Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 58 Bad Penny Review

Bad Penny originally aired on October 30, 1989. The episode begins with a recap of the ending of episode 30. There are periodic flashbacks to episode 30 throughout the episode. Episode 30 found it's cursed object unattainable at the end, the coin of Ziocles. This was the coin that while it would kill someone, it would bring someone back to life. I was very satisfied with the pay off of this episode. Granted it took over an entire season before the storyline paid off, but it did and quite nicely, I might add. Especially in comparison to the Shard of Medusa retrieval which was retrieved off screen and briefly mentioned in dialogue at the beginning of an episode. I like that Micki is terrified of dying again. That was a huge episode at the beginning of the second season. They didn't flashback to her coming back to life, which I thought was the most memorable shot of the episode. Micki makes an attempt to write to Ryan because she's scared. I always like the nods to Ryan. The fact that he was written off so strangely is compensated by Micki's occasional reference to how much she misses him. Johnny uses the coin for evil in this episode. That's a little up for debate though. He uses the coin to bring his father back to life, but also uses it to kill him. The gravestone however said his father died in 1987. The episode that his father died aired in 1989... Overall, I thought this was a great episode though and I'm glad there was some pay off to open ended storylines.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 57 Stick it in your Ear Review

Stick it in your Ear originally aired on October 16, 1989. Our heroes recover 5 cursed antiques at an auction, but none of them are seen, nor are their qualities discussed in this episode. The main antique in this episode is an old hearing aid. The wearer is able to hear the thoughts of those around him. He's able to read peoples minds. This was a very effective episode. As always, I am amazed by the special effects this TV show has. This episode has pulsating skin and ears, it's quite remarkable considering this was made for television. Our main villain is arrogant. His ego becomes his downfall. Overall, it was a good episode that I would gladly view again.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 56 Crippled Inside Review

Crippled Inside originally aired on October 9, 1989. Jack does not appear in this episode, but by telegram he has offscreen recovered the shard of Medusa which was half the storyline to episode 44. Micki appears albeit briefly. This episode was an effort to get the audience to warm up to/like Johnny and boy did it succeed! Tragedies always help with a character's likeability. The cursed antique in this episode is an old wheelchair. This old wheelchair has the ability to heal people who are paralyzed from the neck down, but only if the person kills someone. The person while being in the wheelchair will have a faint image of themselves come out of the chair so that they can walk and kill. This episode brought up an interesting dilemma. The girl who is given the wheelchair was nearly raped. That is the sole reason she was put in the wheelchair. Is it right to take revenge on someone who ruined your life by attempting a purely evil act? My answer is no. The episode, I think, leans toward my answer and here's why: Johnny has to debate whether he'll let her keep the chair to take revenge on the rapists, he does for a little while. She kills them one by one in horrific ways. One boy got killed by having all the chem lab substances fall onto his face...he was beyond recognizable at that point. She took great glee in her killing as well. Her acts of killing were JUST AS evil as their attempt to rape her. In the end, the entire group of rapists die, but it also costs her her own life. The mother's shriek at seeing her daughter dead was so painful to hear. It seemed so real. Having said all these positives, this episode is not free from some criticism. The old man character does not make any sense. He says he used the chair in the past and was healed. However, in one shot, he literally dissolves out of frame. Was he a person, was he a ghost, the devil, a demon, who the heck knows???? The episode sure didn't know what he was! Johnny gets the chair back and severely regrets letting the girl keep it as long as she did. It led to her death. The old man comes back and wants it back to give it to another cripple. Johnny refuses. The old man tells him that even though they're collecting these cursed antiques, they'll never stop him, the objects will live a lot longer than they will. Johnny attempts to ax the chair, but it just keeps bouncing back. Like we learned in episode 1, the objects cannot be destroyed. It's overall a very strong episode and a great transition to Johnny as our male lead.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 55 Demon Hunter Review

Demon Hunter originally aired on October 2, 1989. This episode changes the ordering of the names so that Robey is top billing and Steve Monarque is listed now fully replacing John D. Lemay on the show. This episode has Micki and Jack dealing with the bizarre transformation of Ryan. Micki says that Ryan will always be a part of her life. It's a nice touch and is so much more than I had anticipated the show to do. I thought once Ryan was gone they'd never mention him again. The cursed antique is a demon killing dagger. This, however, is not the main foil of the episode...a demon is. This episode is really, really weird. There's two storylines going on at once and they intersect at the very end. It's a nice change, but feels very strange coming from this show. The daughter of a demon hunter joined a satanic cult (I know, Satanism again, but at least they are always the villain) and conjured up a demon. She was crazy and wanted to give her father the best 'game' of his life. Micki, Jack, and Johnny on the other hand find a room under the floor where the demon rose up from. This room has become the new vault. Do you see what they're doing to us as viewers? New sign, new vault, new male lead...they really felt that the show needed a face lift for whatever reason. Ultimately, the demon hunter father kills his own daughter to save them all and cast the demon back to hell. It's an intense episode with a lot of new changes in it. Personally, I don't mind Johnny. I think that he's a fine actor. John D. Lemay was better dramatically, but Johnny is a very different role from Ryan as he needs to be. There are plenty of worse examples of cast changes for the worse (like getting rid of Sharona on Monk). Overall, it was a fine episode even though every episode keeps getting weirder and weirder.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 53 and 54 The Prophecies Review

The Prophecies, the third and final season premiere, originally aired on September 25, 1989. This was a 2 hour season premiere, hence why it counts as two episodes. This is the only two hour episode of the entire series. This was both a tremendous and crap episode. Tom McLoughlin returns for the last time as writer and director for this franchise. As usual his offering is a mixed bag. Creating a two hour episode for this series is hard and for the most part he did it with class. As I thought, Micki's looking at the book is not mentioned in the season premiere and is rendered useless and idiotic. The sign of the store Curious Goods also got a facelift. It looks completely different. It's a different color and in a different font and I'm not a really big fan of the change to be quite honest. The cursed object in this episode is a book of Satan that makes prophecies come true. It's not technically one of the cursed antiques. Ryan gets possessed by the devil in this episode. This is very scary and comes across as truly horrifying. John D. Lemay gives his best acting in this episode. He shows the most range. I LOVE the scene where he's crying asking an unconscious Jack what's happening. There's a little girl who's going to be possessed and going to be Satan's way into the world to rule it. I know, it is terrible theology. She's a cripple. The villain heals her and gives her back the use of her legs. He then tells her to praise Satan and let him enter her body. She screams out NEVER! This instantly takes away the ability to walk. Again, I LOVE that moment. How incredibly daring of a TV show to do, especially a horror TV show. It's so bold and gets a standing ovation by me. What went wrong with this episode? It's a little too Catholic for me. Mary is praised more than God, but even more upsetting Ryan is praised more than Mary. Ryan is looked at as the savior of the little girl. Ryan dies, but doesn't. Ryan in adult form dies to save the little girl. Ryan then resorts back to the bodily form he was when he was 12. His mother had been introduced in this episode. She had run out when Jimmy, his little brother, had died. Now she gets her happy ending and gets to catch up on all the lost years she missed out on. Ryan doesn't recognize Micki, Jack, or Johnny. This is a major problem for this episode. The way Ryan is written out of the show is incredibly idiotic. John D. Lemay doesn't even get a goodbye scene with the original trio. The way Ryan is written out it's impossible for John D. Lemay to come back...Ryan is flippin 12!!!! There's also a shot to show how much people have lost faith of a hotel manager burning a cross. I thought that was really inappropriate. Satan has way too much power for too long of a time in this episode. Overall, though, this is a staggering season premiere. I don't know if the show will ever top it.

Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan Review

After an entire second season, audiences must have been itching to see some more of their favorite slasher villain. What they got was an odd mix that's going to take a while to explain. I, for one, have always enjoyed Part VIII, but I know I'm in the minority.

As always, we begin with the trailer. The trailer is like a teaser. None of the shots are actually in the movie. It's just that: a tease. It plays a familiar song and shows shots of New York in the background. It zooms in on someone looking at the city, just then he turns around and it's JASON! Everybody screams, show the title. It's a nice trailer, but it doesn't really advertise the movie very well, or at least what the movie became. The tagline, New York has a new problem, is kinda lame if you ask me. Another note of trivia: the original poster for the film had the classic I <3 NY, only Jason's machete and face were tearing the sheet away. That's an awesome poster, even thought it's a total gimmick. That's the problem with this film's advertising. They advertised a gimmick, not what the actual film was.

As far as the film itself, this entry has some of the best drawn characters of the whole series. I really love the characters, however, the deaths are lackluster and there's hardly any tension in the film. The best death is kinda a jokey death. A side character has a boxing match with Jason. He punches him until he can't punch any more. Jason gives one blow to the head and it decapitates him. What a memorable sequence!

Director Rob Heddon, who we've run into before a couple of times on the TV series, was told that he could assume that Part VIII would be the last entry. This is where some of the final version of the film gets muddled. There's a lot of deleted lines that mention that the senior class in the movie is the LAST senior class at Crystal Lake. This would make sense that Jason would resurrect one final time. Rob obviously had a ton of respect for the original. He gives a good amount of time to retelling the original in the opening scene of the movie. This is great because it adds to the idea of bookending the series. HOWEVER, too many lines are deleted mentioning that they're the final senior class. A lot of the work for bookending gets lost in translation.

Rennie, as a character, is a great final girl. She wants to be a writer, she's afraid of the water, AND she has had a previous encounter with Jason. You actually feel for this girl as well as the final guy. Rennie's uncle lived on Crystal Lake. He pushed her into the water to 'teach' her how to swim. Little boy Jason pulls her under...now we have a revenge worth looking at. Rennie learns to fight for herself really quickly in dire consequences. She throws toxic waste on Jason at the end. Jason resorts back to his little boy position. Another GREAT bookend, if not weird. The only problem is that the actress for Rennie is not very good. If she were better, I think her character would be remembered a lot more fondly...however, Rennie is vastly more memorable than the final girls to come in the New Line years.

This more went wrong on a couple of counts. First, the gimmick isn't really paid off. Two-thirds of the movie are spent on a cruise ship to New York that gets sunk. The boat is called Lazarus...get it? It's because Jason got resurrected. He's resurrected by electricity again, but it's cool enough. My favorite movie's Titanic, so spending time on a sinking ship is never a problem for me, but I can see why it's considered such a disappointment. The second thing is that the film got a little too supernatural, it was a little too Nightmare on Elm Street. Rennie has premonitions of Jason as a little boy, the water in the faucet turns to blood, etc... They're really cool shots, it's just not the right series to put them in. The gore is toned down in this one, which I'm fine with.

This movie is also significant due to the fact that it is the first time EVER that Jason has a returning actor. Kane Hodder returns and is slowly but surely becoming the face of the franchise. His presence is undeniable even in this film. Regardless of all it's faults, Kane's presence is something to be commended and respected.

As far as the music goes, Fred Mollin is back. He did the original stuff for Part VII and the TV series. It's all of Fred's music for Part VIII which really helps the score overall. MUCH improved over Part VII, and for the first time instead of doing Ki, ki, ki...Ma, ma, ma, it's Jason, Jason, Jason. This makes more since because Jason's not his mom. He's no longer asking his mother to kill for him, but again it's different so I can see why people have a problem with it.

I think the biggest problem with Part VIII is that we're no longer in the woods. I have a problem with this too because we never truly make it back there again until the remake. This decision rendered the rest of the original series problematic, but more on that later.

Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan premiered on July 28, 1989. On a budget of $5 million (the largest budget to date for the series at that time), the film only grossed $14,343,976, which is a series low. Although they still doubled their budget and it still made more than it's budget on opening weekend, Paramount was through. With the diminishing returns and the horrendous reviews, Paramount opted not to make another sequel. They decided to focus solely on the TV series which was about to begin it's third season. The third season was getting a two-hour premiere. Unfortunately, the third season is the last. The days of Paramount's Friday the 13th are numbered. But before that, audiences were wondering how Johnny would come into play in the TV series and how many more antiques there could possibly be to retrieve...

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 52 Coven of Darkness Review

Coven of Darkness, the second season finale, originally aired on June 12, 1989. I know I've been saying this a lot, but it's been true, this is yet another truth is relative episode. The way one fights evil can also be used to fight good, it's just all how you use whatever power. It's really stupid and is so incredibly false I cannot begin to explain how false that truly is. Micki discovers she has magic powers and uses them for good, but she uses all of her powers up by the end of the episode. Ryan gets bewitched in this episode. The cursed antique is a witches ladder. This can greatly increase the witches' magical powers. There is also a sculpting tool that sculpts peoples image out of clay in order to bewitch them. Both items are returned to the vault by the end of the episode. There's a somewhat cliffhanger at the end. Micki, who knows her powers are gone, opens up the spellbook to a musical sting and freezeframe. If they don't address this in the season 3 premiere, then this ending is incredibly forced.

Season 2 overall was a fairly good season. Season 1, at least to me, didn't have any objectionable episodes. Season 2 has plenty. There's plenty of episodes praising voodoo, magic, Shamanism, etc... None of this I find good. I don't think it's right to present something as how you use it determines whether you use it for good or for evil. I don't think we're that powerful, for one. Having said that, the stakes are a LOT higher in season 2 which is a major plus. It's a much welcomed change from the formulaic season 1.

After a full year of the TV series, the producers felt it was time to resurrect their main villain, Jason, one last time. How would audiences react after having more than a full season of TV to distract them from the movie series? Well, we'll have to address that next time.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 51 The Prisoner Review

The Prisoner originally aired on June 5, 1989. This episode was uneven. The villain didn't make much sense to be perfectly honest. The villain gets caught repeatedly inside the jail with a weapon by the guards. If he was caught once, he would have had his weapon confiscated, meaning he wouldn't have been able to kill more people which makes the entire episode completely irrelevant. This is Johnny's second appearance and he is convicted of the death of his father and spends the entire episode in jail. He didn't do it. Our invisible villain did. The cursed antique is a WWII jacket which, after having blood get on it after someone dies, allows it's wearer to walk around invisible anywhere he/she wants to go. He can just put it off to I was in my cell the whole time sleeping. It is weak that he can continually kill people with weapons in the jail considering he wouldn't be allowed to have ANY after he had been caught. BUT his death is awesome. He is invisible, so Johnny pours gasoline over him and then lights him on fire. It's a spectacular ending and worth watching for that alone even though there are plenty of plot holes in this episode.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 50 The Shaman's Apprentice Review

The Shaman's Apprentice originally aired on May 29, 1989. This was an interesting episode. Again, it's another one of those truth is relative. It doesn't matter what religion it is, it's how you use it's power. The cursed antique was a Shaman's rattle which is used during Shaman's ceremonies. It will take the life of one and cure the life of another even with the most incurable of diseases. The villain is a doctor who denounced his Shaman heritage. He, however, uses the rattle to not further himself, but to genuinely help people in need. He uses it for evil to try to destroy this other doctor who's a little bit racist against Native Americans. Micki also has a friend who's seeking help from the Native American doctor. Micki struggles with letting the killing go on to help save her friend who has a death sentence or to hold every life as precious. The episode ultimately goes with the message that every life is precious. The racist doctor almost dies in a brutal ceremony, but survives. Micki's friend ultimately does not receive help from the cursed object. The character dynamics are really interesting in this episode. The Native American doctor even accidentally kills his grandfather to continue his new found form of doctoring. The death scenes are kinda eh. Overall, it's an episode that could spark a lot of discussion.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 49 The Maestro

The Maestro originally aired on May 22, 1989. This episode ran high on the emotions. No, it didn't add anything overall to the history of the show, but that's ok because the emotions were real. The cursed antique pretty much sucks this episode. The antique is a symphonia (a music box) that creates choreography...only the people who are dancing dance to their deaths. No joke, that's what it does. I know, I know, you can stop laughing now. Jack's niece appears in this episode. I know, another characteristic of Jack simply being a plot device. She ends up giving her life for the end of the dance along with our main villain. They receive a standing ovation as they breathe their last breath. Jack's heart wrenching reaction to his niece's death is yet another wonderful piece of acting and it alone saves the entire episode.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 48 Wedding Bell Blues

Wedding Bell Blues originally aired on May 15, 1989. This was a great episode. This episode actually is going to lead into the rest of the series. This was the first episode that Johnny appears in who will eventually take over Ryan in season 3. The cursed antique in this episode was a cuestick that will make the owner a great pool player...only if you impale someone with it first. Snow shoes are mentioned as another cursed object that Jack and Ryan went after. This episode solely focused on the build up to the relationship between Micki and Johnny. Micki hates Johnny, but warms up to him by the end of the episode. Johnny even says he'd be willing to do it again...hint, hint. The villain is this woman who loves a pool player. She wants to marry him, but he won't marry her. She eventually impales him with the object. It's a great side story. I immensely enjoyed the episode, especially considering that it'll add to the overall story.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 47 Wedding in Black

Wedding in Black originally aired on May 8, 1989. You can tell that they're trying to up the stakes. This was yet another weird episode, but a good one. Three 'servants of Satan' are propositioned by Satan that if they kill our trio they will get another shot at life. This is where our antique comes in, which is not really an antique at all. In many ways it's like the second season premiere object. This episode has a snow globe that traps Micki and Jack inside. The ultimate plan is to destroy our trio. To save Micki, Ryan or Jack can sell their souls to Satan, or they can sit back and watch as Satan impregnates her. It's all very Rosemary's Baby. Jack and Ryan aren't pleased with either option and end up destroying the snow globe which thwarts Satan's plans. I loved the comments about the emptiness of Satan and how true evil is the absence of something. This is a very true statement and I was shocked that it was left in the show seeing how relative the show has been this season. They also comment that they only survived round 1. There's gonna be a lot more Satan episodes to come, I think.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 46 Mesmer's Bauble

Mesmer's Bauble originally aired on May 1, 1989. The original title for this episode was: The Secret Agenda of Mesmer's Bauble. This episode rarely appears in reruns. Vanity, who was a singer in the 80's guest stars and legal reasons could play a factor. The episode is intact in the DVD release though. This episode has some striking imagery though and I'm so glad I watched it. The cursed antique is a hypnotist's bauble that, after having hypnotized a person and had them kill themselves, grants whatever the owner wishes. There is a fairly edgy sex scene, as edgy as they could have gotten in 1989. It didn't feel like TV, it felt like a movie. The villain, who is a man first wishes to become beautiful, his face distorts and through sound effects we can feel his painful transformation. He then goes one step further he doesn't want to just have sex with the famous singer Angelica, he wants to become her. She literally is swallowed into him. Her arm goes under his skin. It's a spectacular make up episode. Once Micki and Ryan get the bauble back, there's one final transformation: that from beautiful woman to ugly man. We see that transformation too, especially some spinal work. It's incredible. This episode went back to what made the series great to begin with: amazing visual effects, interesting cursed objects, and the interaction between our main trio. It was a wonderful back to form.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 45 The Butcher Review

The Butcher originally aired on April 24, 1989. Neither Micki nor Ryan appear in this episode, making this the series first solo episode. I can understand why they did it this way. The emotional pull only makes sense for Jack's character. The reasons for characters absence are always so flimsy on this show though. We learn this episode that Jack was not only a WWII vet. He also won a lot of medals by killing 'The Butcher' who was going to take over Hitlar after his passing. This is a major problem with Jack's character. The man has literally done everything imaginable on this show. He is an endless supply of knowledge and has an endless amount of contacts. You could claim that he met all of these people over the war, but that's a flimsy explanation. Jack is just a plot devise. His character has no recurring storylines. The writers forget everything they've given Jack. This is the problem with not having a cliffhanger show, the writers forget because they only focus on one episode at a time. The cursed antique is an amulet that resurrects 'The Butcher.' He proceeds to kill Jack's troupe one by one by strangling them with barbed wire until only Jack is left alive. Jack has black and white nightmares in this episode. Jack eventually kills 'The Butcher' again. Seeing Jack's torment and tears is some solid acting moments. I really enjoyed Chris Wiggens performance in this episode. It's too bad that his character hasn't made any sense in the history of the show so far.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 44 A Friend to the End Review

A Friend to the End originally aired on April 17, 1989. Jack does not appear in this episode. This episode had two storylines that didn't really intersect with each other. It was an interesting twist having the characters go after two antiques. We are introduced to Micki's nephew. Micki's sister got a divorce and has been with a new guy nearly every month. The nephew is often overlooked and placed into the care of either Micki and Ryan or stays at a hotel alone. The child actor's pretty bad, but his character is well rounded which is hard to do in less than an hour. The antiques are a fragment from a statue of Medusa called the Shard of Medusa and a child's coffin. The Shard of Medusa gets captured fairly early on, but is then returned to it's owner when she threatens to kill Micki's nephew. The Shard turns people into stone which makes it's owner a famous sculptor. The child's coffin resurrects a dead child, but the child must kill in order to stay alive. This child was abused and eventually killed by his father. Micki's nephew befriends this child and plays with him. The child becomes his best friend. He begs the child not to kill anymore saying that friends don't hurt each other. The child dies because he doesn't kill. He self-sacrifices himself and and instantly turns into a skeleton. This image is so striking and heartbreaking it's unbelievable. This was a great episode and quite the change from the formula.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 43 The Mephisto Ring Review

The Mephisto Ring originally aired on April 10, 1989. Jack does not appear in this episode. This episode was all right. It had some solid emotional moments. The cursed antique is a 1919 World Series ring that kills its wearer by electrocuting them. The ring then shows the ending of sporting events. The ring essentially helps gamblers. This is the first item that Uncle Lewis ever sold. The ring cursed not only its wearers but its owners for two generations. It ruined both a father and a sons life at two separate times. The mother kills them both in a huge twist ending. Overall, it was all right, but one I'm not going to remember strongly.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 42 Scarlett Cinema Review

Scarlett Cinema originally aired on February 20, 1989. This was a very, very weird episode and that's saying something. This is the fourth time Rob Heddon has written an episode. This episode's cursed antique is an old movie camera that brings movie characters back to life. It will make you become that character if you murder people by shooting footage of them through the camera. Then the movie character will come and attack them. There's plenty of footage taken from the classic film The Wolf Man. This is very bad for the episode because by direct comparison, the episode pales. It no where near matches up with the quality of that classic film. I honestly never thought a werewolf would be the villain of an episode. This series has gotten SO much weirder since the first episode. This episode also won a Gemini award.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 41 Better Off Dead Review

Better Off Dead originally aired on February 13, 1989. This was an interesting episode. There's really not too much to tell about this episode. One of Micki's friends dies a pretty horrible death. She gets operated on and has her soul taken out. This is never seen in graphic detail, but it's a horrifying, if not completely unrealistic concept. The cursed antique was a silver syringe. This took out the parts in our brains that make us human. The villain was doing it to save his daughter who was deteriorating from a disease that made her animalistic. By taking it out of others, it made the daughter more and more human, but it also killed the others over time and instantaneously made them animalistic. It's actually a pretty clever antique and much better than a majority this season. This episode originally aired with a 'graphic violence' warning. It's fascinating because by many of today's standards, this episode would be considered tame.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 40 Face of Evil Review

Face of Evil originally aired on February 6, 1989. I really enjoyed this episode. This episode includes flashbacks of episode 15. If you recall, I particularly loved the ending to that episode, seeing how it implied that the evil of the object carried on. This episode completes that shot and shows that it was actually Joanne, Helen's (the previous episode's villain) sister who picked up the golden compact. The cursed antique in this episode is, you guessed it, the golden compact. However, it works differently. The compact is simply used as a means of revenge. Since Helen wanted love and respect, the compact gave it to her. Tabitha wants the wrinkles around her eyes to go away. The compact gives this to her by having everyone who gets flashed by the compact die. Because Tabitha is concerned with her face, it focuses on the face. The people who die only have their face ruined. Some of the people don't die, but their face is forever ruined and seeing as the episode focuses on the modeling business, their career is in essence over. What's interesting is seeing the direct comparison from the acting, particularly from Joanne, from episode 15 to episode 40, is how much better it truly is. Episode 15's acting is SO over the top. Especially with Joanne and Helen. Helen's maniacal and it's truly hilarious to see how much more subtle the villains have become in season 2. This has been one of the better episodes so far this season. I don't know if that has to do with the fact that it's an object from season 1 (past halfway through the first season, none of the objects have been particularly memorable for me) or not. This was a great episode however and ended the cliffhanger from episode 15.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 39 Eye of Death Review

Eye of Death originally aired on January 30, 1989. This is the second time traveling episode for the series. This time, they go back to the Civil War. The time traveling sequences are presented in sepia the entire time. It's more subtle than the black and white time traveling episode, but I didn't notice it until I read more about this episode. The cursed antique is a Civil War Era magic lantern that has the ability to take the owner back in time for three hours. The owner must kill before and after his time there. The villain in this particular episode goes to the time frame to sell mint condition Civil War antiques. If you don't make it back within the three hour time frame, you are stuck in that time forever. Most of the episode was eh...but the ending visual was spectacular. The villain doesn't make it back, but he's not stuck back in time either. He's stuck in the wall. You see his cemented face and hands trying to get back. It was truly stunning. The villain was once again one of Jack's old friends. Jack truly has the worst taste in friends. This was an all-right episode. If you're a history fan, it's probably best to skip it...the series has never been too kind and honest about history.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 38 The Playhouse Review

The Playhouse originally aired on January 23, 1989. This is the third time writer/director Tom McLoughlin has contributed to the franchise. Luckily for him, this was his best contribution yet. He had previously done a terrible sequel, as well as a terrible episode, but this particular episode after a slew of forgettable duds is a knockout. The cursed antique is a playhouse that gives the owners (who are children) anything they want. However, they must trap happy children inside the playhouse through the power of hatred. The playhouse looks just like the house in Psycho, the original that is. Anybody else notice the reference to Psycho? A bar in the background was named Bates, pretty clever. This episode deals with child abuse, missing children, as well as how hateful children can truly be at times. Let's face it, nobody's born with a clean slate. How does Tom get away with all of it? It's quite simple: he gives it a happy ending. None of the children trapped inside the house die, but are released at the end. The two abused children learn the power to love and care for others and it's heavily hinted that they'll find a foster family of people who really care about them. Wow! It's almost like a Disney movie ending. This episode was truly disturbing at times, something the TV series hasn't been in a while. This was a great, unforgettable episode.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 37 The Sweetest Sting Review

The Sweetest Sting originally aired on January 16, 1989. This was an all right episode. It wasn't too memorable for me. The cursed antique was a transport bee hive. The glass case made the bees vampire bees that drained the life of one person and gave it to another when being stung again. If this sounds weird and confusing, it is. It's also pretty dumb. A lot of the antiques have been recently. It's quite disappointing. This is another important episode for the series in terms of respect. This particular episode won a Gemini Award (awards for Canadian TV). Who knew this was such an award winning show? I didn't have a clue, but from the facts, it seems like it was incredibly well respected by the industry.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 36 Night Hunger Review

Night Hunger originally aired on January 9, 1989. This episode was pretty interesting for the most part. This marks the halfway point for the series. This is the first episode in the series where the object is not marked down in the manifest. This opens up the possibilities to multiple more cursed antiques...and episodes as long as the audience continues to watch. The cursed antique is a silver key chain. It has the power, if one kills and strokes a blank key with the victims blood, to make the owner beat anyone in a drag race. It's kinda dumb. It also gives the owner telepathic powers to control and drive the car at will without ever being inside the car. Ryan's father gets mentioned in this episode. We get introduced to Lewis's neighboring store owner, who is the villain's father in the episode. He ends up driving straight into his son while he's drag racing to end the evil and to get rid of his own guilt. It's a really awesome car explosion and is quite the climax. However, the cursed antique is lackluster. I feel like a majority of the episodes in this part of the series are really good, but the objects aren't which is a shame, because it leaves the episodes quite uneven.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 35 13 'O Clock Review

13 'O Clock originally aired on January 2, 1989. In the transition from 1988-1989, the show won an emmy for: Outstanding Achievement in Graphic Design and Title Sequence. This particular episode, is the second time Rob Heddon has directed for and the third time written for the franchise. This is a very important episode for the series, not in the sense of story, but in the sense of popularity and respect. The cursed antique is an old pocket watch. If you kill someone and are at the station at 1:00 am, time itself stops. You are the only person moving in the 13th hour. By 1:01 am, everyone gets back to moving, just like they were. When time stops, everyone but the person holding the stopwatch goes black and white and are frozen in time. The holder, in color, moves through a black and white world. It's visually stunning and a major achievement for TV at the time. I like this episode a lot. It brings back the trio that makes the characterization on the show so strong, it's technically astounding, and it was a fun episode. I can't really complain about anything. This episode in particular won the series it's second emmy for: Outstanding Achievement in Special Visual Affects in 1989. A huge episode for the TV series. The series seemed, at the time, like it couldn't stop.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 34 Read My Lips Review

Read My Lips originally aired on November 21, 1988. This was an extremely creepy episode. These episodes keep on getting weirder and weirder and the explanations are getting more and more complex as well. This is Jack's fifth episode that he doesn't make an appearance. The cursed antique is apparently Hitler's pink silk flower. This flower had the power to make a ventriloquist doll come to life. The more people were killed, the more the doll became an actual human. It's very scary. It's another killer doll, but at the end, it's an actual human running around. It's a horrifying transformation. This is a great episode. It's incredibly effective. I just wish the explanation again wasn't so confusing.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 33 Wax Magic Review

Wax Magic originally aired on November 14, 1988. This is the first episode in the series that Micki does not appear in. It's very shocking to not have her in the episode since she's been in 32 consecutive episodes so far. The episode does work without her, but I don't want her to be gone for much longer. The cursed antique in this episode was a handkerchief that could make a wax figure come to life. In order for the main girl in the episode, who had been completely waxed so the villain could have her as his wife, to survive, she had to, unknowingly, kill people to make her become more and more human. It's weird and confusing and not really explained all that well, which is a major downfall to this episode. However, having the main girl self-sacrificially melt was a little scarring. I'm not likely to forget that image for a long time. Major props for creating a visual that's memorable long after the end credits roll. This was an uneven episode. It fell short because of a confusing explanation for the cursed antique, but the ending was outstanding.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 32 Master of Disguise Review

Master of Disguise originally aired on November 7, 1988. Tom McLoughlin, director of Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI, returns to the Friday franchise by directing this episode in the TV series. This was a very bizarre episode. There really is no other way of wording it. Micki falls in love with the hot new actor in town. No one knows anything about his past. Yep, you guessed it, he's the villain in this episode. This man in reality is very deformed. He's pronounced a very talented young actor, but can only get small roles in horror movies. That all changes once he gets his hands on one of Uncle Lewis's antiques. The cursed antique is a makeup case that belonged to Lincoln shooter John Wilkes Booth. After having killed someone, placing the makeup on will give you stunningly handsome looks. I'm not a fan of the antique in this episode. It just seems dumb to me. The villain is mentally unstable. In fact he breaks down because all he wants is to be loved for who he really is. It's a very twisted and bizarre retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Micki actually feels remorse over him and feels sorry for him, knowing full well he killed a lot of people. That's true compassion and forgiveness right there. I love the message of the episode, the execution is all right, but it's not a knock out episode for the series.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 31 Symphony in B# Review

Symphony in B# originally aired on October 31, 1988. This episode for the first time this season felt like the first season. It's good to be back. Let me just say this: Ryan has THE worst luck of any leading man on any TV show I have ever seen! So far he's lost his younger brother when he was young and over the course of the show lost a fiance, not to death, but different circumstances, and to death he's lost his father and two girlfriends! That's some seriously bad luck! This episode marked the second girlfriend he's lost to death. The antique in this episode was a violin that was used to kill people to keep one alive and spark creativity in composing music. Let me just say that the burn victim at the end of the episode was awesome. That was some great make-up and what a way to shock the audience at the end of the episode! There's not much to complain about in this episode. It's not great, but it's not bad either.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 30 Tails I Live, Heads You Die Review

Tails I Live, Heads You Die originally aired on October 17,1988. This was an extremely intense episode. I'm very surprised. Only four episodes into the second season and already two episodes have been dedicated to actual religions. This episode put a lot of emphasis on Satanism. Unlike the Voodoo episode, Satanism was solely looked at as the villain, thankfully. It got incredibly uncomfortable to view because I honestly just want nothing to do with Satanism. I don't want to go anywhere near it. The cursed antique was the Coin of Ziocles. The coin would kill one person and bring another back to life. The stakes keep on getting higher and higher as the series has progressed. Micki actually dies in this episode. She dies for a period of time and it's heartbreaking to see, but in a big twist at the end she is resurrected to life being given the blessing, or positive side of the curse. She received both ends in this episode. It always amazes me that when the stakes are so incredibly high, I care so much for the characters. This was a fantastic episode, but that doesn't mean it wasn't uncomfortable to sit through.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 29 And Now the News Review

And Now the News originally aired on October 10, 1988. This is Jack's fourth time not to appear in an episode. This was an all right episode. For the first time this season, it felt like it did during the first season, which is a very good thing. The cursed antique is an old radio that announces what you're supposed to do in order to receive the reward it promises you. Say you want an A on your final exam, it will say you got the A, but you'd have to kill people in order to get it. The object even attempts to tempt Micki and Ryan at the end of the episode because Micki's tired of how tough it's been collecting cursed objects. They refuse it, obviously, but it was a very funny ending. Once again, Jack is not fully needed to make the show work. I love the trio, but it's not mandatory to make an episode enjoyable.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 28 The Voodoo Mambo Review

The Voodoo Mambo originally aired on October 3, 1988. This was a very unsettling episode to me. I truly hated how normalized Voodoo was represented in this episode. I hated how Jack in the episode said that they had their way of fighting evil and the trio had theirs. It's just not true. There can't be more than one right way. There are WAY too many contradictions all around. As a Christian, watching Voodoo get praised/looked at as a legitimate way to fight evil, it really got under my skin. The cursed antique is a Voodoo mask. This mask takes away people's souls, which Voodoos believe is in their throat. I'll give the episode this, if what they said about Voodoo is true (they've gotten a lot of 'facts' wrong just to make it fit for an episode), then I learned a lot about Voodoo that I had never learned before. I learned a lot more about Voodoo from this episode than I did from The Serpent and the Rainbow. Personally, I would skip this episode. It's not poorly done, but I just don't like the message that is being represented.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 27 Doorway to Hell Review

Doorway to Hell, the second season premiere, originally aired on September 26, 1988. This episode was a direct continuation of the first season finale, an oddity for a show that began as an anthology. This was one intense episode and the stakes were incredibly high, the highest they have ever been. There is no cursed antique in this episode. There is a mirror that Uncle Lewis uses in an attempt to set himself and a demon free on the Earth. The doorway to hell is indeed open, but Jack is able to close it before the demon escapes and Uncle Lewis is defeated yet again. This was a great way to start the second year. I am so attached to the trio, it's unbelievable how attached I have become in 27 episodes. This was one of the weirdest episodes yet. This episode is really strong, it is very different from the series premiere. It's odd to think that a killer doll is considered drastically normal in comparison. I'm hooked now though. Season two starts off on a high point for the series to that date.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 26 Bottle of Dreams Review

Bottle of Dreams, the first season finale, originally aired on July 25, 1988. This is a flashback episode. I love flashback episodes. I love taking the trip down memory lane. I always feel like an expert when I recognize a flashback. This episode had flashbacks of episodes 1, 3, 11, 16, 7, 10, and 13 in that order. Not too much new is added. The cursed antique isn't really an antique at all. It's a green gas in an Egyptian jar, another attempt from Uncle Lewis to kill his niece and nephew. We do learn of Jack's son who died at the age of 12 in this episode. Overall, it was great fun and from what I've read perfectly sets up the season two premiere. Season one had a lot of ups and downs, but with the flashback episode, it all felt worth it. I just hope the series continues to be rewarding.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 25 What a Mother Wouldn't Do Review

What a Mother Wouldn't Do originally aired on July 18, 1988. I really enjoyed this episode. It harkened back to Mrs. Voorhees, and as you well know, I LOVE that character. This mother, as opposed to exacting revenge will stop at nothing to keep her baby alive, including killing others as well as herself at the very end of the episode. The cursed antique is a baby crib. The story goes that a mother was so desperate to save her infant who was very sick while the Titanic was sinking that she attempted to pass the child to a lifeboat. None of the passengers were willing to take the child, even dropping the crib in the water. Instantly the lifeboats ropes detached and crashed into the water drowning seven people. The baby and crib were safe and sound. The curse if that the crib will keep the child alive, no matter how drastically ill the child is if you kill seven people in water. I enjoyed the Titanic reference, but that's NO WHERE near accurate and could be deemed offensive. I think this is the very first episode that we actually see someone seriously discuss buying an antique from Uncle Lewis. The first episode he refused to sell more. I thought this episode was very good though. I'd definitely watch it again.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 24 Pipe Dream Review

Pipe Dream originally aired on July 11, 1988. This episode ran high with emotions. Ryan's neglectful father is introduced in this episode. His father moved from town to town always in an attempt to get rich. The moving got worse after Ryan's brother died. Ryan doesn't like his father. He dropped out of college in order to get as far away from him as possible. It's revealed that Ryan's grandfather died the day his father was born. Uncle Lewis was the only true father figure for Ryan's father and it explains a ton. Ryan's father is the villain in the episode. The cursed antique is a pipe that when smoked claims a victim. The smoke from it causes the victim to be put on fire and eventually the smoke and the victim disappears. Ryan's father calls it a lucky charm. At the end of the episode, Ryan's father sacrifices himself in place of Ryan in order to save his son. The only villain so far to purposefully die in place of a main character is Ryan's father. Ryan is devastated by his father's death and it's emphasized that he died out of love for his son. It's emotionally powerful and you also get to see the strength of the bond of the trio at the end. This was an excellent episode that gives the viewer a lot to chew over long after the final credit is through.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 23 Badge of Honor Review

Badge of Honor originally aired on July 5, 1988. What's interesting is I was so not feeling this episode, but by the end, it had completely won me over. Jack does not appear in this episode for a fourth time. Let's continue with what was done poorly. The cursed antique in this episode is a sheriff's badge that upon touch kills whoever touches it. This antique is stupid and the way people die, jumpy, jump cuts galore, is painful to sit through and not for the right reasons. The secondary villain Has is also extremely boring in this episode. But here's the good parts: the main villain is great and there's a twist that I never saw coming. The main villain is seeking revenge for his wife who was hospitalized because of a car bomb explosion. He talks with his wife and vows revenge on all who caused this event to happen. We realize near the end of the episode that he's been holding a rotted corpse, a decrepit skeleton on the bed and it's nasty. That was a great twist, very Psycho. The other twist involves Mickey's old flame. Mickey by the way is all over her old flame, it's disgusting. She's definitely selling out. Ryan and Mickey find a gun in his bag. The audience knows he's making counterfeit money. He is definitely a villain. In the end you realize he works for the FBI and dies a hero. It was very shocking, but very satisfying all at the same time. It's not a great episode, but it's definitely the best since Quilt of Hathor.

Friday's the 13th: The Series Ep. 22 The Pirate's Promise Review

The Pirate's Promise originally aired on June 27, 1988. This was a really weird episode, and that's saying something coming from this series. I think the fact that I directed a pirate comedy makes this episode all the weirder to me. After I finished directing it, I wanted to stay away from anything piratey for a while, but having the pirate be a vengeful murderous villain was a nice break from the comedy that we had made. Jack didn't appear in this episode again. This is the third episode he has been absent. The pirate who is centuries old swore revenge on all of his crew who mutinied against him that he would kill all of their descendents. The cursed antique is a foghorn that calls up the pirate. If the owner has killed one of the descendents of the crew, the pirate gives him pieces of his gold which are brand new. The gold has been rumored to have been buried at sea and has never been found. These pieces of gold are brand new! The big twist at the end of the episode is that the murderer was also a descendent of the crew and is killed by the pirate in one final act of vengeance. This episode was just weird. I felt nothing for it at all. If I were you, I would skip this episode.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 21 Double Exposure Review

Double Exposure originally aired on May 16, 1988. This episode has a few problems. I'm just gonna throw that out there. Ryan got over Laura very quickly. Considering he was going to leave Mickey and Ryan in the previous 2 episodes, it's odd to see him so quickly dating someone else. Not only does he date someone else, but this girl gets killed in this episode. Ryan is devastated, which is understandable, but they show writers built up Laura SO much. It's very strange because Ryan's connection to the girl in this episode is no where near as strong, but he acts as if it's the strongest connection he's ever had with a girl. I have a serious problem with this. This definitely messes up continuity on the show, completely muddles it all up. The cursed antique in this episode is a camera that when you take a picture of someone creates a duplicate of them. A TV broadcaster has been using it to create a killer that only he has a connection to. Jack in this episode has a duplicate made of him and for a time he's a villain, which is a cool twist of events. However, the duplicate idea just isn't cool enough to stick out in your memory. The stakes are very high, but that doesn't save this episode from being just average.

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood Review

After nearly a full season of television and over a year off on the screen, Jason needed to come back in a big and new way to maintain interest in the movie series. One of the initial talks was to do Freddy Vs. Jason, but neither Paramount nor New Line Cinema were willing to let go of their profitable franchises. They finally decided that if they couldn't have Freddy, they needed the final girl to be a TRUE match for Jason. The final girl would have supernatural powers as well: telekinesis.

As always, we begin with the trailer. The trailer is definitely one of the better ones from the later entries of the series. It actually shows clips from the movie, unlike the trailer for Jason Lives. It's fun enough, but it is incredibly spoiler heavy. It's a far cry from the trailers for the first two entries in the series. The tagline for the film is: On Friday the 13th, Jason's back. But this time someone's waiting. I like the tagline quite a lot. It's ominous and hints at a spectacular final battle. Overall, the movie was advertised well enough, I mean, this is Part VII after all.

The movie begins with a voice over from the actor who plays Crazy Ralph, which is a major plus for all the fans of the franchise. The prologue features clips from Part 2, The Final Chapter, and Jason Lives. It gives a fairly extensive retelling of Jason Lives too. This makes since because it had been a while since Jason had appeared on the movie screen. I like the prologue a ton. It's a gift to the fans who have stuck through thick and thin, good entry and bad for this franchise. It's a very nice touch. Not as great as The Final Chapter prologue, but I won't complain.

The death scenes for the most part are lackluster. Let me make this clear: this is not the director's fault. This is the MPAA's fault. Every death scene was trimmed down to it's bare minimum. John Carl Buechler made a make-up effects extravaganza and none of it actually appears in the final film. The best death is (of course): the sleeping bag death. This would not have been the best death had the make-up effects been left in the final product. On the DVD in a very rough cut workprint, you can see all the hard work that went into the make-up effects. It's truly some of the best of the series and THE best outside of Tom Savini's work.

We cannot discuss Part VII without discussing the crucial element of casting Kane Hodder as Jason. Kane gave a face to the series and a star in the killer, but more on that in future reviews. The make-up on Jason is utterly fantastic. Every single scratch is accounted for in the make-up. Kane's presense in the role is so demanding of attention, it's striking. He gives a presence to a very lackluster film overall.

Tina, what a fantastic final girl. She's haunted by her powers. She accidentally in a fit of rage when she was young killed her father. Her powers are very untamed and it's frightening to see how powerful they can become. Lar gives a strength to Tina that hasn't been seen in final girls since Part III. Tina is a nice girl. She's incredibly attached to her mother and unfortunately loses her mother to Jason. She wants REVENGE. She uses her telekinesis to pretty much whoop Jason's butt. She's got an edge to her that we haven't seen in final girls for a while.

After praising the make-up effects and the final girl, where did this film go wrong? The side characters are just set up to die. This was a make-up effects show. You don't care when characters die. In fact, the film sets up a few for you to cheer when they do eventually die, which I find a little sickening. Long are the days when every character's death mattered. This series has become about the cool deaths and the gore and when they can't even deliver that...you're in trouble. We haven't had good side characters in a while, but the main girl is so well defined. If only the other characters could have been as well defined. It's quite a shame really.

As far as the music goes, it's a weird blend between Harry Manfrideini and Fred Mollin. Harry had scored the previous six films. Fred was scoring the TV series. They recycled some of Harry's cues and Fred wrote new music for the picture. It's not a good blend, but that will change with the next film. However, to my recollection this is the last time in the original series we'll hear the classic Friday cues.

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood was released on Friday the 13th, May 1988. It ranked #1 at the box office for the opening weekend. On a budget of $2.8 million, the film grossed $19,170,001. With continuing diminishing box office returns, the series had begun to run out of steam. The profits for such a low budget are extraordinary, but it's a FAR cry from the profits of the first film. Audiences didn't have to wait long for another Friday the 13th because within only a few days, the first season of the TV series was continuing and nearing it's climax.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 20 Quilt of Hathor: The Awakening Review

Quilt of Hathor: The Awakening originally aired on May 9, 1988. The conclusion was outstanding. This and the previous episode was just like one long hour and a half episode, like a movie. The sad, but cool thing is that these two episodes, the character dynamics are that much deeper than any Friday the 13th film to date. The stakes have been the highest as well. Ryan nearly gets burned at the stake, Ryan has to leave the woman he loves to continue to chase after the cursed antiques, Laura's father, the reverend, is spreading evil, etc...the list goes on and on. What I liked about this episode was even though her father spread the Devil's will, she held onto her faith at the end of the episode. She didn't run from Christianity, she continued to embrace it. Her faith was her own, truly. There's a pretty big jump scare at the end of the episode too, but that one doesn't really make much sense at all.

Before we continue on through to the end of the first season, we must take a break and return to Crystal Lake. After a year of not being on the big screen and a lackluster box office performance of the previous film entry, how were they going to bring Jason back? Better yet, after nearly a year of an anthology show bearing the title Friday the 13th (much like what Part 2 was originally going to be), how did they return to the movie series that made the franchise popular in the first place...well, we'll have to cover that next time.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 19 The Quilt of Hathor Review

The Quilt of Hathor originally aired on May 2, 1988. This was a phenomenal episode. It gave me exactly what I had been asking for: more connections to the characters. The majority of this episode takes place in an Amish community. Amish communities always fascinate me in film and this episode is no different. There's a scene early on when Ryan is dancing with this Amish girl Laura and it's like directly lifted from Witness it's not even funny. Ryan falls so deeply in love with Laura in this episode he gives up his duty to find the cursed objects. You can see in his eyes how deeply he feels connected to her. You feel for him and are rooting for him to win the girl. However, you also feel for Mickey who has such a strong connection to Ryan because of their duty. Mickey is devastated, left in tears at the prospect and what seems finality of Ryan leaving, and that's just the emotional part of the episode. The cursed antique is a quilt that makes your dreams a reality. If you dream someone to die, they die in real life. The boldest thing happened at the end of this episode...it didn't end. It was left open to be continued, a first for the series and a wonderful step in the right direction. The quilt Mickey has is a fake, proven by the fact that it can be destroyed. I can't even imagine how the show's audience must have felt by the finale of this episode. They must have been dying to see the next week's conclusion as well as I am right now.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 18 The Electrocutioner Review

The Electrocutioner originally aired on April 18, 1988. This episode is important to the franchise as a whole because it is written and directed by Rob Hedden who went on to direct Part VIII. This is the second time Rob has written for the franchise, but it is his first time directing. This was an average episode. This is actually the first episode since starting the franchise analysis that I have never seen. The rest of the TV series will be brand new to me. The cursed antique is an electric chair. If he electrocuted someone in the chair, it would not only electrocute them, but conserve the electric power and pass it over to the hands of the murderer who could then have the electric charge of an electric chair at the slightest touch of a hand. This episode was all right, nothing extraordinary. It seems to me, that the episodes that really stick out is when we learn more about the main trio, or if it's personal. But overall, this was an all right episode, nothing great, but far from the worst episode of the series to date.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 17 Brain Drain Review

(*Note: This episode actually aired after episode 18. It appears that the DVD release switched these two episodes, but for the purposes of following the DVD release, I will call this episode 17.*) Brain Drain originally aired on April 25, 1988. This was a strikingly good episode in comparison to the bore Tattoo was. The antique in this episode is a trephanator. This is an old medical object that could transfer spinal and brain fluids from one person to another. What the object does, is transfer intelligence. The villain has an IQ below 60. He kills 3 people by transferring their intelligence into his brain. The villain is played by the same actor who played the villain in episode 3. While doing some research on the series, apparently many actors play multiple roles throughout the series. I was going to say 'how could the producers not think we'd notice?' but seeing as it's already happened in episode 9 and episode 17 is the first time I notice, it's really not that big of a deal. This is also a heartbreaking episode. Jack's past is revealed. He was engaged to a woman who appears in this episode. He got married to another woman, but his traveling tore them apart and they got divorced. The woman he was engaged to, he proposes again and she says yes to marrying him. However, happiness doesn't last long on this show...she dies before the end of the episode and after losing her intelligence, she can't even recognize her fiance. That last point is never directly stated, but it's implied from the way she acts around him. This was a great episode, ultimately a fantastic view.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 16 Tattoo Review

Tattoo originally aired on March 7, 1988. This has been one of my least favorite episodes so far. It wasn't the worst, but it just wasn't a fun watch. I just didn't really care. This is the second episode in a row where a sibling tries to kill a sister. It seemed a little bit repetitive to me. The antique in this episode is a tattoo set. When you draw a tattoo on someone, the tattoo will come to life and be the thing that kills the victim. The most twisted scene is the claw that bursts through a guy's chest only to then choke him to death. Talk about a double whammy. I just didn't get to know the sister well enough to care. I'm glad she did live, and she seemed to genuinely care for her brother, however, too much of the episode focused on the brother and he just was so unpleasant. It just was a boring unfun viewing.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 15 Vanity's Mirror Review

Vanity's Mirror originally aired on February 29, 1988. Whereas the previous episode was a clunker, this episode is outstanding. This is by far the most disturbing episode to date. The antique in this one was a gold compact mirror. If the light reflected onto another person's face, it made the person instantly fall in love with the owner. The owner in turn had to kill the person. What was disturbing was the second owner in the episode. She had a very attractive older sister who was nothing but nice to her younger sister. However, Helen, the younger sister hated the older sister and was constantly jealous. Not only does Helen steal the older sister's boyfriend on the night of the prom, she nearly kills her by hanging her in her bedroom, as well as kills herself and her sister's boyfriend. This all happens the night of the prom. Talk about the worst prom night EVER! Oddly enough, although the airdate is in 1988, the prom poster in this episode claims prom 1987. What was the worst thing however, and this is what I truly love about this episode is that the antique wasn't retrieved and placed in the vault. Our trio fails in this episode. A truly bold thing to do. It'd be like having Monk not solve the case at the end of the episode and the killer gets out scot-free. Not only do they not retrieve it, but the final shot is somebody else picking it up. The evil lives on and it's the creepiest episode in the series to date. Such bold choices and all of them paid off.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 14 Bedazzled Review

Bedazzled originally aired on February 22, 1988. This is the second clunker episode for the season as well as the series. It's just really really dull until the final 5 minutes of the episode. The cursed antique is a lantern that helps one to find buried treasure, but the lantern in turn must be opened and burn someone (usually the diver who retrieved the buried treasure) for it to happen again. The lantern gets captured in the first 5 minutes and the rest of the episode is the previous owner doing everything he can to get it back from Mickey who is home away from Jack and Ryan babysitting a child. Jack and Ryan are in this episode; they capture the antique at the beginning of the episode. The biggest problem is that this is not the show to have a hostage situation. It just doesn't hold your interest for the full 45 minutes of the episode. The ending's really cool though. The previous owner gets burned by his own object, his own obsession. That's really clever execution and very satisfying, but it takes a solid 40 minutes of a 45 minute episode before anything of worth really happens. Overall, this is just a clunker episode that is easily forgotten in the entire run of the show.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 13 The Baron's Bride Review

The Baron's Bride originally aired on February 15, 1988. This is a wonderful episode. This is also an incredibly weird episode that attempts to rewrite history, has time travel, and has a majority of the episode in black and white. The object in this episode was a cape, one that had a diamond clasp that when two drops of blood mixed together sent the two souls back in time. The cape also made the man completely irresistible to women. Vampires are included. The episode says that Brahm Stoker got his idea for Dracula when Mickey and Ryan and a vampire visitor go back in time. Told you it was weird. The vampire kills Brahm's wife. It's incredibly sad. I balled my eyes out upon first viewing of this episode. Having the episode be primarily in black and white is also incredibly daring and gutsy. This has been by far, the most emotional episode to date and I LOVE it!

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 12 Faith Healer Review

Faith Healer originally aired on February 8, 1988. This was a pretty offensive episode if you ask me. I don't support televised faith healers by any stretch, but the episode seemed like an attack against Christianity in general. True Christians do not act the way that the faith healer does in this episode. The object in this episode was a white glove which could heal any sickness by getting the sickness onto the glove. The wearer then has to find someone else to put the sickness onto which amplifies the sickness ten-fold and automatically kills the person. If the glove is worn too long without getting rid of the illness, it kills the wearer instantly. It was great to have Jack back in this episode. Quite funny how one of his closest friends tried to murder him. It's deep stuff and Jack's line reading about how Lewis and his other friend both screwed him over is simply hilarious. The show is really deep, but it brought back the quirky moments in this episode. In all honesty, I would tell everyone to skip this episode.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 11 Scarecrow Review

Scarecrow originally aired on February 1, 1988. This is quite possibly the first very serious episode of the entire series. Again, Jack does not appear in the episode. The antique although completely ludicrous when written on paper, is taken so seriously, it amazes me. It is as you can guess by the episode title a scarecrow that once you attach a person's picture to it will behead said person. We get to learn more of Ryan's back story in this episode. Ryan had a younger brother Jimmy who got hit by a truck while playing baseball. Ryan acts like a brother figure to a boy who's lost his father in this episode. The way this episode ends is very fascinating. It's not on a joke. Mickey asks Ryan where the scarecrow put the heads of the missing people after he beheaded them. To end an episode on that note is gargantuan for this series. It is now completely creepy where not every question will be answered right away. Amazing turn for the series.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 10 Tales of the Undead Review

Tales of the Undead originally aired on January 25, 1988. This is the first episode that Jack is not a part of. The cursed object is actually very filmic in this episode. It's a comic book that upon getting angry can turn you into the invincible comic book hero. However, it's much more like Jason than Superman as Ferrus murders people left and right in this episode. Comic books are not my expertise. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a ton of in-joke references throughout the episodes, particularly pertaining to the names and the story of the comic book's creator, however, I can't be positive. I would love to watch this episode with a true comic book geek. Whenever the comic turns someone into Ferrus, like comic strips, it shows painted stills as it's transition. It's actually very cool. Ferrus is destroyed by a comic book award. It sounds so stupid to read and write out, but it's actually a very cool episode to watch. Jack was missed, but wasn't needed.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 9 Root of All Evil Review

Root of All Evil originally aired on November 28, 1987. This is the first time Rob Heddon, who went on to direct Part VIII wrote for the franchise. I really enjoyed this episode. One annoying thing though: Mickey when showing her fiance the cursed objects, in an attempt to convince him that she needed to be there, makes reference to two cursed objects that were not given episodes. For the legacy of the series, we must assume that those happened earlier, but for lazy writing, it's incredibly annoying. The cursed object in this episode was a mulch chipper from 1937. Quite an evil device, if you feed people into it, the chipper is called the teeth of hell, money comes out. How much money a person is worth, not how good you are, literally how much money you have, will be given you if you feed people into the machine. The guy who is the majority of the episode who feeds people into it, gets fed into the machine at the end. No money comes out, only blood. At first view of this episode many years ago, I interpreted this to mean that he was so horrid he wasn't worth a dollar and that the money that came out was due to how good of a person you are, but that's not what the episode says. It's literally how much money you are worth in the bank. Mickey proposes leaving in this episode. It's very strange. Friday the 13th has never had a solid hero that you felt so attached to that you'd be heartbroken if they didn't reappear in the next entry, but with Jack, Ryan, and Mickey, it's that way. I was very upset of the prospect of Mickey leaving. Luckily she didn't. Another good episode for an extraordinary series.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 8 Shadow Boxer Review

Shadow Boxer originally aired on November 21, 1987. This was an ok episode. I'm just not a big fan of the antique. The cursed object is boxing gloves. They belonged to a famed boxer who when he won the title actually killed his opponent. He never boxed again. Killer is etched into the leather of the gloves and a shadow kills someone who mocked you earlier while you practice or actually beat up an opponent. The way to defeat it is quite simple, you shine a light at the shadow which blinds the real man and makes the shadow disappear. Having an ending after an ending however was clever. The owner of the gloves was so desperate to get them back that he was willing to kill to be something again. These are definitely self contained episodes, there's no doubt about that. This isn't a bad episode by any sense of the means, but it's not nearly as good as others have been.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 7 Doctor Jack Review

Doctor Jack originally aired on November 9, 1987. This was another interesting episode for the series. The cursed antique in this one was a scalpel, which had been rumored to have belonged to Jack the Ripper, which could perform miracle surgeries, but only if the owner had hacked up someone else in the streets. The interesting thing is that the doctor in this episode was horrible in med school. He would never have been allowed to even perform one surgery. He, however, after finding the scalpel is able to save every single hopeless case and never lose a patient. He finds himself in the end having to save a life that he had just hours ago tried to end. This show is incredibly manipulative with your emotions, it's amazing. This is another one well worth seeing.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 6 The Great Montarro Review

The Great Montarro originally aired on November 2, 1987. This episode was a lot better than the previous episode. The antique in this one was a box that helped magicians do an impossible illusion. If someone was in the cursed box, magic would murder that person as opposed to the one in the box where stainless steel knives plunge through. All of this is quite twisted. It's great that the stakes keep getting higher with each episode putting a major character in a near death experience. Overall, this was a good episode well worth a watch.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 5 Hellowe'en Review

Hellowe'en originally aired on October 26, 1987 and is the worst episode to date. I wouldn't call it a total wreck, it's just not as good as the previous episodes. The cursed antique in this episode was an amulet that was going to revive Uncle Lewis. A major problem is we don't learn hardly anything at all about the object, which is part of the fun of every episode. The ending one liners keep getting cornier and more annoying with each episode too. It's an all right episode, but not up to the standard that it could be.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 4 A Cup of Time Review

A Cup of Time originally aired on October 19, 1987. This is the best episode since the first one. It's not as good as the first episode, but this episode with the makeup effects is really creepy. The antique is a tea cup that has swappers ivy panted on it. You get someone else to drink it, the ivy comes to life and chokes you. It gives you what you want. This woman Sara (or Lady Dye) wanted youth. She went around in the park killing homeless adults just so she could keep her youth. Once she looses the cup, her entire body starts to deteriorate and it is truly something to be seen. It amazes me how creepy the effects are on this show. They really took this show seriously. It's not a joke like Freddy's Nightmares was, this show deserves a lot of respect. This episode in particular dealt with temptation and how people treat it differently. Some people will do ANYTHING to get what they want, like Sara, who killed numbers of people in the park, just to stay young. While on the other hand, the old woman tries the same thing when she steals the cup, but she can't go through with it. It's an incredibly moral show. Watching people kill each other is never viewed as a good thing, a trap perhaps the movie series stepped into. I'm just always looking forward to the next episode, a great sign.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 3 Cupid's Quiver Review

Cupid's Quiver originally aired on October 12, 1987. Yet another great episode for the series. Neither this episode nor the second episode were as creepy as the first episode, but that's ok. This episode's antique was a statue of cupid. The story goes that the ugliest man who ever lived made a statue of cupid in his own image so that all the women who denied him, he could take revenge on them. The cupid statue has the ability to control women's emotions. The women then willingly have sex with a man they clearly denied. Afterwards the woman will say 'I love you' and then the man has to kill the girl in order to please the statue. It's quite twisted and has had a history of being passed down. It amazes me how much the TV series got away with showing. Another one definitely worth viewing.

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 2 The Poison Pen Review

The Poison Pen originally aired on October 5, 1987. Yet another great episode for the beginning of a wonderful television series. The antique on this episode was a quill pen that could predict the future. You could write your own future, but only if it was evil deeds. The owner of the pen wrote numerous monks deaths. It was definitely funny and interesting to see Ryan and Mickey posing as monks. The one liners at the end are incredibly cheesy though. It amazes me that this is the best the franchise has been since the original. What a wonderful TV series!

Friday the 13th: The Series Ep. 1 The Inheritance Review

Jason Lives for the first time in the series did not premiere at number 1 at the box office. The disappointment led to a brief break from the movie series. Friday the 13th: The Series has no connection whatsoever to the movie series aside from the title and the producers. There is an occult theme to it with cursed antiques, which Jason Lives introduced the idea of occult to the franchise. You could consider this a continuation/variation of a theme. Many people consider Friday the 13th: The Series the original X-Files. It definitely is a strong series.

The Inheritance originally aired on September 28, 1987. We get introduced to our main trio and it takes a while as you see with many stories that have a trio. The Inheritance refers to the antique shop. Ryan and Mickey have inherited an antique shop from their Uncle Lewis, who they never met before. Uncle Lewis had made a pact with the devil that if he sold cursed antiques that would ruin peoples lives and potentially kill them that he would live forever. He dies trying to prevent that from happening again.

The cursed antique in the first episode is a doll and it's insanely creepy. The doll is pure evil with this intense little whisper. It's very different from Chucky. It's established in this episode that none of the antiques can ever be destroyed. I have a feeling that rule gets broken more than once over the course of the series. This was a wonderful episode and a great start to a very promising series.

Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI Review

A New Beginning definitely was successful monetarily, but it upset a lot of fans. The producers had to move and move quickly which is exactly what they did. Jason would most definitely return in the sixth installment, but he would not be the same. Part VI marks a very interesting turn in the franchise.

As always we begin with the trailer. Actually the teaser this time. The teaser just zooms into the graveyard, goes to Jason's grave, has his tomb come up and open only to find that it's empty. The title isn't even given during the teaser. It's an odd way to advertise the film. Completely mysterious and the general public may have had no idea what was being advertised. The tagline: Kill or be killed, I just find that lame. It's an ok tagline, but it just doesn't fit the actual film.

As far as the film itself, well, it's ok. It's quite glossy and it looks nice, but it's got the weakest main characters to date and a sense of humor that feels incredibly out of place. The humor really doesn't need to be there. I'm just so indifferent about the film.

There's one cool death scene. Cort's girl gets one impressive kill in a motorhome. Also, after the motorhome is flipped over, we get an EPIC shot of Jason standing atop of the motorhome. The unfortunate reality is that by the sixth film, characters names just don't stick with you and you're kind of going through the motions just watching out of obligation as opposed to actual desire.

They made Jason stronger than he ever was before in this entry. Jason is resurrected by lightning. He becomes a member of the undead and seriously messes people up. Almost all of the deaths are impossible for a human to actually do. Zombie Jason, however, doesn't help matters much. I know the only way to make sense of Jason coming back to life was to make him a zombie, but he shouldn't even be alive in the first place according to the first movie. This franchise needs a severe logic check. Jason's no longer just a campfire story, he's practically an unstoppable monster in this film. No one can even harm him. They have to stop him by using occult means. What a weird thing to throw into this series!

Tommy's character I thought was completely ruined in this film. While it's interesting to have Tommy be the one who accidentally brings Jason back to life, after that Tommy becomes a complete bore as a character. There is no mention of his murder attempt against Pam. He's completely sane in the audience's eyes the whole film. It's just such a change from the fifth film. I know the fifth film wasn't received well by fans, but it's disrespectful to the series as a whole to ignore plot set ups in the previous film.

Megan, as a final girl, is the naughtiest girl to date. She's not really nice. She always goes against authority. We like her because she likes Tommy, but in reality there's not much to her. Her father is the sheriff, so that's new, but we've seen that before in Halloween.

The final battle is lame because the characters don't stand a chance against fighting back. Overall, this film just doesn't mesh with the other five. Whereas five had annoying characters, this film just doesn't fit in. It's different, I'll give it that, but when it comes to Friday change is never good and the audience agreed with me.

Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI was released on August 1, 1986. This film had the worst profit to that point in time. It opened up at number 2 in the box office, the first film to not open at number 1. On a budget of $3 million, the film made $19,472,057. A hefty profit to be sure, but not performing nearly as well as the previous entries. After the disappointing return of Part VI, the producers thought it was a good idea to take a break on the film series and let it rest for over a year. Where the franchise went next surprised everyone: television. How do you get Friday the 13th into a TV show...well, we'll discuss that next time.

Friday the 13th: A New Beginning Review

Money...that's what kept this franchise alive even after a 'Final Chapter.' The producers couldn't ignore a huge profit...so they didn't. A year later they came up with a fresh take on the series. It's one of the most controversial films in the series. I think it in ways is the worst and in many ways is the best.

As always, we begin with the trailer. Again, the trailer is lackluster. However, the tagline is not: If the memory of Jason still haunts you...you're not alone. Fantastic advertising. It totally plays on the nostalgia factor to the fans, plus gains new interest.

As far as the movie itself...this is the first film in the series to have a character who survives two films. Tommy Jarvis is back and better than ever. This is the best the Tommy character will ever be: tortured, mental, quiet, aggressive, but ultimately heroic. If you're not familiar with the ending, you could possibly think that Tommy himself is the killer. The film hints the entire time that it could be Tommy who's completely delusional and doesn't even know he's killing people. That's, however, not the case.

Apart from the amazing Tommy character who seems like a character from a drama, not a Friday the 13th film, the film's characters suck. While Tommy is completely serious and troubled, the rest of the characters are jokey and over the top. If you thought the characters in the first four were over the top, wait till you see these characters! The characters in the previous sequels were bland, these are annoying!

Pam as a final girl is only impressive at the end. It's very surprising to me how little time we actually spend with our final girl, but hey, Tommy's the real star of the film. Pam is nice, older, and has a good heart. She runs the institute/halfway house that Tommy arrives at. She does everything she can to make Tommy feel at home. She encourages him to go out and escape when she takes Reggie to visit his brother. As far as the end chase. She runs a little, but she fights back with a chainsaw! This is definitely one of the most powerful final girls we've seen so far. It's really quite sad that overall her character and actress are so forgettable.

A New Beginning didn't stand a chance against the MPAA. The MPAA gave The Final Chapter a lot of leeway because they assumed it would be the final entry in the series and they'd never have to deal with Friday the 13th again. Well, a year later when a new Friday film was submitted, they butchered the edit. There is not a single death scene that remains in it's entirety in the whole film. I don't know how impressive those effects would have been, but I don't feel right about critiquing something I can't see in it's entirety. The two death scenes that are standouts are back to back. Tina and Eddie. They both have deaths to do with eyes. It's really gross to think about...it's unfortunately the only impressive kills in the whole film. That's REALLY saying something because this film has the highest death count thus far: 21.

We cannot finish this review without discussing the ending. Tommy's not the killer, but neither is Jason. It's Roy, the ambulance driver. Roy saw that his son was murdered at the hands of a fellow institutioner. He blamed the Institute and decided to kill everyone involved in it and in the surrounding areas. While I like this twist, the audience didn't. I think it goes back to the charm of the original. Who's the killer? What's the motive? It goes back to it, only this time you see a hockey masked killer and think it's Jason the entire time. Jason's never been the BIGGEST appeal to the franchise for me, so it doesn't really affect me. I like how Tommy thinks he's crazy. I like that the sheriff tries to blame it on Jason and nobody believes him. It was incredibly smart writing...possibly too smart for a Friday film? You need to give the audience what they want, a lesson that was taken from this film.

Friday the 13th: A New Beginning was released on March 22, 1985. On a budget of $2.2 million, it was number 1 at the box office on it's opening weekend. The film is a lot of fun, deep in parts, and unbelievably annoying at others. It's incredibly uneven. In total, the film made $21,930,418. The money came in for the film, but the ending really upset the fanbase. Wanting to erase that this film had a copycat killer, the producers had to think on their feet really quickly. They had to bring Jason back to life, but how...well, we'll discuss that next time.

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter Review

It took two years between entries, but the producers finally decided to lay Jason Voorhees to rest. The Friday the 13th series had been incredibly lucrative to Paramount pictures and they were happy with how profitable the films were, but ultimately they were embarrassed by the overtly negative critical response to them. Jason Voorhees was going to die NO MATTER WHAT!

As always we begin with the trailer. While better than Part III's trailer it is no where near as good as the trailer's for the first two films. It just kinda is a bland trailer, not bad, but definitely not good, just bland. The two taglines leave something to be desired as well: 1. Three times before you have felt the terror, known the madness, lived the horror, but this is the one you've been screaming for and 2. Friday April 13th is Jason's unlucky day. They sell the film enough, but long gone is the circus feel of the first two.

As far as the film itself, this is the best film since the original. Oh no, it's nowhere near as good as the original, but it's miles ahead of the second and third films. You can tell the producers were serious about this being the final entry because of the way the film opens. The film opens with a giant clip show recapping the first three movies. It's fantastic and definitely feels like the beginning of the end. This film reminds you in the first two minutes about everything you've loved about Friday the 13th. It's just extremely clever filmmaking.

One of the best things this film has that no other sequel had up to or since the that point is Tom Savini returning for the gore effects. The effects in this film blow the previous three films effects sky high. Savini did some fantastic work on this film. It's sad that it's nowhere near as engaging as the first film. A lot of the deaths are lackluster as well. There's more notable exceptions than the previous two sequels, however, that's not saying much. Jimmy's death (Crispin Glover) in particular is great. He gets hit twice, not usually something you see in these films. Also, Doug (the pretty boy's) death is again very clever. Jason DESTROYS his face with only using his hands. Jason's death himself is the most spectacular death in the movie as it should be. Jason gets killed with his own machete and it's over the top gory, by far the goriest death in the series up till this point. The suspense and surprise however is gone once again and almost seems like it'll never return to the series.

I have to discuss two surviving characters this time. I will always give special attention to each and every final girl, however, attention must also be given to Tommy Jarvis. Tommy's the only character to survive through multiple films. He's young and naive in this film. He's also unbelievably talented with mask making, a skill he uses to outsmart Jason in the end. He turns his head into a mask looking like Jason as a little boy. This undoubtedly confuses Jason. As far as that though, there's not much else to discuss about him in the first appearance. Trish, on the other hand, has the least amount of character to her of any final girl yet. I really liked the actress though. She, aside from Alice, suffers the most. She's protective, succumbs to peer pressure, but ultimately is self-sacrificial when fighting Jason to try to create a chance for Tommy to live. She falls out of a second story window and still has to get up and fight Jason. It's really quite impressive.

In order to end the franchise, the producers decided to begin the day after the events of Part III and then the final murder spree occurs the following day. Having Jason go on such a huge rampage in such a short amount of time is both smart and horrifying to think about. The final shot of the movie Tommy stares intensely into the camera and we are led to believe that Tommy could become the next Jason. Halloween stole these elements in later sequels in that series. Overall, this is a great sequel, but has no shock value like the first two.

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter was released on April Friday the 13th, 1984. It was number 1 at the box office on it's opening weekend. On a budget of $2.6 million, the film made $32,980,000. A profit margin that large does not get easily overlooked by the studios and within a year a fifth film was in the works, but with Jason dead, how were the producers going to reinvent the franchise? Well...we'll discuss that next time.

Friday the 13th Part III Review

There were many different ideas about where to take Part III. One of the initial ideas was to follow Ginny and see how the first night with Jason had so deeply affected her, which would have made for a fantastic Part III (much better than what we have right here), however that is not the direction the producers chose because they felt it wouldn't give the fans what they wanted. A good assumption too. The producers were happy with the first two films and decided it might be time to close out the franchise as a trilogy. I don't know if Part III wasn't the way it is now if we would still be discussing Friday the 13th today. In many ways, apart from the original, this is the most important entry in the entire franchise. However, it is also one of the poorest films in the franchise as well.

Concerning the trailer...it just sucked. I'm sorry it was by far the worst trailer of the first three. They did count again...at the end and it was just so fast. The trailer also promised something that was impossible that the film would scare you, they even told us to count on it! Wow...the tagline for the film itself is also very weak: a new dimension in terror. Oddly enough, I think JAWS 3D stole this tagline...strange. The trailer focuses on the 3D element to Part III way too much and doesn't let the movie sell itself.

What is good about Part III, or at least what is interesting is that it shows us how Jason survived and is literally a day after the events of Part 2. If Part 2 took place on Friday the 13th, this film took place on Saturday the 14th. Having such a short time in the timeline between films with such different stories shows the depth and scope of the impact of the Jason character, but more on that in later entries.

Chris, as a heroine, is another fine entry for the series. Chris had a previous run in with Jason and she fought him off both times! She blacked out the first time, but the second time, she put an axe into his head! She's the first heroine to be haunted the entire film. She pays attention and is easily jumpy the whole time. This is much like the survivors in the Halloween series. This is quite new for Friday the 13th, I don't know if I like it or not, but it's different at least. I love Chris's back story with Jason. It's fantastic! It's one of the few events we hear about what Jason did between killing Alice and killing the second batch of campers at the counselor training center. The unfortunate reality is that Dana Kimmell, the lead in the film, is the weakest actress of the three so far. She did a lot of other stuff, however, she doesn't seem quite right for a horror film. She's got a great scream, but doesn't seem natural in a role like this.

As far as the 3D goes, I didn't watch the 3D version this time. I have watched the red/blue 3D before and it was great to see somewhat what it was supposed to look like. However, that's not the original 3D it had and I didn't feel like watching a desaturated version of the film this time. I hope to see it in a screening with the original 3D at some point in my life, but only time will tell.

The hockey mask. I know, I know this is HUGE for this series of films. The hockey mask was the smartest decision any of the crew members ever made on any of their previous films. It created a movie monster and is now irrevocably iconic. I love the fact that Jason steals it from a victim. I, however, do not like the way that Shelly dies. It seems too dull.

This is a major problem with this movie. Although, it's incredibly well paced, much more so than Part 2 was, the death scenes are immensely boring and predictable in this one. Far gone is the shock value to the deaths of the first film. What we have in its place is a bunch of nods to the first film that come across and cheap knock offs. Particularly the ending. The end 'jump' scare, if it's even worthy of being called that...sucks. There's no way around how horrible that jump scare scene is. Mrs. Voorhee's comes up way too slow and the slow mo doesn't work when it's not sudden and then slowed down, like the first two.

There are 4 good death scenes I can think of out of a total of 12 kills in the movie. The first one is Andy's death. Cutting him in half is more graphic than any of the other two films. It's a great scene and discovering his body works nicely too. Vera's death is iconic, solely for the fact that it's the first death where Jason wears the hockey mask. It works every time for me. It's just that cool. Chili's death with the poker, again great idea and execution. Finally, Rick's death, the ejecting eye, fantastic. I can't even imagine how audiences would have reacted in the theater initially to that scene.

Overall, Friday the 13th Part III is a very poor film without the original 3D element to view it in. Yes, it does add the hockey mask into the equation, but overall, it's not nearly as affective as the first two. The chase is ok, but nothing great. Just a disappointing film altogether.

Friday the 13th Part III was released on August, Friday the 13th, 1982. It was ranked number 1 at the box office it's opening weekend. The film was rereleased on May, Friday the 13th, 1983. On a budget of $2.5 million, the film made $36,690,067. With such a huge profit margin, the trilogy idea was tossed out the window. The producers wanted to put the final nail in the Friday the 13th coffin and kill Jason off for GOOD! How they went about it, well, we'll discuss that next time.

Friday the 13th Part 2 Review

The sequel to Friday the 13th went through various development stages. The initial thought was to do a different horror story every year, an anthology of sorts of Friday the 13th. Sound familiar? It should. John Carpenter attempted the same thing with his Halloween series, only later on. However, that option got turned down and the studio decided to make a film where Jason, the little boy who drowned who was the cause of Mrs. Voorhees motive, the killer.

As always, let's begin with the marketing. Yet again, the marketing for Part 2 is phenomenal. It's another body count, but this time it picks up from 14-23. Ingenious yet again. The taglines for the movie are genius as well: 1. The body count continues... and 2. The day you count on for terror is NOT over. I prefer the first tagline again. It's unashamed of what type of movie it is, fully embracing that these are body count movies with little character development.

As for the film itself, well...let's start with the good. They set up Jason as a menacing and powerful villain very smartly. Alice, the soul survivor of the film gets killed off in the prologue. This instantly signifies that whoever killed her is more powerful and dangerous than Mrs. Voorhees ever was. This killer was able to outsmart Alice! Also killing off Crazy Ralph, the prophet of doom in the first film, is another clever move. He tells the new counselors they're in danger, they don't believe him. He goes to the camp to warn them yet again, just like he did in the first film, but only this time...he doesn't leave the campsite alive. Another symbolic moment that shows how powerful Jason truly is.

Ginny as a heroine is once again a fantastic heroine. She's by far the smartest heroine of the entire series. She's a grad student studying child psych. Ginny, unlike Alice, doesn't seem to fit in nearly as well with the other counselors. She attempts to make a joke, but nobody finds it funny. She's second in command and has Paul's undivided attention, but that doesn't mean she's chummy with the rest of the counselors. She uses child psychology in the end to ultimately escape Jason as well. Another brilliant move by the filmmakers. It shows again just how powerful Jason is, while Alice beheaded Mrs. Voorhees, Ginny just barely escapes. She gives a fantastic fight, and ultimately she's rewarded with her life by escaping, but she didn't destroy Jason.

Now, onto the bad and trust me, there's loads. Having Jason truly be alive makes no sense at all. I get trying to make Jason an urban legend. That's way cool, the campfire scene was great fun in setting that up, however...the first film was so grounded in reality, almost a documentary of the day in those teens lives, that it's very jarring to go from very realistic to mythic proportions.

Another sad thing concerning Part 2 is the pacing of the film itself. The film has no sense of characterization or timing. Whereas the first film timed out each and every kill very carefully, the second film kills off a majority of their cast within a 15 minute time frame. That's way too fast! There's too much time before the counselors get knocked off and when they do, it happens way too quickly. The death scenes also leave a lot to be desired. However, I do not blame this on Carl Fullerton who took over for Tom Savini. I blame this on the MPAA who cut nearly a minute of footage that would have made all the effects 10 times better, but as it is, it's incredibly jumpy and unimpressive. The two standout deaths though, the only two I should add, are the deaths of Mark and Vickie. Mark's death is so shocking. I remember being thrown to the back of my seat in shock the first time I viewed the film! Having a guy in a wheelchair wheel down a flight of stairs moments after he's been killed, it's very twisted. Also, Vickie's death is a standout because she saw it coming and it was very slow and drawn out in comparison to the other kills, truly haunting.

Half of the cast disappears to go drinking. This is simply a ploy to get a few counselors alone at the camp and it happens way too late in the film to redeem such a large casting choice to begin with. Flashing back to the first film so much really shows the film's age as well. I get that understanding the first film is crucial to understanding Jason's motivation (revenge for the death of his mother and protection of his woods), but it's like five minutes of the film. They really did not need to flashback to everything. I'd be interested to see how they would do Part 2 today.

Friday the 13th Part 2 was released on May 1, 1981. The first sequel of any horror franchise, yes even before Halloween II. This film really started the sequel craze of the slasher genre and for that I owe it a lot as it's a genre that I love. On a budget of $1.25 million, the film opened #1 at the box office on it's first weekend. The film made a total of $21,722,776. Not a bad profit.

Friday the 13th Part 2 was nowhere near as solid of a film as the original movie was and the general audience agreed with me. Part 2 did not make nearly as much money as it's predecessor did. However, it made a profit that could not be ignored. A second sequel was just around the corner, but how could they keep the audiences interested? We'll discuss a new approach and a decision that changed the course of the entire series next time.