Friday the 13th, Part 3

FRIDAY THE 13TH-PART III is an awesome sequel and was the sequel that made both the brutal Jason Voorhees & his hockeymask an icon and still to this very day, since FRIDAY THE 13TH-PART 3 was the the first installment to the FRIDAY THE 13TH saga phenomenom where Jason(Richard Brooker) uses his hockeymask, which was a marvelous improvement and upgrade from his bagged mask in FRIDAY THE 13TH-PART 2 along with the fact that FRIDAY THE 13TH-PART III was the first and only FRIDAY THE 13TH sequel to be in 3-D, which was part of what made this movie so popular and such a big hit when it hit theatres back in the Summer of 1982 when we had all those budget cuts going on from the recession we had back in 1981-1982 during Ronald Reagan's presidency, which reminds me that FRIDAY THE 13TH-PART 3 was released the same year as HALLOWEEN 3:THE SEASON OF THE WITCH, which was released in the Fall of 1982.

I also thought it was really cool how they had displayed all the credits at the beginning of FRIDAY THE 13TH-PART 3 the way they had zoomed the words and letters of the credits in and back out instead of just using a black screen to display the credits right after after they had gotten through with showing scenes from FRIDAY THE 13TH-PART 2 where Paul(John Furey) and Ginny(Amy Steel) have a scuffle with Jason and barely get on with their lives after Ginny stabs Jason(Warrington Gillette).

In addition, FRIDAY THE 13TH-PART III was the 3rd FRIDAY THE 13TH installment 3 years in a row, since FRIDAY THE 13TH-PART 3 had been made a year later after FRIDAY THE 13TH-PART II was released in 1981 and released 2 years later after the original FRIDAY THE 13TH hit theatres in the Summer of 1980, plus I think director Steve Miner did an awesome job at directing both FRIDAY THE 13TH-PARTS 2 and 3 too, since Steve Miner has also directed other big hit horror flicks like HOUSE and HALLOWEEN H20, plus I liked the heartpumping music scoring done by Harry Manfredini in this movie too when he starts setting his sights on a bunch of immature teenagers at a farm retreat in Crystal Lake killing them off one by one right like flies on the same day they arrive too and even ends up getting 3 sleazy bikers in the process during his killing frenzy leaving only one survivor left(Dana Kimmell).

Additionally, I like most other people back then had assumed FRIDAY THE 13TH-PART III was going to be the last & final FRIDAY THE 13TH installment, since they didn't make 4th sequels back then, but it just so happened that Paramount ended up making FRIDAY THE 13TH-PART IV:THE FINAL CHAPTER 2 years later, which got released in the Spring of 1984, which by the way had started fourth sequels for every other movie, including HALLOWEEN IV, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET-PART 4, POLICE ACADEMY IV, ROCKY 4, PSYCHO 4, etc.

It's just too bad that Paramount couldn't make FRIDAY THE 13TH-PART III in 3-D and that they don't make movies in 3-D anymore either, despite the fact that 3-D was a very popular thing in the movie theatres back in the early 1980's.

Some fans name this as their favorite Friday the 13th film - but I'm not one of them. Sure, Jason finally gets the hockey mask and really gets his slashing groove on, but there's no denying the fact that the silliness factor that marred the series as a whole began here. Dope-smoking hippies and the world's worst and dweebiest practical joker definitely lowered my expectations early on, and the whole deal with opening the movie with an extended flashback of the climactic moments of the last film had already gotten old (plus, in this case, those events really have very little to do with the story as it unfolds here), so I was in a three-star mood about halfway through the action. Jason really stepped up to the plate, though, delivering some pretty cool kills. Maybe, just maybe, I might have been tempted to go all the way up to five stars if this were the original 3-D version released in theaters, but it's not (the 3-D version is apparently available only in Japan) - but I doubt it because I have a few issues with the film's blood and gore. Regrettably, the film's best blood and gore had to be edited out in order to avoid an X rating, which is just silly. Then you have the fact that two of the murders feature some of the fakest special effects you're likely to see. As it is, I give the film four stars - thanks largely to Jason's standout work.

Having escaped an attack from a deformed, mad killer a year earlier, Christy (Dana Kimmell) comes back to the property to prove something to herself, but all she really proves is that she's an idiot. Of course, she's apparently oblivious to the fact that Jason had just killed a gaggle of camp counselors the day before (although her old boyfriend Rick, being a local, certainly should have heard something about it). Personally, though, if I ever drive up on an old coot sleeping in the middle of the road who proceeds to get up, shove a fresh human eyeball in my face, and warn me to go back where I came from, I'm turning around, brother. Of course, all of Christy's friends are either too young or too stoned to worry about their mortality, especially when there's sex to be had just down the road.

So, basically, Jason has decided to hide out in a barn near Higgins Haven (and, despite what should be a massive manhunt for yesterday's Crystal Lake massacre killer, no cop even shows up to peruse the nearby lakeside property). Upon arrival, Christy and her friends go into basic slasher film mode - with some hooking up, some getting high, and some taking a drive so that they can arrive back home right after Jason has killed all of their friends. You know the drill. This time around, the designated oddball is Shelly (Larry Zerner); not being the best-looking fellow around (not by a long shot), he keeps trying to impress the ladies by playing stupid practical jokes (as if the old machete-in-the-head joke ever impressed a woman anywhere on the face of the earth). At one point, he even sports a wetsuit, underwater harpoon spear (huh?), and - wait for it - a hockey mask.

I believe this film was originally intended to be the final film in the series. That is the only rationale I can come up with to explain the conclusion, which I found worthy of a few boos. Not only are there some logistical problems involved with the whole idea, its payoff moment is of a distinctly "been there, done that" nature that pretty much backfires, in my opinion. You can't call the same trick play two out of three downs and expect it to work both times. Thankfully, the film made more money than its predecessors, paving the way for more Jason-style blood and mayhem in the years to come.

By this time there was no suspence left as to who the killer is. The opening credits inform us right away that Richard Brooker plays Jason. Yes Jason is the juggernaut who slices and dices his way through a small group of unsuspecting people. They just happen to be unlucky enough to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The movie starts off with a local drive by store near Camp Crystal Lake. A presumed married couple reside there. We are introduced to a stalking figure who hides behind the hanging laundry. We cannot see his face but we presume the worst.

This movie is undeniably Jason's movie. It is his coming out party of sorts. His identity is no longer hidden; just his face is. In this movie he recieves an iconic accesory which he will carry with him on the rest of his journeys.

We meet other characters in this movie shortly after Jason's roadside shopping excursion. They are a group of funloving young adults who are picking up some friends and taking a drive to an area near the infamous Camp Crystal Lake where ghastly murders just took place. On the way to their destination they are not aware of all of the blatant warning signs of evil that are marked all along their path.

They arrive and settle in. Not much happens for awhile except some socializing and a mishap at a nearby convience store. Night then begins to fall upon the area and that is where fun begins. It is Jason's area and he won't be denied.

This movie soon turns into a typical stalk and slash movie. We are then left with a final act that is full of that previously lacking suspense. And we even get to see the big man's face - which is quite scary-looking to say the least. And what we are left with in the end is more questions than answers - which is almost as entertaining as the previous sequel.

To add to the mystique of your usual Friday movies there are a few death scenes are quite good. And in this one Jason does not dissapoint

This one along with parts 2,4 and 5 are my favorite of the FT13th movies

My "Friday the 13th" marathon that began on Friday, June 13, 2008, continues with the next installment, "Friday the 13th Part 3." And Jason returns to slaughter more beautiful, unsuspecting young people who have ventured into his woods.

"Friday the 13th Part 3" is very different from the first two. I envy those who saw it in 3D and wish it would be re-released at the theatres in 3D. Perhaps 4D and this time we can smell the fear of the victims.

This film is also presented in a much wider aspect than the previous ones, 2.35:1 versus the standard 1.85:1. I believe I prefer the wider aspect.

The characterization is much better than the previous ones. There is Chris who must've been attacked by Jason and survived. She still suffers from paranoia because of the incident and imagines that someone is watching them. The best character, and the most three dimensional of them all, is Shelly who likes to play dangerous practical jokes in order to get attention. We all can sympathize with his character. At one time or another, we've pulled stunts in order to gain popularity, only to regret it later. Unfortunately, Shelly never seems to learn that people like him for himself.

I believe that I've always been afraid of hockey and hockey masks. They make the players look so ferocious and evil. And the ice skates they wear have blades that can slice your hands and face if they come in contact with them. Shelly must've found hockey masks scary. Why else would he be wearing one when he performs his last stunt to scare someone? Jason also must've thought it would be cool to wear a hockey mask when he killed people. Maybe that is why he killed poor Shelly and took it from him. From then on, he wore it throughout the rest of his stalking career. His competition, Michael Myers of "Halloween," had a cool mask; perhaps Jason felt that he needed one as well.

Great characterization and some gruesome, unique killings give "Friday the 13th Part 3" four stars. Best scene is when the muscular gymnast walking on his hands is sliced in half by Jason's machete. What a gruesome way to die!

"Friday the 13 Part 3" is a must have for fans of the slasher genre. In fact, the first four in the series are the best to own since they have a great story to tell of how Jason Voorhees became part of horror legend.