One of the biggest problems with DVD release of Friday the 13th 3-D back in February was a near complete lack of extra features. I reviewed that release back then, so I’m going to borrow from that article as I write this one. Of course, differences will be noted, with the most impressive difference being that now there are several extras included.
Take 3
With the quick success of the first two films, director Steve Miner and Paramount wasted little time in releasing the third in the series just a year after Part 2. Once again, the story in Part 3 is that of a group of young adults, helpless and alone, deciding to forgo better judgment in favor of spending some time at a camp site near Crystal Lake. As it should be well known by now, that place isn’t quite right, and Jason once again feasts upon the inept young adults, killing them off in his traditional brutal fashion, one-by-one. As usual, one manages to escape in the end, but not before a long, painful altercation with Jason.
I thought this third entry into the series was actually quite a bit more enjoyable than Part 2. With Part 3, we get to see a lot of Jason in action, and he dons the infamous hockey mask for the first time, too. The violence and suspense in Part 3 was much better than that of Part 2 as well, and the additional ten minutes of running time allowed for a better experience to develop than the rushed Part 2.
One area I couldn’t find myself getting into was the 3D version, however. I put on the glasses and watched about half of the film in this way but it just wasn’t interesting or really as cool as I hoped for. It’s a good thing that Paramount included both the 2D and the 3D versions on this release.
Turning Blu
Friday the 13th Part 3-D on Blu-ray is considerably better than the DVD version in terms of presentation quality as well as extra features. As for the image quality, it isn’t terrible, but it’s far from impressive; expect some grain and various artifacts as you might expect from a low budget, early 80s film that wasn’t given the best HD transfer treatment possible. That said, this Blu-ray still looks notably better than the DVD release and for true fans of the film and series, that may be enough to warrant the purchase in itself. As far as audio, I thought the difference was less clear, but I do believe that the audio mix on this disc is superior to that of the first two Friday films on Blu-ray.
As for extras, unlike the DVD release which only had the trailer, this Blu-ray comes with several, all in HD. They include:
-Fresh Cuts: 3D Terror – This thirteen minute feature was actually quite interesting and serves as a nice documentary and look-back at the film. Discussions on the decision to go 3D, the difficulty in creating the film for 3D, as well as other plot ideas and endings are included.
-Legacy of the Mask – Another pretty cool feature running about ten minutes that talks about how Jason’s appearance changed over the years on screen.
-Slasher Films: Going For the Jugular – A short feature lasting a bit over five minutes that has some of the cast of the film talking about what goes into making a good, classic slasher film. Worth a look.
-Lost Tales From Camp Blood – Another painful addition, lasting about five minutes, to the uninteresting tale that is derived from Jason.
-Trailer – Eh, it’s worth seeing once anyway.
Let’s get to the summary…