"FRIDAY THE 13TH – KILLER CUT"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Jared Padalecki as CLAY MILLER Danielle Panabaker as JENNA Amanda Righetti as WHITNEY MILLER Travis Van Winkle as TRENT Aaron Yoo as CHEWIE Derek Mears as JASON VOORHEES Rated R Available on Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand June 16 Official Friday the 13th Movie Site Studio: New Line Cinema Directed by: Marcus Nispel Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
This modern re-imagining of the seminal slasher film sees a rebirth of Jason Voorhees (Derek Mears) in a modern setting. After watching his mother killed by a camp counselor, the deformed and grotesque Jason grows up alone in the woods around Crystal Lake. When a group of campers stumble into her territory, he viciously murders them. Later, another group of teenagers come to the woods for some sexing and drinking, and they run into a guy looking for his sister, who went missing with that other group of campers. Jason finds a hockey mask, picks up a machete and continues his reign of terror around Camp Blood.
WHAT I LIKED
I was not a fan at all of Marcus Nispel’s other slasher remake “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” partly because he really gored up the film, which was more disturbing with the blood pretty much off-screen. However, the original “Friday the 13th,” an unabashed exploitation film from the 1980s, was never anything more than a cheap thrill.
This version pays homage to the first series of “Friday the 13th” films, encapsulating the first film in the first scene, then blending parts 2 and 3 by featuring Jason in a burlap sack before accidentally finding a hockey mask. Derek Mears, who has had some great turns in horror movies lately, including a spot in “The Hills Have Eyes 2,” embodies a terrifying new vision of Jason – not a lumbering zombie but a formidable opponent with a powerful presence. Kane Hodder may have the fan support, but Derek Mears took Jason to a whole new level.
“Friday the 13th” walks a line between taking itself seriously and providing some clever and self-aware moments. It mixes the right formula together, delivering on the sex, violence and creative kills. Speaking as someone who was a horny teenage boy when the original films had their heyday, there’s nothing more frustrating than seeing an R-rated slasher film with no nudity and very little sex. Let’s just say that there’s nothing to worry about in this respect for this film, and the T&A moments are notably stupendous.
A teenage slasher film may not be everyone’s idea of a good time, but for those out there that enjoy this sort of thing, “Friday the 13th” is a lot of fun.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Let’s face it. People who are going to find fault in “Friday the 13th” are not going to be fans of the series. Everything that can be attacked falls in a very normal category of slasher movie flubs. Yes, Jason is too indestructible. Yes, this movie glorifies violence. Yes, this movie objectifies women.
Who isn’t expecting this? For a slasher film, I can appreciate these elements and look past its flaws.
DVD FEATURES
The “Killer Cut” of the DVD includes an extended version of the film, featuring more gore and violence. To me, the theatrical cut was effective enough, but you’ll get those extra bloody seconds in this extended (although still R-rated) version of the film for home viewing purposes.
Special features include a slate of deleted scenes, including the original introduction of the infamous hockey mask, which is detailed in the featurette “The Rebirth of Jason Voorhees.” This featurette explains the challenges and vision behind the rebirth of this classic horror movie icon.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Fans of the “Friday the 13th” legacy.
