Part III- 3 Dimensions of Meh
OK, you know how just a little while ago I complained that there's no satisfying resolution to Part II? Well, it doesn't matter, because Part III completely refutes it anyway. In Part II, Jason gets a machete to the neck/shoulder in his shack. Ginny and Paul head back to a cabin, Jason busts through the window, machete still intact- cut to Ginny being wheeled away on a gurney, asking about Paul. At the beginning of Part III, we see Jason get the machete chop courtesy of Ginny...Ginny and Paul limp away from the shack, then Jason pulls out the machete and slithers away on the shack floor. In addition, Part III supposedly takes place a few hours after Part II, but somehow Jason has lost all of his crazy mountain-man wispy hair and is now completely bald. What the-? That tears it. Friday the 13th series, I may now hold a grudge against you.
This entry in the series is most notable for the following: Jason gets his hockey mask, and I had some nachos while watching it. Actually, OK, there are some creative kills here. There's the spear gun shot through the eye- I'm sorry, but Jason killing you from 30 feet away kinda kicks ass. There's also the machete hack between the legs of the dude walking on his hands, and the head squeezed until the eyeball flies out at the camera. That's right, AT the camera- this one is in 3D, remember? So there's lots of silly shots of things pointing at the camera. What was with that 3D craze America went through, anyway? There was F13, Jaws, Amityville Horror...I'm sure I'm forgetting some. How silly we are. I shouldn't have been surprised when the Macarena hit it big. This one's got the highest body count so far: 12.
Final Girl Chris is irritating throughout the entire movie- bitchy, whiny, and unfriendly, even though she's the hostess for this weekend getaway. I must give her props, though, for her behavior when she's the only one left standing against Jason. She pulls a knife out of her dead friend's back, stabs Jason twice, then jumps out a window; she puts a rope around his neck and pushes him out of a hayloft, and when that's not enough, she puts an axe in his skull. And she's stark raving mad when it's all over.
Bad omens for future entries in the series: the film is a "Jason, Inc." production, Harry Manfredini's score is replaced by a cheesy 80s synth beat (though the original music chimes in over the killings), and it's the first entry that doesn't take itself very seriously. The counsellors are becoming straight-up stereotypes, and there's frequent attempts at overt humor. For examples of both, check out the dope smoking hippy couple.
Oh dear god...I've only watched 3 movies so far...
Other fine films from the 80's that used 3-D
ReplyDeleteSpace Hunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone 1983
Peter Strauss takes Molly Ringwald (pre-16 Candles) and Ernie Hudson (pre-Ghostbusters) along for the ride on destroying Michael Ironside (post-Scanners). Started off kinda being a cool bounty hunter thing but quickly went into Road Warrior territory. Kinda impressive for not having a lot of "coming right at you" moments, which pretty much takes away from being a 3-D film.
Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared Syn 1983
Jeffrey Byron and Tim Thomerson ride through the alien landscape of Utah to rescue Kelly Preston from Michael Preston and some other guy who shoots green goo from his "robotic" arm. More moments of shit in your face but also featuring god-awful sp effects. The final chase sequence in the 2001 light show is amazing...for looking worse than the effects in Jaws 3-D
Paraside 1982
Yet another Road Warrior-setting in the far off year of 1992. Scientist with a thermos full of bad stuff exposes locals to the parasite. Nothing to really note here except for lots of ooze on bad make-up jobs. Demi Moore makes an appearance...pre-breast enhancement.
All these said, I need to get my hands on Silent Madness. Apparently it's much more fun than FTT 3-D with better production values. Plus any movie that uses a vice to crush a head always has my interest!
ahhh, I hated Chrissy. Or whatev. She a ho. :/
ReplyDeleteThis one sucks pretty hard until the last 20 minutes when the final girl gives Jason a pretty good run for his money. What really annoyed me was how clean Jason's clothes were in this. He looked like he just stepped out of JC Penny with brand new duds. Or am I supposed to believe he changed at the beginning of the movie after stealing clothes off the line?
ReplyDeleteMaybe Jason wanted to look good for his date with the final girl. According to a flashback, he caught her in the woods but didn't kill her. She passed out and doesn't know what happened. So Jason is possibly looking for a second date. He even takes off the hokey mask for her, as if to say: "Hey, remember me?"
ReplyDeleteOh, and REALLY annoying: Crystal Lake looks like muddy pond in this installment. Obviously shooting was moved from New Jersey to southern California, but really, couldn't they find a LAKE?
Just saw this on Amy Steel's Wikipedia entry:
ReplyDelete"She was offered the chance to reprise the role for the third film in the long-running series, but was forced to turn it down by her agent at the time"If that's true - that sucks!
You're 100% right about it- I don't dislike this entry, it's just that it almost pretends Part 2 never existed. Which pisses me off! 1 and 2 were by far the most creative of the series- yet it's the hockey-mask wearing Jason that is iconic in pop culture. Rrrggghhh... And besides Jason completely changing his appearance and outfit from Part 2 to 3- why doesn't he continue to pursue Ginny, like he did with Alice in Part 2? Instead he kills the store-owners at the first of 3 and goes after Chrissy and the gang...
ReplyDeleteI can't speak for the last few Friday The 13th's, but this one was notable for it's windstorm finale, vs the usual rainstorm final showdown (because rain is really hard to do in 3D, or at last it was in the 80's.)
ReplyDeleteMy thought on Amy Steel reprising Ginny for Part 3? I'll bet they would have off'd her in the first ten minutes, as they did to Adrienne King in Part 2.
The 3D craze was a short but intense fad. And I think I saw nearly every single crummy one, with the exception of Comin At Ya! (Hey, we were much more easily entertained back then fo' sho'.)
ah, i know the movie isnt strong, but dammit, its the first real horror movie i went to see in the theatre (went with my mom :( ), so i have a soft spot for it.
ReplyDeletefor the record, i always thought part 4 was the best of the bunch..
Admittedly not a great movie (not without the 3D, anyway), but to this day I occasionally find myself humming the insanely catchy disco theme music. I loves me some Hot Ice.
ReplyDeletePart 3 is my personal fave & Dana Kimmel' CHRIS HIGGINS is my fave Final Girl. This was supposed to be the final Friday. Originally they wanted Amy Steel's GINNY to be stalked by Jason in a mental hospital-likely deemed to similar to Halloween 2. Turns out Amy was never even aware until way later (hence Chris going crazy, having a "past" with Jason & the Tommy character in 4&5 & the funny farm setting of 5). Essentially, Amy's agent greatly effected the franchise, hope she fired him. Anywho, I love 3 mainly for the finale, Chris fought back hard! The original ending of the supposed final Friday was Jason decapitating Chris. That woulda been an awesome end. Ps-I love the disco theme.
ReplyDeleteI felt a bit cheated in this installment. First of all, this movie hardly counts as a sequel since it never bother linking anything from part 2. The only thing we got was stock footage opening and a "news clip" of the final scene from part 2, and then what? That's it. Jason offed two store owners and steal their clothes (for God knows what reason), and just start another uninspired killing spree. I don't hate this film, I just don't like that fact how thin and cheap the plot was.
ReplyDeleteIt's a real shame that Amy Steel didn't reprise her role for another film. I've heard every possible reason why, as well as all manner of claims as to what that film would have been. But a proper sequel (i.e. not just a repeat of the intro to Part II) would have been pretty damn great. It could have really elevated the series to something closer to Halloween or ANOES. Granted, those series have plenty of duds to their name. Yet, in my experience, they are often held in higher regard than F13. Personally, I find Part II to be on par with any slasher classic. Aside from perhaps the original Halloween. But I digress.
ReplyDeleteAs it stands, I largely agree with the review. Chris is pretty bleh until the final act, when she really lives up to her final girl status. That last act really propels the film. There are some good kills and a few good moments prior, but that chase sequence is one of the best non-Amy Steel chase sequences in Friday history. The fake-out ending is inexplicable given that no one in the film actually knows who Jason is - his name is never spoken - and thus would not be aware of his mother (though mom zombie aside, Jason's creepy window smile and door smash is pretty great). Ms. Voorhees's dream appearance is emblematic of the laziness (rushed-ness?) that characterizes this entry. It would make some sense if they originally had a different plan which was scrapped when they couldn't get Amy Steel back, because a lot of this one seems thrown together. Still, it does have plenty of entertainment value.