SPLATTERdrome

Release Date: August 13th, 1993

Director: Adam Marcus

Screenwriter: Dean Lorey & Jay Huguely

Genre: Horror

 

 

Jason Goes to Hell, although still part of the official franchise timeline, can be viewed as a stand-alone effort for several reasons. It was the first (and only) Friday film released during the 1990's, the first to lack the “Friday the 13th” title card, operates under its own unique set of “Jason rules”, and was, like its predecessor, entirely ignored by future sequels. By “Jason rules” I mean the newly introduced concepts that (a) Jason is a parasitic, body-hijacking demon seeking to destroy his remaining family because (b) only a member of the Voorhees bloodline can definitively kill him. It’s a lot to swallow in one sitting so let’s start from the top.

 

The film begins with an excellent cold open, dropping the audience almost immediately back into the shadowy, abandoned camp and recreating the kind of old-school suspense we haven’t seen since Part 2. Unfortunately, I think it's the highlight of the movie, and the only point where it resembles a Friday the 13th film. Jason is dispatched as quickly as he’s introduced, and from there we get heart eating, body-jumping, and an abundance of 90's haircuts. The body of this picture in no way resembles the aesthetic we’ve come to know during the Paramount years, and your level of enjoyment depends on how willing you are to accept these fundamental changes.

 

I must comment on how stupid Jason's makeup is in this movie. He looks like a dirty ball of hamburger meat dropped on the floor of a barber shop. Also, what’s with the all-denim outfit? Putting him in a Canadian tuxedo is hilarious, though I don't think that was the intended effect.

 

There's one question every fan must answer when approaching Jason Goes to Hell: is the retcon of Jason as a body-hijacking demon stupid? Probably. The way I look at it though, we get Kane Hodder back behind the mask, and this reinvention is a much lesser offense than not putting Jason in the damn movie a-la Part V. I certainly dislike how little screen time the hockey mask gets, but I also respect the writers for doing something new that isn’t either corny or a careless gimmick. New Line won't afford us a respite from that kind of behavior moving forward so we must be grateful.

 

Another change is that Jason Goes to Hell doesn’t follow the same formula as the other films, and has more of an action, shoot-em-up feel. Again, this isn’t what I’m looking for in one of these films, but it does keep you interested throughout in ways that bad installments of the Classic Era sometimes failed to do. Removing Jason from Camp Crystal Lake - again - moves away from the aesthetic I enjoyed in previous films, and the abundance of filming locations eliminates any sense of claustrophobia. Director Adam Marcus also focuses on making the film self-referential and fun with varying degrees of success. It isn’t campy in the way Jason Lives was, but the film still gives a wink and nudge to series aficionados.

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Of course I must mention the Freddy Krueger gag at the end of the film. This moment excited a generation of horror fans, but I only rolled my eyes. Friday the 13th has a long history of false endings, so I didn't think much of this on first viewing. I had no idea that what I considered to be a throwaway in-joke would eventually become a cringe-inducing feature film that set new records for crass slasher cliches.

 

Jason Goes to Hell remains a polarizing entry for franchise fans. Some admire its effort to go somewhere new while others feel the new “Jason rules” spit in the face of established continuity. Personally, I share both points of view and wish the writers would have kept things at camp where these movies are most likely to succeed. Even so, I think this is a must-see for fans of this series. It's a fresh take on a beloved genre figure and made by people who care about this series. The love shows, even if you don't agree with the creative choices. Also, the unrated DVD commentary with Marcus and Huguely is probably more entertaining than the actual film. Check it out.