Alright, the year was 1982 and the franchise known for one mean looking dude was back, and this time it was in full 3-D. That's right, 3D film isn't something that just came out in the last two years to annoy the crap out of me, it was around in the 1980's and this film was theatrically released with as much 3-D possible. The hilarious thing about this film, was that it was supposed to kill off the series and make it into a trilogy, but somehow by hook or crook, they kept making sequels, and I kept on buying popcorn and watching them.
Friday the 13th Part 3 was released in 1982, and it was a solid sequel to the franchise. The story was similar, a group of teens are out for some fun near Crystal Lake and they run into Jason, who's out for blood again. There is a few b-stories here, with a few quality gratuitous sex scenes, and quality kills, but overall, it's another predictable romp through Friday the 13th territory.
There is a bit more blood in this film than the previous movies, but the camera moves away from the more gorey parts so that you're not completely disgusted. It's interesting to see the body count stiffen as the movies go through the years, and ultimately, the gore and violence becomes cartoon like in the more recent movies. This time around, the gore is restricted to a few easy kills from long range.
It's interesting to note that there is a "token" black guy in this film, and guess what? He doesn't die first! He actually makes it pretty far, although he is taken out towards the end of the film, and he gets hacked to death, although it's off screen, so that no one gets offended.
There is nudity in this film, and it's not half bad. But it's not as extended as some of the latter films, especially that of Jason Goes To Hell, but it will be something for those that are keeping track of what predictable things happen in slasher films from the 1980's. I appreciated it, and it was a sure sign that someone was going to die.
The ending of this film is interesting as the last survivor wakes up to see Jason and out of the water comes his mother!!!! Yes, nice quality kill spot here. The movie has Jason dying, yet again, and we can only assume that he's finally dead, but those that are following the series, know that this is not the last time we see Jason Voorhees.
3D is interesting on dvd, especially since you have no 3-D glasses to make the effect work. There are a lot of shots with things flying at you, some good, some just ludicrous. There are some interesting undertones here and there about being left out, left behind, and trying to fit. But no one is really thinking about the social commentary that the film seems to display, as this is another splatterfest, and one that most likely inspired the classic Turbo Grafx and Sega Genesis games Splatterhouse.
There is an alternate ending that was cut from the film, and it can be found on some of the dvd releases of this one. The main hero gets decapitated by Jason and it's just all a dream, one bad dream, but eh...it would've sucked to have that as the ending.
Friday the 13th Part 3 is not half bad, it's not my favorite by a long shot, but it has quality acting, fun death sequences, good overall tone, and some great jokes. There is even a scene where the teens have to eat their weed because the cops. Some might remember the opening to Super Troopers in which a similar thing happens, only in this film, there's no comedic payoff. Check this one out for sure, it's not terrible, although it pales in comparison to what's to come in the series.
If you're interested in getting the original VHS edition of Friday the 13th Part 3, because you're like me, and you like that sort of thing, you can purchase the vhs here in new condition.
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