presented as a 1.78 X 1 Widescreen and Part 3 is presented in 2.35 X 1
Widescreen and it is obvious that the success of the first Friday the 13th film allowed the sequels to have a
better overall picture quality and more lighting. The image still remains a tad dark and
grainy; overall needing a High Definition upgrade. The Dolby Digital 5.1 Surrounds on the first
three Friday the 13th
films on DVD is nice, especially the 2nd and 3rd film
which obviously were afforded better recording devices and music. Harry Manfredini had many new choices to make
when he returned as head composer for Friday
the 13th- Part 2 and the musical scores definitely reflect his
presence. The orchestral interludes are
more powerful than ever and take the music of the film a step above the
first. The DVDs sound cleaner and
clearer than ever, but even like the Blu-ray there is little directionality to
the DVDs and ambient noises are minimal.
The dialogue and music comes through wonderfully, but it might as well
be a Mono Mix with its lack of surrounds on the sound stage.
The extras on Friday
the 13th – Part 2 DVD do not include anything overwhelming
fantastic and if anything this reviewer was hoping all the original footage
that was notoriously cut from the film would be included. Perhaps the studio is waiting for the Blu-ray
release or maybe the footage is gone forever, only time will tell. The special
features include:
- Inside Crystal Lake Memories [Author Peter Bracke
recounts many memories from the second film, including those of deleted
scenes, as only he can with overwhelming admiration for the film series]
- Friday’s Legacy: Horror Conventions [As the title sounds the
featurette looks at the many conventions that have glorified the film
series; especially one entitled Scarefest.
There are interviews from the convention floor as well as the
film’s cast members]
- Jason Forever [A recycled featurette from the previous 2004 DVD
release that features 4 of the 8 actors that have previously played Jason
in the films. The actors field
questions from the Fangoria audience as well as talking about their
overall experience.]
- Lost Tales from Camp Blood: Part 2 [Like the odd newly-shot
scene that was on the first film Blu-ray/DVD, this scene once again
features our favorite killer torturing some unsuspecting victims; this
time a few bickering hikers.]
- Theatrical Trailer
The extras on the Friday
the 13th Part 3: 3-D DVD is pretty much nonexistent as the DVD
only features the film’s Theatrical Trailer.
The studio must have felt that the 3-D gimmick was enough to pull the
crowds in, but it should be apparent that with Friday the 13th’s huge following much more is to be
expected.
After slashing through four discs and three films of
picture, sound, extras, and immense horrors this reviewer can honestly say that
he still loves Friday the 13th
just as much as ever. Sure the films
can be corny, but they still hold a classic horror atmosphere that has been
left by the wayside with today’s torture porn scene. The Blu-ray as well as the DVDs could
certainly use some work, but just as always I am sure this is not the last we
have heard of Mr. Jason Voorhees.
- Michael P.
Dougherty II
