When New Line Cinema acquired Jason in 1993, they were told they couldn’t use the title Friday the 13th. That’s a weird concept to think considering that they are synonymous with one another. And easily one that could happen once again depending on the outcome of the legal battle.
Without the title of Friday of the 13th, Sean Cunningham enlisted Adam Marcus, Jay Hughuely and Dean Lorey to figure out where the story could go. I must say where they took the story led it to be one of my favorites of the franchise.
They decided that it was time to unshackle the story from all of the previous tropes. Quickly within the opening of the film, the tropes are shown then shattered. This resulted in everything feeling fresh. Boom! Jason is exploded and ultimately killed. And this was within the first ten minutes of the film.
Quickly, Marcus establishes that there’s more going on with our Jason. Throughout the film, we uncover the secrets behind the Voorhees legacy as it is a beautiful explanation to Jason’s continuous resurrections in the series. Pamela Voorhees had sought out the Necronomicon and Kandarian Dagger to bring her son back. I. E. – Jason is a deadite.
This realization forever changed how I felt about the franchise. It changed my outlook on everything. The more I thought about it I appreciated everything that this film and Adam Marcus was setting up. This beautifully tied and introduced Evil Dead to a NEW LINE CINEMA verse that was being established. (Later on, I even discovered that those are the actual props from Army of Darkness.)
Now, there are many that are quick to say Jason isn’t in the film. Yes, he is. He’s just not in the way everyone was expecting. This allowed a huge tension as now Jason could possess different characters. So, he could be anywhere. Could be anyone. This was so terrifying a thought.
But you know what – Pamela Voorhees would go to whatever lengths she had to if she could bring her son back. That is 100 percent accurate to the character. So it is a wonderful progression.
Another fantastic character that was introduced is Creighton Duke (played by Steven Williams). Duke is to Jason what Dr. Loomis is to Michael Myers. It makes sense that someone would eventually come after Jason. No better a choice than introducing a bounty hunter. And Williams performance is unforgettable. He gleefully plays the character and adds so much to Duke. (Best part is that Williams would go on to play a hunter in Supernatural.)
We are also given a more human story with Steven Freeman (John D. LeMay) wanting to protect his ex girlfriend Jessica Kimble (Kari Keegan) and child from Jason. This is something that is different than the usual camp fare of the other films. But there is depth and relatability to it.
Ultimately, this results in an amazing journey and fantastic ending. Steven has to go toe to toe with the reborn Jason. And results in Jason being dragged to hell – leaving his mask on the dirt.
I know this is a very cliff notes version of a sypnosis. But it’s all the non spoiler parts. This film is great. It always leaves me discovering something new. It’s full of action, has some creepy moments, and is tense when necessary. But it’s a fun ride. Give this film a shot. Watch with an open mind. You may end up enjoying it.
Plus you get to see Freddy’s glove as it pulls Jason’s mask down into the depths of hell. How cool is that?
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Update: This article has been approved by Adam Marcus. The positive response was something more than I ever could have imagined. He also had some wonderful words to say about it.
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