Fridays in October Part 9

This is the Friday I have been looking forward to revisiting the most. Why Becky, why would you look forward to such an abomination? Great question. Thank you for asking. I am attracted to the unattractive. I love this movie because everyone hates it. It’s not that I’m trying to be different or rebellious, but I frankly find the ninth entry to be quite the enjoyable movie experience despite the anger it stirs up in Friday fans. I’ve decided to give this film some love in place of the hatin’!

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday

In an effort to keep this organized, I’m just going to create little subheadings for everything. It’s a lot easier than you know…planning or outlining ahead of time. I’m just gonna’ write as I go, just like the screenwriters did for this movie.

A Yarn from Film School:
Firstly, I’m going to begin this by stating a personal connection I have to this movie. One of my cinematography professors from film school was the Director of Photography for Jason Goes to Hell. Oh how I considered asking him questions about this movie numerous times. You see, he wasn’t the friendliest of professors. In fact, he made it quite clear that undergraduates were not as talented (or worth his time) as graduate students in the program. Ostentatious, confrontational, demanding, and stubborn he was, but every now and he may have shared a pearl of wisdom. He acted like cinematography was the science of gods and he insisted on putting “ASC” (American Society of Cinematographers) after his name on every single document, including power points and tests. Whenever he challenged me about something, I felt like asking, “So how did Jason Goes to Hell work out for you?” I never did though, but then again, he was never as mean to me as he was to the other students that he made cry and quit cinematography forever. Anyway, the cinematography in Jason Goes to Hell isn’t good and I’m sure he knows it.

It's Jason's turn to make the "Oh shit" face.

The Insane Plot:
So everyone’s all pissed off about Jason’s evil spirit (or whatever) jumping from body to body. Yeah, this movie doesn’t have a lot of the hockey-mask wearing villain, all because some coroner decides to eat his pulsating heart. Why? Who Cares? Cool. Like I said before about Part V, it really doesn’t bother me that Jason is missing from a Friday the 13^th film. It’s the 90’s...horror is dying…they gotta’ pull out something new, right? It wasn’t time for his space adventure and he already went to the hoods of New York. I have no problem with a completely crazy, nonsensical plot. They’ve done it before and damnit, they’ve done it again—only this time its way more crazy! It’s a bold choice to completely gib Jason within the first ten minutes and then continue to his autopsy, which reminds me of Saw IV’s autopsy. Yes, he’s dead, he’s really really dead! Get over it. Oh wait…never mind. He’s only kind of dead. We kid, we kid.

Nope. This didn't happen.

What Sucks?
Now, I’m not going to sugarcoat this write-up. This movie has lots of suckage. Almost all technical elements are disappointing, ranging from epic failures to sorta-kinda working. Even Harry Manfredini’s score is not selling it. It’s way too dramatic and cued at some of the worst times.  And of course, the writing is ridiculous, to be polite about it. Things just don’t make a whole lot of sense and it’s completely out of fashion with the rest of the films. Lastly, life does suck without Jason Voorhees.  I do miss him, despite my appreciation for an attempt to explore new territory.

STFU, I like this movie.

What is there to LOVE?
Plenty! I have three letters for you: KNB. They deliver on some awesome gore and demon(?) EFX. My personal favorite is a camper who gets a metal post shoved through her chest and then split in half.  Go HERE to see it. Beware there is nudity and extreme violence, which is why I am not posting a picture. In addition to the wonderful blood and guts, we get an all out LAWLFest. If there were a Becky laughtrack for this movie, it would never be silent. I just giggle and guffaw my way through this entry. From the quirky diner owner to the ordinary-people-turned-badasses, there’s a good share of campy dialogue and off-the-wall moments to keep you happy. I even like the minor plot point that the FBI is now after Jason. After all, it makes sense. With well over 100 kills to his name, I’m pretty sure the federal government would be sending in aerial support to take him out. Despite being sad to see Jason disappear from the screen for a while, I’m actually quite fond of watching him explode before a hail of machine gunfire.

KNB saves an otherwise disastrous day.

Badasses:

Duke—He breaks fingers instead of getting paid off. He knows the secrets of dispatching Jason and isn’t afraid to confront him.

Steven—Although he wears glasses and a letterman’s jacket, which are normally signs of death in a Friday the 13^th film, this guy pulls out the stops. He jumps over his arms when handcuffed behind the back, smacks around some cops, gets his fingers broken by Duke to obtain information, and faces Jason off in hand-to-hand combat.

Vicki—This is one BAMF of a waitress. She whips out a double-barreled shotgun and blasts the Jason-possessed dude. Out of bullets? That doesn’t stop her. She grabs the BBQ skewer and goes to town. It’s too bad she’s not in this movie more.

Pure Gold.

Homages , Cameos, and Connections Galore:

Evil Dead II – The same Necromonican from the film appears in the Voorhees house.

John Landis—A character named Sheriff Landis, coincidence? I think not.

From Dusk Till Dawn – Jason’s heart was later used for the “Monkey Man.”

Cunningham County –On the police uniform. Uhhh, self-homage?

The Birds – The same jungle gym is used at the end of the film.

Creepshow – “The Crate” can be found in the Voorhees basement.

Kane Hodder – Security Guard, who calls out Jason.

Nightmare on Elm Street—Do I really need to explain the amazing ending?

Halloween—Someone mentions the “Myers house.”

Why Jason, you're just glowing! Is there someone special?

Best Quotes:

Coroner’s Assistant: “Yes, that’s a probe.” And then he is killed with it.

Security Guard (Kane Hodder): “He was nothing but a big ol’ pussy anyway.” Referring to Jason. Bad Call.

Duke: “She’s only your girl cause she hasn’t had a taste of the duke yet.”

Steven: “Planning on smoking a little dope, having a little premarital sex, and getting slaughtered?” At the Camp Crystal Lake Campers.

Conclusion:

You know you want to give this film another chance. Come on, you can do it. Just forget that you're watching a Friday the 13th and there's some prerequisite to see Jason, because it really is a fun, silly, crazy, campy movie.