By Tripp Laino
Staff writer
“Did you know a young boy drowned here? He was my son. His name was Jason, and today is his birthday.”
Jason Voorhees’ first film doesn’t officially turn 29 years old until May. But the arrival of the rebooted Friday the 13th brings a perfect excuse to look back at the last three decades where he has hacked, slashed and stabbed his way through scores of fornicating teenagers.
The series has taken some strange turns along the way, like a blast into space (Jason X) and a trip to hell in which the slasher split into various worm-like creatures that can inhabit the body of any nearby person (Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday). Despite the odd twists and turns, the horror franchise excelled when it simply involved a mutilated freak trying to make up for his mommy issues.
His Name Was Jason examines those 30 years and various films in a series of segments, dealing with everything from makeup effects to nudity. Of course, there’s also a lengthy look (approximately 15 minutes) at the 2009 incarnation of Friday the 13th, in which all of the film’s actors and writers assure fans that this is a faithful adaptation of the source material. The style is very similar to Bravo’s 100 Scariest Movie Moments or VH1’s I Love The … series of shows.
The documentary is composed of interviews with various celebrities and people involved with the creation of the series. Some celebrities (and that word stretches a bit here) include Seth Green (Robot Chicken), James Roday (Psych) and the Internet game reviewer from The Angry Video Game Nerd, who has a very funny review of the NES game Friday the 13th available on the second disc (and YouTube).
Interspersed between the pieces is narration by Tom Savini from the Friday the 13th set at Universal Studios’ Fright Night attraction. He pops up among the dismembered bodies in the exhibit and spouts off one-liners and short explanations of what’s to come.
There’s also a girl, running from (presumably) Jason (though he’s never seen) and screaming at the corpses she comes across. It’s rather silly, and while it may have seemed like a good idea in theory, it’s not carried out very well. She just looks ridiculous for most of the time she’s on-screen – it’s like a bad audition for VH1’s Scream Queens.
There are some fun segments where the celebrity interaction really works, such as the recitation of favorite lines (“Where the hell is the corkscrew?” from The Final Chapter) or recounting Jason’s highlight reel kills (such as the use of hedge clippers to cut a head in half). However, it seems wildly inappropriate that these pseudo-celebs should even be a part of the behind-the-scenes pieces.
It’s much more interesting to hear those involved in the creation of these slasher classics – such as the directors, producers and actors – discuss the process of making the movies. Savini’s discussions on the makeup and gore effects, or Kane Hodder’s (who played Jason in four of the films) talk about how he approached the character does a lot more for fans than hearing Roday’s funny comment about blood splatter.
The second disc of the collection provides a few gems that add to the value of the set. There are some extra interview segments, covering funnier topics – such as the homoerotic shaving sequence in Jason Goes to Hell – that didn’t make it to the main feature documentary.
In the full feature, a lack of balance between the celebs and the filmmakers leads to long stretches where His Name Was Jason really drags. The 90-minute runtime would probably have been better served at about an hour’s length, paring down the longer, less interesting segments. The documentary also suffers from a lack of actual film footage. Not surprisingly, it’s more entertaining to watch Jason than it is to hear people talk about him.
Tripp.Laino@yahoo.com
