Remembering Friday the 13th: The Game

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Welcome back. On our celebrating Friday the 13th and with Evil Dead: The Game releasing today as well, I thought it could be nice to take a look back at Friday the 13th: The Game.

Growing up, I was interested in seeing more horror games. I mean we had Resident Evil and Silent Hill. But there wasn't many slasher games. It felt odd and like an empty niche that just wasn't been hit. Yeah, we had the Friday the 13th and Elm Street on NES. But those didn't reflect either of those franchises. 

Then I remember hearing about Until Dawn. It was an interactive horror movie. There could be a variety of different endings. It intrigued me. I then played it. It's a fun game. I enjoyed the story they were going for, even if it did fall off at the end. But it left me wanting more. I wanted something more slasher-y...

Fast forward and I begin hearing about Dead by Daylight. A game where get to play as either a killer or a survivor. It felt interesting. The killers they made for it were all interesting and could easily headline their own film. But it just still wasn't it. Even after the licensed killers like Freddy, Michael, Ghost Face, and Leatherface being included. It's fun seeing them in there. But besides Leatherface and Ghost Face, it didn't feel customizable. It felt safe. 

Then it all changed when GUN and Illfonic announced Friday the 13th, I always wanted to play as Jason in DbD. It felt like it was going to be something different, something more aligned with the franchise. It wasn't just an easy cash grab that was a Dead by Daylight clone in a Friday theme. 

I remember when I finally was able to get the game. I am pretty sure I got it when it was around $40. So close to the beginning of it's life, it didn't disappoint. It left me with a smile on my face. One of the best experiences I had with it was playing as a Counselor, the guy playing Jason was running round the map and singing a theme song for his Jason. We could all hear it. It was absolutely fantastic and fun. So completely off the wall to imagine Jason running round doing his thing with a song. 

Then something I began to notice in those early days were that online players weren't as much fun after awhile. People were trolling or just being rude. After switching systems, the community felt different on PS4 than Xbox One. It wasn't as much fun. More formulaic. 

Safe to say, none of that was Illfonic or GUN's fault. They had crafted a game that I loved. It celebrated the franchise in such a way that Dead by Daylight cannot touch. The work that was put on to give fans more options was fantastic. Yeah, it's cool playing as counselor. However, I always had the most fun while playing as Jason. So when towards the end, the option for bots and challenges were given. I was on board. Hell, even the virtual cabin is a fun experience. It's so cool. It gave glimpses of what was in the pipeline. Jason X? Yes, would have loved that. I personally always rooted for seeing Ghost Jason from WOMP STOMP's Never Hike series added. But then the lawsuit happened, the game was backburnered and then dropped. 

Of course, I didn't leave the game. I kept it close. After moving and being switched to satellite internet, Dead by Daylight isn't an option. Instead, I rock the bots mode on F13th or the challenges. It's still fun seeing the different ways things can go. 

Occasionally, there's the small glitch of the bots jumping in and out of windows. I tend to grab them and help them through the window. I had a session yesterday where the counselors finally got a car and trying to escape. I smashed it and stopped them. But for the first time, they were doing things I hadn't expected. Same with calling the cops. It's interesting getting this experience that can only get in bot mode.

But the love have for the game and the films, it keeps me coming back. I just unlocked Part 2 Jason, good ol' Baghead. It's cool seeing him running around. Saw a couple unique kills that made me wince. Pickaxe to the face. Or a counselor being stuck at a pump and Jason using the handle on them. It's interesting having the chance to explore the stuff GUN and Illfonic put together with the context kills. It brings the films to life in an amazing way.

And if what I've seen from Evil Dead so far  is anything like that, I'll be happy. It'll be a worthy successor to a game that was lost ahead of its time. I don't think we'd have Evil Dead The Game without the success of F13th The Game. Till next time.

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Who's Laughing Now: A Look At EVIL DEAD: The Musical

Alright you primitive screw heads, listen up. It's Friday the 13th. But not only that, it seems like the deadites have claimed it as their day. Poor Jason. But on a better note, it means it's Evil Dead: The Game day. So happy Evil Dead Day!

As of right now, I haven't been able to get the game. It's okay, I get to spend my Friday the 13th at Camp Crystal Lake with F13th: The Game. But I thought I'd celebrate by talking about another piece of the Evil Dead franchise. 

No, this isn't going to be a look at Ash Vs. Evil Dead. That will come later. Nah, we going to look at The Musical.

Evil Dead became a musical back in 2003. If you had told me about it, I would been like what? How could Evil Dead work as a musical? There's no way that it could. 

Safe to say, it works. It works really well. I have seen some other musicals in the past. One of the highlights would be Dracula: the Musical. It was something that completely caught me off guard. I was expecting something very light n musically. Nope, Dracula wasn't that. It had a solid rocking soundtrack. It was a good point on what it could be. But how the hell does this tie in to Evil Dead?

Well, thanks to a friend of the blog. I was able to see a video of a 2018 performance. Honestly, that easily shows how well it works as a Musical. Here we are in 2022, it's still going. There are still theaters around that are putting on the show. It's so great to see it still going so strong. 

To start off, this wasn't my first time seeing the Musical. I had the pleasure of seeing a 2006 performance of it. Back then, I thought it was okay. It was a bit rough. The music however is amazing. It's so damn catchy. So catchy that I'll still find myself humming certain ones while doing some things around the house. 

This 2018 production shows how far its come. It was incredible. The music was still there. Everything was working like gang busters. For those interested, it does blend the story of Evil Dead 1 and 2 into a pretty seamless story. It works so well. The actors and actresses that are in it fit extremely well. While watching, it's so easy to see how much love and passion does go into it. This isn't just some quick money maker. No, this is something for the fans. 

One of the best things is the actor playing Ash. I mean it makes absolute sense that they'd have to find somebody to deliver as it all hinges on them in a way. In this specific video, the actor leads the show so extremely well. It left me wanting to see more. And I'll always have more as I'll continue to listen to the soundtrack.

It's incredible how far Evil Dead has come. It's movies, comics, tv show, and a musical. Absolutely incredible. It brilliantly shows the staying power of this franchise that's been handled properly. And I'm excited to see where it continues to go. 

If you have a chance of seeing Evil Dead: The Musical, go do it. Don't sit on it. I'm sure it's an incredible experience to see in person. It's always my hope that one day I'll get the chance. But living in Michigan, it's kinda hard to do. Till next time.

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The Elm Street Retrospective: Wes Craven's New Nightmare

It's been awhile since we visited the town of Springwood. I honestly thought I had finished all of my Retrospective on the Elm Street films. However, that appeared to be wrong. So let's rectify that, shall we? 

*For those interested, I have covered Freddy vs. Jason and Elm Street 2010. Feel free to check them out.*

After the failure of Freddy's Dead, it seemed like the Elm Street franchise had been put to rest. New Line had finally found a way to put Freddy to rest. They were ready to move on. However, something interesting happened. The fans weren't ready to say goodbye. They still were hoping for more. 

To make this even more special, the 10 year anniversary of the original was right around the corner. Everything was coming together in just the right way. Members of the original cast were returning. And Wes Craven was happy to revisit his creation one more time. 

What a better way to go out than to have the one that created it to wrap it up? By this point, Wes had done so many different kind of films. He was so ready to make sure that this would be different than the more comedic entries. It was a return to its roots. It was a return in such a special way. It threw everything that fans were expecting out the window. Instead, Wes was trying such a different approach with the meta elements of New Nightmare. It was a prototype in a way to what he'd later go on to do with Scream. 

I have seen some people say that New Nightmare isn't great. For me, this was an entry I'd place on the more meaningful side of the franchise. Whenever I wasn't feeling the greatest and was home sick, I'd either put on Indiana Jones or New Nightmare. Sometimes I'd switch it up and watch the original Nightmare. So in a way, it became a comfort movie for me. When the news of Wes's passing happened, this was the first film of his I watched. 

New Nightmare was so unique. It blended the meta and film elements together in such a refreshing way. It allowed us to find a way to fear Freddy once again. Well, the entity that portrayed Freddy in the film. For some, I could see that as a cop out. However, this added a new feel of menace to the character. Especially considering that this was now the 'thing that the first caveman was afraid of' that Wes had talked about in the past. So immediately it set this into a more mythological approach in a way. This is immediately evident at the end of the film with the Lair. 

One thing that I will say is that I feel the 'Reel Freddy' design is a bit cheesy. Long trenchcoat probably is a large reason why. Why was this needed? I get that some may say it evokes the Witch from Hansel and Gretel. But partially, it feels dumb.  The new glove that he uses is cool though. It's a definite upgrade over the original. 

This film was a love letter to the original and the franchise. It was Wes way of saying thanks as well. All of the parallels between the original and this work together really well. 

Another high point for me was the cast. Heather Langenkamp and John Saxon's performances are super solid. Miko Hughes as Dylan was also great. This here was a character that felt close to my age. He was able to do so much. And the fact that the film does hang on whether or not it works is interesting. Robert Englund also steals the show with his performance. It's familiar yet eerily not. The thing that I wish we had more of was Robert Englund as Robert Englund. It feels like he was just dropped too early and was a missing plot hole. 

There is a bit of cheese, in my opinion, with the use of Hansel and Gretel. It just felt a bit convenient. It helped wrap the film up in a nice bow. But ultimately, New Nightmare was a very welcome addition to the franchise. 

Rating: 4 out of 5. 

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Fresh (2022)

When I first began hearing about Fresh, it was with that initial trailer. It immediately stood out amongst all the other horror trailers that had been seeing at the time. It was just something unique, something off the cuff. It was an injection of something fresh into the genre. 

When it had ended, I immediately thought it felt a little familiar to Netflix's hit show, You. In fact, I thought that was pretty much exactly how it would play out. I mean Sebastian Stan comes across very Joe-like in the glimpses we received in the trailer. He was very kind and nailed the nice guy portrayal. 

However, I am so glad that I went into the film expecting one experience. It allowed Fresh to come out of left field and blind side with an incredible twist I never saw coming. My partner watched this with me. They had heard about the film on one of their podcasts that they listen to. So their experience was interesting because they got to see my reaction to everything. 

This is a very small film. It's not big and over the top. Well, it is but it isn't. When you watch the film, you'll understand what I mean about that. For the most part, this is a film that wouldn't feel out of place in Blumhouse's Into The Dark. 

The performances in the film are incredible. Every one of the actors and actresses bring something to the table. It results in a film that feels so unpredictable. One could say that it represents a descent into madness or maybe one character's perspective. 

I wasn't exactly sure what it would be like when I went into it. I knew that Iiked Netflix's You and this could be a little like that. However, this is a film that is so much more than that. It manages to carve itself a little niche that can stand out. As of right now, it is absolutely safe to say that Fresh is among my Top 10 of 2022 so far. And honestly, I hope we can get a sequel set in the world that is established as there could be some different ways to take it.

If you haven't seen it yet, go check it out. It's available to catch on Hulu. 

Rating: 4.25 out of 5.

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Session 9 (2001)

This past weekend was date night with my partner. We went out to eat at our favorite little diner (it's been open since the 1930s) and went antiquing (I scored an Alien #4 from Marvel). We closed out our night by booting up Shudder. We were a bit torn at what to watch since there is so much on there. However, I remember that I kept hearing about Session 9.

Besides the typical hearing that it was great and something should check out, I didn't know anything about the movie. This made it an interesting experiment as just diving in blind. Honestly, if you are thinking about checking it out - go do it. Stop reading and just go check it out. It'll result in a super interesting experience. 

The synopsis for Session 9 is as follows: 

A tale of terror when a group of asbestos removal workers start work in an abandoned insane asylum. The complex of buildings looms up out of the woods like a dormant beast. Grand, imposing ... abandoned, deteriorating. The residents of Danvers, Massachusetts steer well clear of the place. But Danvers State Mental Hospital, closed down for 15 years, is about to receive five new visitors...

Now, this was the best synopsis for the film. The one that's available on IMDB sucks. It sadly reveals a little more information about the film than what one should know. The best way to experience it is by going in blind. I think now that I know what happens, I may revisit it again. But again, go in blind if you can. 

That said, Session 9 was released in 2001. It was a really small release. From what I could gather, it didn't break any huge ground back then. It could be consider a failure. However over the years, it has managed to find its audience. To the point that now, Session 9 could be considered a cult classic. 

This film was an experience. Going into it, I was thinking that it'd be a little along the lines of Grave Encounters but with an asbestos crew. However, this film was not that. I was honestly not prepared in the very least for what this film is. I didn't see much of where the story was going to go or what was going on. The film does go out of its way a bit to let you experience it through Gordon's perspective mostly. Yeah, we get time with all the asbestos crew. But it just feels like times where we see through Gordon's perspective specifically. 

This whole crew is interesting. I will give it that much. However, they are all assholes. Well, maybe not Gordon's nephew. But pretty much everyone else is an asshole. There is ulterior motives for each and every one of them. I was very much surprised to see Dave Caruso in the film. However, he has a moment that is just legendary. The way he performs the scene is just fantastic. 

Overall, Session 9 was a bit creepy. It did have a good atmosphere to it. The ending was something that I didn't see coming. Upon second watch, I did realize there is a bit of foreshadowing with it. I just wish I liked it more than I did.  It felt a little lacking in scares as well as any answers for what was happening and why.  It is for a good one time watch though.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Session 9 can be found streaming on Shudder.

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