Friday the 13th Collection
Friday the 13th Part 4
Theatrical Release: April 13, 1984
DVD Release Date: June 16, 2009
Director: Joseph Zito
The body count continues in this vivid thriller, the fourth - but not final - story in the widely successful Friday the 13th series. Jason, Crystal Lake's least popular citizen, returns to wreak further havoc in Friday the 13th - The Final Chapter. After his revival in a hospital morgue, the hockey-masked murderer fixes his vengeful attention on the Jarvis family and a group of hitherto carefree teenagers. Young Tommy Jarvis is an aficionado of horror films with a special talent for masks and make-up. Has the diabolical Jason finally met his match?
Part 4 really fits well with how part 3 left off. There is the same formula that works well for the franchise and stays true to the story line. W e find Jason not being dead while he is at the morgue and makes his way back to Crystal Lake to do what he does best and kill the kids trying to have a little summer fun. Of course it wouldn’t be a Jason movie without horny teenagers and that always provides for some interesting kills. The thing that works well also is how the weather factors into this movie and adds to the creepiness. Who doesn’t like a scary movie during a thunderstorm and when the kills occur during a thunderstorm, it really adds another dimension to the movie. A young Corey Feldman turns out to be our hero and he really did an excellent job with his character and has a realism that you might not expect. As Tommy Jarvis, Feldman molds a character that will reappear throughout the franchise. This is a must own movie in your collection as it ties past and future movies together. There are some interesting behind the scenes features on the DVD as well and gives you an insight as to how some of the effects were done before the world of computer generated graphics.
- Commentary: - Commentary by director Joe Zito, screenwriter Barney Cohen and editor Joel Goodman
- Commentary: - Fan Commentary with Adam Green and Joe Lynch
- Other: - Lost Tales from Camp Blood - Part 4
- Other: - Slashed Scenes
- Other: - Jason's Unlucky Day: 25 Years After Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
- Other: - The Lost Ending
- Other: - The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited Part I
- Other: - Jimmy's Dead Dance Moves (Jimmy's Dead Fuck Dance Moves - for menus only, not packaging)
- Trailers: - Original Theatrical Trailer (Used on 2000 Release)
 Friday the 13th Part 5
Theatrical Release: March 22, 1985
DVD Release Date: June 16, 2009
Director:Danny Steinmann
Jason is back, hockey mask and all. And he's up to his old maniacal tricks in Friday The 13th, Part V: A New Beginning. This time he seems to have set his sights on the young patients at a secluded halfway house. And more than a few of his teen targets end up in half, in quarters...you name it, Jason does it. This is the fifth scary installment in the Friday The 13th saga. If you liked the first four, and think you're up to getting back on Jason's bloody trail, you'll love Friday The 13th, Part V: A New Beginning.
I don’t even want to waste your time with this movie. This is the one that shouldn’t have ever been made. I am going to hate myself for saying this but, I really felt insulted with this story line and how cheesy the kills and effects are. I know how can a Jason movie be more cheesy than another but, since this movie is over 24 years old and I am confident that if you are a Jason fan, you have already seen this movie and agree with me. I hate to ruin the story line but, how can you have a Jason movie when the killer isn’t even Jason? Oops! I spoiled the movie. NO I just saved you from feeling insulted for being tortured into watching it. The story line doesn’t fit the franchise and was done purely off of the success of the previous films with nothing to offer. While Tommy Jarvis returns to be our hero again, he doesn’t have a strong supporting cast. The ending is extremely week and doesn’t even deserve to share the title of Friday the 13th. Please do yourself a favor and skip this one and go straight to part 6. I promise you will thank me for this advice. There are some features associated with this movie if you are a glutten for punishment and want to endure more self-inflicted torture.
- Commentary: - Commentary by director/co-screenwriter Danny Steinmann with cast and crew
- Other: - Lost Tales from Camp Blood - Part 5
- Other: - The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited Part II
- Other: - New Beginnings: The Making of Friday the 13th: Part V A New Beginning
- Trailers: - Original Theatrical Trailer (Used on 2001 Release)
Moving right along, we come to what is probably my favorite installment of the series and that is part 6:
 Friday the 13th Part 6
Theatrical Release: August 1, 1986
Home Release Date: June 16, 2009
Director:Tom McLoughlin
As a child, Tommy Jarvis did what many others died trying to do, he killed Jason Vorhees, the mass murderer who terrorized the residents of Crystal lake. But now, years later, Tommy is tormented by the fear that maybe Jason isn't really dead. So, Tommy and a friend go to the cemetery to dig up Jason's grave. Unfortunately for Tommy, (and very unfortunately for his friend), instead of finding a rotting corpse, they discover a well rested Jason who comes back from the dead for another bloody rampage in Friday The 13th, Part VI: Jason Lives.
This is where we take for granted that a lightning bolt can bring someone back to life, It worked for Frankenstein so why not Jason. It is also where we really start to enjoy the fact that these movies are hokey and that is what keeps us coming back for more. Accept that it is a movie and anything goes and you will enjoy this movie just fine. We also get that Jason is supernatural and doesn’t need to be human nor does it need to be explained other than he keeps coming back only to kill. The great thing about how director Tom McLoughlin breathed a new life into the franchise is how he gives Jason a super hero persona and as an audience you can’t help but root for Jason a little. Some of the kills in this installment are the best ever and sets the bar a little higher for future movies. Also, the use of Alice Cooper music brings out more of a rocking format and this aids to the story line and feel of the movie and of the period. Tommy Jarvis once again is our hero and makes a female companion along the way who compliments the story line and gives a twist to see if one or both will survive with Jason wielding his machete and slashing everyone in sight.
There are bonus features that are worth checking out and hearing director Tom McLoughlin explain his vision really adds to the movie.
- Commentary: - Commentary by director Tom McLoughlin with cast and crew
- Other: - Lost Tales From Camp Blood - Part 6
- Other: - The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited Part III
- Other: - Jason Lives: The Making of Friday the 13th: Part VI
- Other: - Meeting Mr. Voorhees
- Other: - Slashed Scenes
- Trailers: - Original Theatrical Teaser Trailer (Used on 2001 Release)
While I refer to these movies with tongue and cheek, I truly enjoy this franchise for what it is and don’t try to make it out to be something it isn’t. It went from being a genuine slasher movie for it’s time with a plot explaining the reasons for the revenge killings to how a hockey mask can instill terror and excitement at the same time. These movies are great to revisit now and again and if for nothing else, it will bring you back in time to remember what you were doing when they first came out or the first time you saw Jason.
I am surprised that they didn’t offer these in the Blu-ray format as they released the first three movies in Blu-ray unless they will bring them out at a later date. I will keep you posted, should they make their way to Blu-ray because once you see and hear films in high def, you certainly want more. I was certainly impressed with the improvements in the first 3 films and would love to see how much better parts 4,5, and 6 can be in Blu-ray.
In closing, I have always loved these movies and dare I say after seeing the reinvention of the 2009 Friday the 13th, I was a bit disappointed with the direction they took. While most of the hokeyness is gone, they try to make it more of a serious format and I found that I missed the hokey mystique and really enjoyed revisiting these classic versions of Friday the 13th. While the graphics have come along way in movie making there is always going to be something about hearing the infamous “Jason” music that will make my heart thump and bring a smile to my face.
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