The second film touted to be the "Final" _Friday the 13th_ movie, and the second one to lie. Being honest, right out of the gate, I don't particularly like _Jason Goes to Hell_, and not only because of the negative sense-memory I have after playing a drinking game to it with straight Jack Daniels. But at least it tried some different things. Different tone, different look, different direction, different... Production company? It's still really not good, but it does sort of break up the marathon a bit by being something that no other _Friday the 13th_ quite is. _Final rating:★★ - Had some things that appeal to me, but a poor finished product._
***Great intro & first act, but kinda distasteful and convoluted with a cartoony last act*** Released in 1993, "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday," aka Part IX, is the oddest entry in the series, along with the next one. But this isn't much of a surprise since three of the previous four installments were departures from the typical Friday formula -- Part V, VII (which features a Carrie-like character) and especially VIII (which switches the setting from Crystal Lake to a cruise ship and the big city). The prologue shows Jason back at Crystal Lake. How'd he get back there after the events in Part VIII? The ending of that movie didn't show Jason completely destroyed, so we must assume that he made it out of the sewers of Manhattan and simply gravitated back to his familiar stomping grounds, which is only about 75 miles away. Anyway, the opening is excellent and highlighted by the most stunning female in the entire series, Julie Michaels as Agent Marcus (which is saying a lot in light of the series having the best line of women of ANY movie franchise). Jason’s corpse winds up in the morgue in Youngstown, Ohio, and the film takes an interesting twist reminiscent of the 80's cult film "The Hidden." Other bizarre additions to the Jason Voohees mythos include a magic blade, a strange "Jason-Finder General" character and the disclosure of the only way the infernal monster can be killed and resurrected. I don't mind these revelations as the series was hackneyed after 8 films in 10 years from 1980-89, albeit still entertaining. Besides, there are enough typical Friday-isms to please fans of the series, for instance the entire camp sequence and the prologue, not to mention the return of an iconic character in the finale. Some fans object to the main revelation on the grounds that Jason is supposedly a misunderstood man-child and this movie changes that. Actually the only films fitting this model are Parts II, XI and the 2009 remake. Parts I, V, VI, VII, and VIII were more in line with the idea of Jason as a force of darkness & evil, the curse on Crystal Lake or whatever. And Parts III and IV had him killing a pregnant girl, psychologically torturing the heroine, and attempting to kill a boy after slaying his mother, so he wasn't exactly Lenny from "Of Mice and Men" as these critics maintain. Face it, although Jason may have been an innocent deformed child at one time, the seed of evil (possibly a demonic spirit) entered into his heart at some point and he increasingly became a hideous hellish monster and you have to give this entry credit for trying to fill in the bones with corpse flesh, whether you accept these surprises or not. Unfortunately, there’s a distasteful element to the proceedings, which is offset by the black humor a bit, and the final act goes so over-the-top with the action and horror shenanigans that the movie becomes cartoonish and laughable. A good example is the campy fight between the deputy and Steven. As such, "Jason Goes to Hell" is one of my least favorite in the series, along with Parts III and VII. Nevertheless, it’s entertaining enough and gets extra points for trying something fresh and interesting. Besides the awe-inspiring Agent Marcus in the prologue, we get a couple of cute campers, Deborah and Alexis, with Deborah (Michelle Clunie) particularly shining. There's also Jessica, who turns out to be the main protagonist, her mom (the goddess Erin Gray from "Buck Rogers") and Vicki from the restaurant. Needless to say, great job on the female front, but they coulda done more with Jessica. For those who care (I don't) this entry seriously ups the ante in the horrific gore factor. As far as locations go, this installment goes back to Southern California in the tradition of Parts III, IV and V; specifically the Los Angeles area: West Hills and Thousand Oaks. BOTTOM LINE: "Jason Goes to Hell" gets props for its radical departure from the Friday formula, even while containing “Friday” staples: youths, babes, Crystal Lake, slayings and so on. But there’s a disagreeable air despite the amusement and the final act spins out of control with quasi-horror zaniness. Still, any movie that features Agent Marcus and Deborah can't be all bad. The film runs 87 minutes (rated) and 90 minutes (unrated). GRADE: C+/B-
Decent watch, might watch again, but can't recommend outside a Bad Movie Night or a Friday the 13th Marathon. It's both refreshing and sad to see them try to re-invent Jason. As a fan of "Fallen" I like the idea of the villain transferring from person to person, but they twist the concept a bit more than I would have wanted at points. Adding a "chosen one" trope to this doesn't do much for me. Having a nearly unkillable villain alone should be intriguing enough, adding extra rules to it doesn't feel good. I'd like to see a Marvel style reboot where the government has to try to contain the heart, and they figure out the minimum safe distance, creating a facility around it with animals going nuts, and someone breaks in to find out what it is and is possessed. It's not a great movie, and it's probably a bad "Friday the 13th" movie, but I enjoyed it for what it is.
Thomas Krömer follows the traces of a brutal murder in werewolf-manner out of personal interest. After investigating for some time, the traces all point to one person: himself. Now, he has to find out whether he surprisingly turns into a blood-seeking werewolf at full moon without knowing it or if there is an other solution to the murders. Police are getting pretty suspicious after Thomas' own grandmother has been brutally slaughtered in her little fairy-tale-fashioned house in the woods, and it will soon be time for a full moon...
Movie Star Rating : 5 Read More
Steve Clark is a newcomer in the town of Cradle Bay, and he quickly realizes that there's something odd about his high school classmates. The clique known as the "Blue Ribbons" are the eerie embodiment of academic excellence and clean living. But, like the rest of the town, they're a little too perfect. When Steve's rebellious friend Gavin mysteriously joins their ranks, Steve searches for the truth with fellow misfit Rachel.
Movie Star Rating : 5.7 Read More
The mutilated body of a six year old girl is found in a water hole. The girl is identified as the missing daughter of Claudia. However, only two peices of evidence could be used to identify her; a bracelet with her name on it near the crime scene, and the fact that her right leg was three inches longer than her left. All other methods of identification were removed from her body. Five years later Claudia, now addicted to tranquilizers, receives a phone call from someone claiming to be her daughter, asking for her mother to come find her before 'they' kill her. Other mysterious clues show up, further indicating that Claudia's daughter is indeed still alive, and very much in danger. Claudia, a run-down ex-cop, and a parapsychology reporter put together the clues to discover Angela's whereabouts
Movie Star Rating : 5.7 Read More
After a local woman is murdered, a group of teenage liars create a warning e-mail of a serial killer named “The Wolf”, coming on the next full moon. The teens describe each death method The Wolf uses, but when the described victims actually do start turning up dead, suddenly no one knows where the lies end and the truth begins.
Movie Star Rating : 5.8 Read More
Joanna Mills has a successful career but feels her personal life is spinning out of control. She has few friends, an estranged father, and a crazy ex-boyfriend who is stalking her. Joanna begins having terrifying visions of a woman's murder, and it seems that she is the killer's next target. Determined to solve the mystery and escape her apparent fate, Joanna follows her visions to the victim's hometown and finds that some secrets just do not stay buried.
Movie Star Rating : 6.1 Read More
Two hospitalized young people discover that things can get even worse when the dilapidated institution is stranded by a severe storm and a maniac stalks the corridors butchering the patients and staff.
Movie Star Rating : 3.8 Read More
A batch of unhatched critter eggs are mistaken for Easter eggs by the country-folk inhabitants of Grover's Bend and, before long, the ferocious furballs are on the rampage again.
Movie Star Rating : 6 Read More
Dream demon Freddy Krueger is resurrected from his apparent demise, and rapidly tracks down and kills the remainder of the Elm Street kids. However, Kristen, who can draw others into her dreams, wills her special ability to her friend Alice. Alice soon realizes that Freddy is taking advantage of that unknown power to pull a new group of children into his foul domain.
Movie Star Rating : 5.8 Read More
Alice, having survived the previous installment of the Nightmare series, finds the deadly dreams of Freddy Krueger starting once again. This time, the taunting murderer is striking through the sleeping mind of Alice's unborn child. His intention is to be "born again" into the real world. The only one who can stop Freddy is his dead mother, but can Alice free her spirit in time to save her own son?
Movie Star Rating : 5.4 Read More
A photographer's obsessive pursuit of dark subject matter leads him into the path of a serial killer who stalks late night commuters, ultimately butchering them in the most gruesome ways.
Movie Star Rating : 6.1 Read More
A particularly starchy killer intrudes on a family during their evening dinner.
Movie Star Rating : 0 Read More
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