‘Jason Goes to Hell’ & ‘Jason X’ 4K Review – Evil Gets an Upgrade in Flawed But Fascinating ‘Friday the 13th’ Sequels

Horror fans can be a fickle bunch, especially when it comes to nostalgic franchises. We don’t want the same story regurgitated with new characters, but straying too far from the established formula risks losing what drew fans to the property in the first place.

After churning out eight Friday the 13th movies with little deviation over the course of nine years, Paramount sold the rights to Jason Voorhees to New Line Cinema. “The House that Freddy Built” teamed with original Friday the 13th director/producer Sean S. Cunningham to revive the slasher icon with 1993’s Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday — which sidelines Jason, does not show Hell, and is not the final Friday.

The film kicks off with one of the franchise’s best prologues, condensing all the slasher tropes into a single sequence that subverts expectations by culminating in Jason (Kane Hodder, returning for his third of four appearances) being blown to smithereens by a SWAT team. The movie comes to a conclusion with one of the best sequel teases in horror history, as Freddy Krueger’s glove pulls Jason’s mask down to Hell.

Everything in between, however, is a bit messy. Playing like a soft reboot, the killer’s still-beating heart possesses a local coroner, beginning a body-hopping journey back to Crystal Lake where the last of the Voorhees bloodline resides. Only by them can he truly be killed, and only through them can he be reborn — and Jason will stop at nothing to return to his full glory.

Director Adam Marcus and writers Dean Lorey (Major Payne, “Harley Quinn”) and Jay Huguely deserve credit for fearlessly venturing into uncharted territory, but their big swings don’t always connect. No-nonsense bounty hunter Creighton Duke (Steven Williams, “The X-Files”) as the Quint to Jason’s Jaws is a welcome inclusion, but arguably the film’s cardinal sin is the addition of nonsensical mythology — which includes recycled Evil Dead II props — nine movies deep.

Gore alone does not a horror movie make, but good kills can certainly ameliorate a Friday the 13th experience. Jason Goes to Hell features a few noteworthy ones from the legendary KNB EFX Group (Scream, From Dusk Till Dawn), including a savage mid-coitus death and a gooey body melt, plus wince-inducing finger breaks that crack like a whip. The 91-minute unrated cut is markedly superior to the neutered, 88-minute theatrical version.

With Freddy vs. Jason stuck in developmental hell, Cunningham wanted to make another Friday the 13th film to retain audience interest in Jason. To avoid interfering with the continuity of the impending crossover, director Jim Isaac and writer Todd Farmer (My Bloody Valentine 3D) brought the franchise to the 25th century in Jason X.

In 2455, Jason (Hodder) and his would-be victim, Rowan (Lexa Doig, “Chucky”), are discovered cryogenically frozen on the long-inhabitable Earth by Professor Brandon Lowe (Jonathan Potts, “The Strain”), nippleless android companion KM-14 (Lisa Ryder, “Andromeda”), and a group of students. They bring the specimens aboard their spaceship, where the revived Jason continues his reign of terror in deep space.

From there, the plot borrows liberally from Aliens, along with elements of The Terminator in the Uber Jason upgrade, The Matrix in its stylized action, and Scream in its pithy self-awareness. Although the film makes the most of its limited budget, it lacks the prowess to achieve the spectacle of any of its inspirations, all but forgetting that it’s supposed to be a Friday the 13th movie for several stretches.

Isaac — a veteran special effects artist whose credits include Return of the Jedi, Gremlins, and The Fly — helms one of the best kills in slasher cinema, in which Jason freezes a woman’s face in liquid nitrogen before shattering it against a countertop. Isaac also casts his former boss, David Cronenberg, as the film’s first victim.

Jason Goes to Hell and Jason X have each been restored in 4K from their original 35mm camera negatives with Dolby Vision for Arrow Video’s new 4K UHD releases, looking sharper than the killer’s machete. Original lossless stereo and DTS-HD 5.1 surround audio options are included for both.

Jason Goes to Hell‘s unrated cut has three audio commentaries: a new track with Red Shirt Pictures’ Michael Felsher and Dread Central co-founder Steve “Uncle Creepy” Barton, which is like watching the movie with friends; a commentary from Scream Factory’s 2020 box set with the raconteur Marcus and Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th author Peter Bracke; and the lively original DVD track in which Marcus and Lorey poke fun at the film and one another.

Jason Goes to Hell also features new interviews with KNB’s Robert Kurtzman breaking down the special effects, actress Julie Michaels reflecting on her role as the prologue’s undercover agent, and composer Harry Manfredini on refreshing his approach to the franchise’s music.

Archival extras include a brief introduction by Marcus; interviews with Marcus and Hodder; a featurette on Marcus growing up with the Cunninghams; TV footage with optional commentary by Marcus; the theatrical trailer; six US TV spots; five Canadian TV spots; a stills gallery; and a gallery of posters and behind-the-scenes photos.

Jason X is accompanied by three commentaries as well: another irreverent new session with Felsher and Barton; the 2020 commentary with the self-deprecating Farmer and Bracke; and the original DVD track with Isaac, Farmer, and producer Noel Cunningham (son of Sean). It also has another new chat with Manfredini, who relished the opportunity to incorporate sci-fi elements into the score.

Archival extras include a fun introduction by Hodder in which he kills the viewer; Outta Space: The Making of Jason X with Hodder, Farmer, and both Cunninghams; interviews with Sean Cunningham, Farmer, and actress Kristi Angus; The Many Lives of Jason Voorhees, tracing the history of the character; By Any Means Necessary: The Making of Jason Voorhees; the electronic press kit; EPK interviews with cast and crew; behind-the-scenes footage; three theatrical trailers; eight TV spots, a gallery of over 250 stills; and a gallery of posters and behind-the-scenes photos.

Both limited edition first pressings come with reversible artwork featuring the original posters and new artwork by Gary Pullin (matching his Friday the 13th 2009 art), a double-sided poster, and a collector’s booklet. The Jason Goes to Hell booklet features writing by Hysteria Lives founder JA Kerswell and original production notes, while Jason X has essays by Kerswell and film critic Matt Donato.

With the lone Friday the 13th of the year fast approaching, it’s a perfect time to revisit — and, perhaps, reappraise — Jason Goes to Hell and Jason X. They may stray too far from the franchise’s roots — with highlights of both films being brief non sequitors to good, old-fashioned summer camp slashing — but they stand as flawed but fascinating attempts to breathe new life into a well-trodden property.

Jason Goes to Hell and Jason X are available now on 4K UHD.

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