GET THE F13 KILLER CUT DVD HERE
Even though I am a fan of both HALLOWEEN and A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (the originals in particular), for some reason I enjoyed the FRIDAY THE 13th films the most. They knew exactly what they were. They specialized in gory murders and T & A, with camp counselors doing stuff they shouldn’t and being killed off in inventive ways. Purely a meat and potatoes kind of franchise, but I was willing to take every bite because I am a true fan. I’m talking from the early years with Mrs. Voorhees, down to the great Kane Hodder, and finally, Derek Mears taking over the coveted hockey mask. Don’t get me wrong, most of the F13’s are not exactly great works of art, but I really can’t resist. Which has been incredibly difficult on my wallet in an age where two, three or ten versions of a movie finds its way into the home video market.
With the recent success of Platinum Dunes reboot of F13, it is no surprise that Paramount is hoping that you dig in and make a few more purchases. And last night, I found myself at a little place in Hollywood called The Bungalow Club on Melrose. Dan Farrands, who produced the insanely fun HIS NAME WAS JASON: 30 YEARS OF F13, gathered a few horror fiends for the latest batch of flicks. So here it is, available now, you can re-visit Jason Voorhees (and a copycat) with the Deluxe Edition’s of FRIDAY THE 13th: THE FINAL CHAPTER, FRIDAY THE 13th PART V: A NEW BEGINNING and FRIDAY THE 13th PART VI: JASON LIVES. While the last box set released really didn’t offer the special features that fans were dying for, this time around there is much more fun to be had.
While I was late for the party, I didn’t get a chance to see the special features which they premiered early on in the evening. But from the looks of it and from what people had to say, it looks like things are looking better and bloodier this time around (Part 3 was pretty pathetic when it came to extras for the recent DVD release). From a “Lost Ending” for The Final Chapter where we learn what happened to Tommy Jarvis’ mom, to other assorted “slashed scenes”, the extras look to be very promising. There are commentaries for each disc and a little something called “Lost Tales from Camp Blood”, which I have to admit, I wasn’t a fan of the ones I’ve seen. But that’s okay, because “The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited” makes up for it. The new discs are mastered in high definition and given a new 5.1 surround mix, which means it looks and sounds a whole lot better.
As the party came to a close, I had a chance to chit chat with a couple of guys in the F13 family including Harry Manfredini and Larry Zerner (Shelly in Part 3). Manfredini was telling me about how he was inspired by Adrienne King’s “sighs” for the score in the first film. Now go and look back at the original, once it gets silent, you know something bad in going to happen. It was a blast to speak to him, a man who is not generally a fan of the genre. I have to say that I was also very impressed with Mr. Larry Zerner. He seemed absolutely genuine and was incredibly cool to speak with. He talked about bringing all his friends to see the film when it came out in the theatres, yet he didn’t go see THE FINAL CHAPTER because he wasn’t in it.
As a fan of the series, it was a blast to talk to these guys and of course, once again put down our hard earned dollars for another DVD. So it is up to you, will you wait for the box set which I’m sure will come out by the end of the year? Or can you wait that long? Or have you finally had enough of the double dip and can’t take it anymore?