His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th (2008/Anchor Bay DVD)
Picture:
C- Sound: C- Extras: A Feature: C+
You could
probably count on one hand the number of people in the United States who don’t
know who Jason Voorhees is. He’s pretty
much up there with Mickey Mouse and George Washington, but with a more loyal
fan base. When New Line decided to
reboot the series earlier this year, there was no need to remind the world who
Jason is; but instead they decided to remind the fans why they love Jason with
this extremely comprehensive documentary on the franchise.
The
actual feature documentary is an hour and a half long with interviews from
almost everyone that ever played, directed, created, or fell victim to
Jason. Seriously, about the only people
missing from this documentary are Kevin Bacon (Part I), Crispin Glover, Corey Feldman (both Part IV), and Robert Englund (Freddy
vs Jason). Also featured are other
horror directors, horror journalists (from sites like Bloody Disgusting and Dread
Central), and genre aficionados of note such as Seth Green.
Hosted by
makeup and effects legend Tom Savini, the feature does drag a bit. One suspects that they may have been able to
cut it down to an hour, as the interviews tend to go in circles. If you break the viewing into two or three
sittings though, it becomes tremendously more enjoyable.
The extra
features, which extend onto a second disc, are extremely numerous and are
collectively at least twice as long as the feature itself. They include more complete interviews with
the actors who played Jason, the directors of the films, and the
screenwriters. There is also a
compilation of favorite moments and reminiscences from the series, two revisits
to the original sets of Parts 3 and 4, a collection of fan films, a summary
of the entire series in four minutes, and footage of the cast of the new film
at San Diego Comic-Con.
The
image, in anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen format, is adequate. There are a few shots that are roughed up for
effect here and there, along with archive footage that is not quite up to
snuff, though there are some digitally manipulated screenshots throughout that
are actually pretty cool. The audio, in
Dolby Digital Surround 5.1, also varies.
Some interviews, it would seem, were just recorded better than others,
which is odd because they were almost all shot in a studio. Of course, some of the films and trailers are
monophonic, so you can only do so much with that kind of audio.
Overall,
this is a release for the fans because, really, if you’re not a Jason fan or a
slasher fan, why are you even reading this?
Although whether you’re a fan or not, it might almost be worth the
purchase just to hear Ted White (who played Jason in Part IV) talk about what a little prick Corey Feldman was.
- Matthew Carrick
