Every month, we at The Spool select a filmmaker to explore in greater depth — their themes, their deeper concerns, how their works chart the history of cinema and the filmmaker’s own biography. 40 years after Camp Crystal Lake appeared on the silver screen, we look back at Friday the 13th and how the perennial slasher series mutated across the years. Read the rest of our Friday coverage here.
Forty-five minutes into Jason Goes to Hell’s 97-minute runtime, we learn that Jason Voorhees isn’t really a man named Jason, but instead is a body-hopping ancient evil that can only be killed by one with Voorhees blood while sporting a mystical dagger. Or so says Jason’s infamous bounty hunter nemesis Creighton Duke (Stephen Williams).
Of course, you, reader, follower of frightening film releases and fan of the Friday the 13th franchise, recognize not only the name Creighton Duke, but the supernatural origins of one of New Jersey’s more storied residents: Jason Voorhees.
You, reader, recall how the B-Plot of Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter included a duster-clad bounty hunter stalking Jason’s every move. Surely one could not forget the deep lore established by Pamela Voorhees during the final showdown in the original Friday the 13th where she attacks Alice with the single mystical dagger which could destroy the ancient evil we know as Jason. And who could forget when, as Jason melts from a murder monster into a young boy deep in the bowels of the Toronto New York City sewer system, the evil demon worm crawling out of Jason’s body to stow away back to Crystal Lake and one day rise again?
Of course, no one remembers these scenes. These scenes do not exist, have never existed, have never been part of Friday canon. Yes, it is difficult for a filmmaker to create a new and interesting story, especially working within existing lore (see Joss Whedon’s complete meltdown due to Disney interference during Age of Ultron). There isn’t a movie in existence that has pleased 100% of the people 100% of the time. The same issues that ring true for most video game-based cinema underline every absurd, misguided, batshit choice within Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday – let’s take an existing IP you know and enjoy and remove every aspect of the IP you know and enjoy.
Friday the 13th has always been a deeply cynical series of films – slightly mean-spirited, made for a quick buck, a half-step above the kind of movies Max Renn would air on Channel 83. The plots of the previous eight flicks are thinner than the blade on sharpened machete, while more motivation has been ascribed to bidets than to the needs, hopes, and dreams of the core casts. The constant draw of these flicks, was, is, and will be Jason Voorhees eviscerating Crystal Lake trespassers in gruesome, creative, shocking ways. It’s hard to imagine an audience attending the ninth installment of a franchise truly seeking a bold new vision.
The first instinct would be to lay the majority of blame at the feet of 23-year-old director and co-writer, Adam Marcus. A close family friend of producer Sean S. Cunningham, Marcus has the self-assured obliviousness of the youngest director ever hired by New Line Cinema and a Connecticut-born close family friend of a Hollywood movie producer. While Marcus may be sincere when speaking of his love of the franchise, in the film he allows Voorhees to be misspelled on a mailbox and moves Crystal Lake from New Jersey to Connecticut.
Let’s take an existing IP you know and enjoy and remove every aspect of the IP you know and enjoy.
Marcus’s project was not without limitations. New Line Cinema was only able to secure the rights to the name Jason Voorhees, the town of Crystal Lake, and not much else. While there were grand plans to bring in returning characters like Tommy Jarvis, Marcus and the creative team were left holding the skeleton of the Voorhees saga.
As it would happen, Marcus was, perhaps, further instructed to “get rid of that damn mask.” Young Marcus was feeling pressure to change up the formula of not only key story elements, but the films themselves. After looking at the reception of the previous entry, one can be forgiven for thinking that audiences wanted something more out of their teenage serial-killing series entry.
Where this film fails, and fails spectacularly, are the ways in which Jason Goes to Hell attempts to subvert audience expectations. Marcus is on record saying that Jason’s presence in the film should be a prize for the audience. This prize, however, is not at the bottom of a box of Cracker Jack, but rather in a box of broken glass, salt, and lemon juice. Every convoluted, contrived, unbelievable step towards the finish line is one coated in strains of credulity marred in disappointment.
Why, for instance, must the coroner (Richard Grant) possessed with the soul of the ancient evil formerly known as Jason strap a nude cop to a Reanimator-style table before first shaving the cop and then vomiting a demon worm into the cop’s mouth? Why does Creighton Duke give Steve Freeman (John D. LeMay) vital information used to defeat Jason as a trade for breaking Steve’s fingers which Steve will ostensibly need to defeat Jason? Why does Kane Hodder have a mullet? While that last one makes complete sense it must again be asked, why is this movie?
Halloween III: The Season of the Witch was able to break free from the franchise that birthed it to become a cult classic in its own right, and where the Michael Myers-less entry exists and thrives without its masked protagonist, Jason Goes to Hell constantly reminds the audience of everything they’re missing. Yes, someone gets thrown through a large window, and yes, Hodder dons the hockey mask for an entire six minutes, but where’s the heart?
Jason Goes to Hell is a return to form for Friday films only in that it suffers from the cash-grab mentality born from the creator of the franchise itself. It may be the naivete of the horror-hound to assume any notice or care would be paid to over twenty years of established canon before sitting down to write a script, or that Jason would appear for the bulk of the run time of a film which bears his name. While some core ideas of Jason Goes to Hell are refreshing, they are so at the expense of over two decades of history.
And, yet, that ending still rocks.
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday Trailer:
Read next: The Spool's Best New Releases
Streaming guides
The Best Live TV Streaming Services With Free Trial
The praises of live TV streaming services don’t need to be further sung. By now, we all know that compared to clunky, commitment-heavy cable, live TV is cheaper and much easier to manage. But just in case you’re still on the fence about jumping over to the other side, or if you’re just unhappy with ... The Best Live TV Streaming Services With Free Trial
How to Watch Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 3
Season 3 of the hotly anticipated Power spin-off, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, is arriving on Starz soon, so you know what that means: it’s the ’90s again in The Southside, and we’re back with the Thomas family as they navigate the ins and outs of the criminal underworld they’re helping build. Mekai Curtis is ... How to Watch Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 3
How to Watch Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials
Ladies and gentlemen, we’re so back! To celebrate Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary, the BBC is producing a three-episode special starring none other than the Tenth/Fourteenth Doctor himself, David Tennant. And to the supreme delight of fans (that would be me, dear reader), the Doctor will be joined by old-time companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and ... How to Watch Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials
Which Netflix Country has Interstellar?
Maybe you’ve just seen Oppenheimer and have the strongest urge to marathon—or more fun yet, rank!—all of Christopher Nolan’s films. Or maybe you’re one of the few who haven’t seen Interstellar yet. If you are, then you should change that immediately; the dystopian epic is one of Nolan’s best, and with that incredible twist in ... Which Netflix Country has Interstellar?
Which Netflix Country Has Each Movie of The Hunger Games?
For whatever reason, The Hunger Games series isn’t available in the same countries around the world. You’ll find the first and second (aka the best) installments in Hong Kong, for instance, but not the third and fourth. It’s a frustrating dilemma, especially if you don’t even have a single entry in your region, which is ... Which Netflix Country Has Each Movie of The Hunger Games?
How to Watch ESPN With A Free Trial
One of the major concerns people have before cutting the cord is potentially losing access to live sports. But the great thing about live TV streaming services is that you never lose that access. Minus the contracts and complications of cable, these streaming services connect you to a host of live channels, including ESPN. So ... How to Watch ESPN With A Free Trial
How to Watch Paramount Network With a Free Trial
To date, Paramount Network has only two original shows on air right now: Yellowstone and Bar Rescue. The network seems to have its hands full with on-demand streaming service Paramount+, which is constantly stacked with a fresh supply of new shows. But Yellowstone and Bar Rescue are so sturdy and expansive that the network doesn’t ... How to Watch Paramount Network With a Free Trial
How to Watch WE TV With a Free Trial
Previously “Women’s Entertainment,” We TV has since rebranded to accurately reflect its name and be a more inclusive lifestyle channel. It’s home to addictive reality gems like Bold and Bougie, Bridezillas, Marriage Boot Camp, and The Untold Stories of Hip Hop. And when it’s not airing original titles, it has on syndicated shows like 9-1-1, ... How to Watch WE TV With a Free Trial
How to Watch TNT Sports With A Free Trial
For many sports fans, TNT is a non-negotiable. It broadcasts NBA, MLB, NHL, college basketball, and All Elite Wrestling matches. And, as a bonus, it also has reruns of shows like Supernatural, Charmed, and NCIS, as well as films like The Avengers, Dune, and Justice League. But while TNT used to be a cable staple, ... How to Watch TNT Sports With A Free Trial
How to Watch Comedy Central With a Free Trial
It’s no coincidence that many of today’s biggest comedians found their footing on Comedy Central: the channel is a bastion of emerging comic talents. It served as a playground for people like Nathan Fielder (Fielder For You), Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson (Broad City), Tim Robinson (Detroiters), and Dave Chappelle (Chappelle’s Show) before they shot ... How to Watch Comedy Central With a Free Trial
How to Watch FX With a Free Trial
You’d be hard-pressed to find a bad show airing on FX. The channel has made a name for itself as a bastion of high-brow TV, along with HBO and AMC. It’s produced shows like Atlanta, Fargo, The Americans, Archer, and more recently, Shogun. But because it’s owned by Disney, it still airs several blockbusters in ... How to Watch FX With a Free Trial