Sep 152013
 

this Friday the 13th: The Complete Collection box set is not terribly bad in spite of the lack of any new material, it pretty much matches the DVD set released by Paramount a few years back, and unrated cuts of Jason Lives.

 


Friday the 13th: The Complete Collection (1980-2009)


Genre(s): Horror
Warner Bros. | NR – 1117 min. – $129.95 | September 13, 2013

MOVIE INFO (Friday the 13th (1980)):
Directed by:
Sean S. Cunningham
Writer(s): Victor Miller (screenplay)
Cast: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Jeannine Taylor, Robbi Morgan, Kevin Bacon

MOVIE INFO (Friday the 13th: Part 2):
Directed by:
Steve Miner
Writer(s): Victor Miller (characters), Ron Kurz (screenplay)
Cast: Amy Steel, John Furey, Adrienne King, Kirsten Baker, Stuart Charno

MOVIE INFO (Friday the 13th: Part 3):
Directed by:
Steve Miner
Writer(s): Victor Miller and Ron Kurz (character creators), Martin Kitrosser & Carol Watson (screenplay)
Cast: Dana Kimmell, Paul Kratka, Tracie Savage, Jeffrey Rogers, Catherine Parks

MOVIE INFO (Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter):
Directed by:
Joseph Zito
Writer(s): Victor Miller & Ron Kurz & Martin Kitrosser & Carol Watson (character creators), Bruce Hidemi Sakow (story), Barney Cohen (screenplay)
Cast: Kimberly Beck, Peter Barton, Corey Feldman, Erich Anderson, Crispin Glover

MOVIE INFO (Friday the 13th: Part V – A New Beginning):
Directed by:
Danny Steinman
Writer(s): Martin Kitrosser & David Cohen (story), Martin Kitrosser & David Cohen and Danny Steinman (screenplay)
Cast: Melanie Kinnaman, John Shepherd, Shavar Ross, Richard Young, Marco St. John

MOVIE INFO (Jason Lives: Friday the 13th: Part VI):
Directed by:
Tom McLoughlin
Writer(s): Tom McLoughlin (written by)
Cast: Thom Mathews, Jennifer Cooke, David Kagen, Renee Jones, Kerry Noonan, Darcy DeMoss, Tony Goldwyn

MOVIE INFO (Friday the 13th: Part VII – The New Blood):
Directed by:
John Carl Buechler
Writer(s): Daryl Haney and Manuel Fidello (written by)
Cast: Lar-Park Lincoln, Kane Hodder, Heidi Kozak, William Butler

MOVIE INFO (Friday the 13th: Part VIII – Jason Takes Manhattan):
Directed by:
Rob Hedden
Writer(s): Victor Miller (characters), Rob Hedden (written by)
Cast: Todd Caldecott, Tiffany Paulsen, Kane Hodder, Jensen Daggett, Barbara Bingham

MOVIE INFO (Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday):
Directed by:
Adam Marcus
Writer(s): Jay Huguely and Adam Marcus (story), Dean Lorey and Joay Hugely (screenplay)
Cast: John D. LeMay, Kari Keegan, Kane Hodder, Steven Williams, Steven Culp, Erin Gray

MOVIE INFO (Jason X):
Directed by:
James Isaac
Writer(s): Victor Miller (characters), Todd Farmer (screenplay)
Cast: Kane Hodder, Lexa Doig, David Cronenberg

MOVIE INFO (Freddy vs. Jason):
Directed by:
Ronny Yu
Writer(s): Wes Craven and Victor Miler (characters), Damian Shannon, Mark Swift (screenplay)
Cast: Robert Englund, Ken Kirzinger, Monica Keena, Jason Ritter, Kelly Rowland

MOVIE INFO (Friday the 13th (2009)):
Directed by:
Marcus Nispel
Writer(s): Victor Miler (characters), Damian Shannon & Mark Swift and Mark Wheaton (screenplay), Damian Shannon & Mark Swift (screenplay)
Cast: Jared Padelecki, Danielle Panabaker, Amanda Righetti, Travis Van Winkle, Aaron Yoo

DISC INFO:
Features:
Audio Commentaries, Featurettes, Deleted Scenes, Theatrical Trailers, UltraViolet Digital Copy
Number of Discs: 9

Audio: Friday the 13th Parts 1-3, Friday the 13th (2009): English (Dolby TrueHD 5.1); Friday the 13th Parts 4-10: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1); Freddy vs. Jason: English (DTS-HD MA 6.1)
Video: 1080p/Widescreen 1.78, 2.35, 2.40
Subtitles: English SDH
Disc Size: Various
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Region(s): A, B, C (unconfirmed)

 

Note: Given there are 12 movies, I’m not going to go in-depth but provide a paragraph or two of my thoughts. The bulk of this review will focus on the features and audio/video transfers.

Note #2: Some of the audio and video portions are going to be redundant since there’s only so much that can be said spread across 12 films.

THE MOVIES – 2.25/5

Friday the 13th (1980) — 3.75/5
A classic horror film, it’s hardly perfect but for the genre is pretty original for the fact you don’t see the killer, only their POV, until the very end. The kills are gruesome, though timid I guess by today’s sick standards, and despite having some so-so acting is still a fun little ride that would spawn numerous sequels and a remake.

Friday the 13th: Part 2 (1981) — 4.0/5
This is a rare exception, especially in the horror genre, where the sequel was equal or better than the original. The sequel finds a new crop of coeds training to be counselors on the other side of the lake opposite Crystal Lake Camp being methodically hunted down by Jason Voorhees as he seeks vengeance for the slaughter of his dear serial killing mother. The kills are great and the introduction to Jason is wonderful.

Friday the 13th: Part 3 (1982) — 3.25/5
This third entry continues the saga and introduces yet another cinematic milestone: Jason’s hockey mask. Yep, we get some more coeds this time gathered together for a weekend of sex, drugs and other shenanigans on a ranch owned by Chris Hoggins’ (DANA KIMMELL) family. One by one, Jason picks off the men and women with Chris being the obvious last woman standing in this installment.

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) — 3.0/5
Not my favorite, though I know a few people who enjoyed it more than even the original, this entry finds Jason going after more coeds and killing them in unique ways from in the shower with his bare hands to the classic machete. However, as much fun as the series has been, the character’s actions in this one border on stupidity. Take for instance one gal is watching Jason killing a friend, she stands back stunned… while HOLDING A MACHETE! After Jason finishes his business, he focuses on the girl as his next victim. I could only shake my head at that scene and a couple others. Still, given it is the fourth in the series, it’s mildly entertaining.

Friday the 13th: Part V – A New Beginning (1985) — 3.0/5
The fifth entry takes an interesting turn for the series as Jason actually never appears and we instead have someone else behind the mask. Tommy Jarvis (JOHN SHEPHERD) is sent to a new age-like open sanitarium still reeling from killing Jason at the end of part 4. While there people start dying and Jason apparently is back for more blood. Personally, I didn’t mind that twist but it is getting the concept is getting a bit tired although I will give the writers credit for trying something new.

Jason Lives: Friday the 13th: Part VI (1986) — 3.25/5
The beginning of part 6 in the long-running franchise finds Tommy Jarvis (now played by THOM MATHEWS) going to the cemetery with a friend where Jason Vorhees is buried. He intends on making sure Jason remains good and dead by digging up the grave and burning the body. But thanks to a not-so-freak lightning storm and a well placed shovel into the corpse, lightning strikes twice and brings Jason back to life and now more immortal than ever before! This entry returns to Camp Crystal Lake now named Camp Forest Green and is a fun addition and although the kills aren’t anything new, it’s still a fun little flick with one of the better female leads (JENNIFER COOKE) since Part 3.

Friday the 13th: Part VII: The New Blood (1988) — 2.0/5
The beginning of the end for me in this series as the seventh entry finds Jason going mano-e-girlo with a young woman who can move objects using her mind and thusly goes after the hockey-mask wearing serial killer after she inadvertently raises him from the depths where he was left at the end of part 6. This is a silly movie and even with a cute lead actress, it’s just so dumb and filled with awful acting. Trivia note: this is Kane Hodder’s first foray as Jason.

Friday the 13th: Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) — 1.0/5
Shark meet Jason. Jason, meet the shark. Now that Crystal Lake has grown tiresome for our intrepid serial killer, the filmmakers decided to place Jason on a boat with a bunch of bratty “teenagers” and a few d-bag adults. This is by far the worst in the series so far and even though it’s only 100-minutes long, it feels like it goes on for an eternity. The acting is OK but Jason has transformed and developed some sort of telepathy as well as the ability to appear in multiple places in mere seconds. There’s only so much suspension of disbelief one can have…

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) — 0.5/5
The series somehow devolves even further from Jason Takes Manhattan and as bad as that was, it at least wasn’t boring. Jason Goes to Hell doesn’t even feature Jason, outside of possessing other bodies, for maybe 7-8 minutes and the maniac killer doesn’t even go to hell until the end. The only reason I’m giving it a 0.5 rating is because of the last scene that would promise Freddy vs. Jason… 10 years later.

Jason X (2001) — 0.5/5
How in the world did this franchise go from slasher in the 1980s to science-fiction in the dawn of the 21st century? Everything about this 10th film in the series is lousy from the acting, which I realize has never been this franchise’s highlight, to the scares which there are none. But the kicker is the end when we get Uber-Jason as he gets an upgrade in a hockey mask and supped-up invincible body. Where Jason Goes to Hell was boring, this entry is lame and I have to wonder what the hell was being said in the studio’s production offices before filming.

Freddy vs. Jason (2003) — 4.0/5
The bringing together of these two iconic horror characters was promised 10 years earlier in the awful Jason Goes to Hell but it was worth the wait. Robert Englund hams up the screen one more time while Ken Kirzinger fills the big shoes of Jason. The battle between the two is epic and even the human characters aren’t quite cardboard cutouts, though admittedly they are mere fodder for the two villains.

Friday the 13th (2009) — 3.75/5
I may get some slack for saying this, but the remake actually wasn’t that bad paying homage to the original while laying the groundwork for establishing their own universe which presumably Warner wanted to include the awful Nightmare on Elm Street remake, and a sequel which likely won’t happen. In any case, the kills aren’t exactly unique but the story and set-up is fun to go along with caricature characters ripped straight from the 80s.

SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.5/5

The 9-disc set comes housed in a book-like case which sits in a nice tin. Inside is a book, like Universal’s Monster Collection and the “Rome” Complete Series, a Camp Crystal Lake patch, two standard 3D Glasses, a 40-Page Book “Crystal Lake Memories”. and a download code for the UltraViolet Digital Copy for the entire series.

Before I get into the features the cast and crew commentary from Friday the 13th Part 3, in the “From Crystal Lake to Manhattan” Collection, is not included in this set. To my knowledge everything else from the “Complete Collection” Deluxe Edition DVDs has been ported over.

Friday the 13th (1980) — 3.5/5
Audio Commentary
– Moderated by Author Peter Bracke, the track includes Director Sean S. Cunningham, Screenwriter Victor Miller, Betsy Palmer (Mrs. Voorhees), Adrienne King (Alice) and others are culled together from various sources.

Friday the 13th Reunion (16:45) is a cool featurette where cast and crew members gathered in 2008 at a convention for a reunion and sharing memories of the production.

Fresh Cuts: New Tales from Friday the 13th (14:07) are interviews with the cast and crew, probably taken during the same with some of the same tidbits though there are more participants that were not on the reunion panel.

The Man Behind the Legacy: Sean S. Cunningham (8:58) – The director discusses his memories and experiences of working on the movie and how it has affected his life over the years.

Rounding out the disc is Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part 1 (7:31), a 6-part slasher movie where Jason hunts and kills more coeds; The Friday the 13th Chronicles (20:34), an older featurette with archival interviews; Secrets Galore Behind the Gore (9:32) is another old featurette focusing on the special make-up effects; Theatrical Trailer (2:34).

Friday the 13th: Part 2 (1981) — 2.25/5
Inside “Crystal Lake Memories” (11:15)
is an interview with the author of “CLM” book giving insights about the research going into writing it going through archives. It’s nothing more than a promotional item but it’s not too bad.

Friday’s Legacy: Horror Conventions (6:50) looks at the popularity of F13 at the various conventions and the icons from the series who attend them. This is more or less fluff material.

Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part II (8:54) is the continuing story of the short film.

Jason Forever (29:27) – This old featurette focuses on iconic nature of our favorite slasher serial killer at a convention with different participants talking on a panel intertwined with interviews and behind-the-scenes photos.

Original Theatrical Trailer (2:12)

Friday the 13th: Part 3 (1984) — 1.75/5
Fresh Cuts: 3D Terror (12:52)
is a featurette about using 3D being the ‘hook’ to bring something new for the fans. It’s interesting to at least hear the process of doing 3D.

Legacy of the Mask (9:33) – Yep, the iconic mask gets its own featurette where interviewees chat about how it came about.

Slasher Films: Going for the Jugular (7:09) focuses on the kills in the series and what made Jason so scary.

Finally there is the Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part III (4:49) and the Original Theatrical Trailer (2:09).

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1985) — 3.25/5
Audio Commentary
– There are two tracks available. The first is with Director Joseph Zito, Screenwriter Barney Cohen and Editor Joel Goodman; the second track is a fan commentary with Adam Green (creator of the Hatchet movies) and Joe Lynch (director of Wrong Turn 2 and a friend of Green’s). Both tracks are actually quite fun with the first bringing some behind-the-scenes trivia and the second from an outsider’s perspective.

The Friday the 13th Chronicles, Part IV (13:16) – This old featurette has interviews with the cast and crew (including Corey Feldman) primarily talking about making the second sequel and distinguishing it from the previous movies.

Secrets Galore Behind the Gore: Tom Savini on Part IV (13:30) – The master special make-up effects artist discusses his work on The Final Chapter.

Deleted Scenes (15:20) are some scenes, with no audio, removed and includes a director’s commentary.

Jason’s Unlucky Day: 25 Years After Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (11:03) is a cool retrospective featurette with new-ish interviews with the cast and crew speaking to how this was supposed to be the final F13 film and the end of Jason.

Deleted Scene: The Lost Ending (3:22) is an ending that was found, along with the other outtakes and deleted scenes presumably, and shown with commentary.

The Crystal Lake Massacre Revisited, Part 1 (18:10) – This is a mock documentary treating as if the events in the movies were real.

Also included are Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part 4 (6:22), Jimmy’s Dead Dance Moves (2:09) about Crispin Glover’s unusual dance, as well as the Original Theatrical Trailer (1:56).

Friday the 13th: Part V – A New Beginning (1985) — 3.0/5
Audio Commentary
includes Director/Co-Screenwriter Danny Steinmann, Actors John Shepherd (Tommy Jarvis) and Shavar Ross (Reggie) and horror guru Michael Felsher (on the phone) who is a fan of the movie. It’s a lighthearted track but a lot of fun as the participants reminisces about their time filming.

The Friday the 13th Chronicles, Part V (5:51) is the latest installment this one focusing on the first film and mostly has Corey Feldman explaining why he couldn’t reprise his role beyond the opening and his thoughts on the character going on.

Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part 5 (7:10) is the continuing saga nobody gives a crap about, myself included.

The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited Part II (10:11) – This is the second part of the mock-umentary acting as if the massacres were real, something supporting characters refuse to even acknowledge.

New Beginnings: The Making of Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (11:04) is the most comprehensive featurette for this movie getting the thoughts from various members of the cast and crew who worked on the film.

Original Theatrical Trailer (2:00)

Jason Lives: Friday the 13th: Part VI (1986) — 3.25/5
Audio Commentaries
– There are two tracks, one with just Writer/Director Tom McLoughlin and the other with McLoughlin joined by Editor Bruce Green and Actor Vincent Guastaferro (Deputy Cologne).

The Friday the 13th Chronicles, Part VI (14:42) are fairly elaborate interview sound bites with director McLoughlin and C.J. Graham (Jason) talking about some behind-the-scenes stories about the production.

Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part 6 (7:17) is the next installment of the student film series.

The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited, Part III (9:36) – Yep, part 3 of the mock-documentary continues. Nothing great but I’ll give them credit for going all out with this thing.

Jason Lives: The Making of Friday the 13th, Part VI (12:57) – This featurette is a set of “new” interviews with McLoughlin and others in the cast and crew, though the director has the most to say, discussing the sixth film and giving it a comedic twist.

Meeting Mr. Vorhees (2:46) is an alternate ending (via storyboards) where Jason’s father would be introduced.

Deleted Scenes (6:06) are a culmination of scenes excised, or trimmed, for one reason or another.

Original Teaser Trailer (1:43)

Friday the 13th: Part VII: The New Blood (1988) — 2.75/5
Audio Commentary
– Director John Carl Buechler and Actors Lar Park Lincoln and Kane Hodder sit down for a fun track discussing their time working on the project. It’s nothing profound but I enjoy tracks that include the actors.

The Friday the 13th Chronicles, Part VII (11:39) – This old featurette has interviews with various people including Kane Hodder, Lar Park Lincoln and John Carl Buechler primarily talking about the new look for Jason.

Secrets Galore Behind the Gore (11:11) has Buechler delving into the make-up effects for Part 7.

The Making of Friday the 13th: Part VII (15:07) is a pretty good and newish featurette with updated interviews with Buechler and Hodder while Lincoln’s is the older material. The participants discuss more items like the changes demanded by the MPAA.

Mind Over Matter: The Truth About Telekinesis (7:25) – This thin featurette gets interviews with experts in the scientific field, as well as a psychic, talking about the telekinesis in the film.

Makeover by Maddy: Need a Little Touch-Up Work, My Ass (2:43) – This is a reunion between actresses Elizabeth Kaitan (Robin) and Diana Barrows (Maddy) as the pair get a make-over.

Deleted Scenes (17:01) include a whopping 21 scenes that were either cut or reduced due to the violence which, as Buechler says, would be tame by today’s standards. Be warned, however, they are in really rough shape.

Original Theatrical Trailer (1:39)

Friday the 13th: Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) — 3.0/5
Audio Commentaries
– There are two commentary tracks available: 1) Director Rob Hedden and 2) Actors Scott Reeves (Sean), Jensen Daggett (Rennie) and Kane Hodder (Jason).

The Friday the 13th Chronicles, Part VIII (14:32) – This old featurette has some interviews with writer/director Hedden and Kane Hodder sharing some BTS info on the production such as shooting Vancouver posing for New York City.

New York Has a New Problem: The Making of Friday the 13th: Part VIII (18:02) – Is more of the same but updated with newer interviews and includes more of the cast chatting up their experiences. This is actually one of the better ‘making-of’ featurettes in this entire set…

Deleted Scenes (12:56) includes 16 scenes which were sliced and diced from the final cut, some thanks to the MPAA.

Gag Reel (4:54) contains fun on-set hijinks and flubbed lines.

Original Theatrical Trailer (1:19)

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) — 0.5/5

Additional Scenes: TV Version Alternate Scenes (12:31) contains nine scenes that were made for the television airing.

Theatrical Trailer (1:13)

Jason X (2001) — 2.0/5
Audio Commentary
participants include Director Jim Isaac, Writer Todd Farmer and Producer Noel Cunningham. The track is pretty routine though the three seem to be friendly and offer little bits of info about the actors and the production.

The Many Lives of Jason Voorhees (29:56) is a lengthy featurette looking at the different incarnations of the hockey-mask wearing serial killer and his origins.

By Any Means Necessary: The Making of Jason X (17:33) focuses on the actual making of the 10th in the series providing behind-the-scenes footage, on-set interviews and such as they put on a wonderful performance in making people believe they were making a good Friday movie…

Theatrical Trailer (2:01)

 

Freddy vs. Jason (2003) — 3.5/5
Audio Commentary
– A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th fans’ wet dream, we get a track with Robert Englund and Ken Kirzinger… and director Ronny Yu. But seriously, the trio relay on-set trivia on how working on the project and bringing the two iconic characters together.

Genesis: Development Hell (10:22) chronicles the path of the project and how it finally came about.

On Location: Springwood Revisited (14:33) is an old EPK featurette made mainly to advertise the movie.

On Location: Cabin Fever (6:09) has some fly-on-the-wall footage of the key scene during the finale.

Art Direction: Jason’s Decorating Tips (11:33) focuses on the set designs for dream world and the overall look of the film.

Stunts: When Push Comes to Shove (21:38) looks at the stunt work done and the amount of work necessary.

Make-Up Effects: Freddy’s Beauty Secrets (6:30) examines the prosthetics and the process of creating it mainly for Freddy.

Visual Effects (35:22) contains a breakdown on 12 effects-heavy scenes.

My Summer Vacation: A Visit to Camp Hackenslash (3:57) is a short featurette about… well, not entirely sure. I THINK it’s about the crew working on the movie…

Pre-Fight Press Conference (3:48) is a fun little promo touting the match between Freddy and Jason filmed in Las Vegas.

Deleted Scenes (16:16) – There are a grand total of 19 scenes shortened or removed for one reason or another including an alternate opening and ending.

Also included is a Music Video (3:15), the Theatrical Trailer (1:12) and TV Spots (3:46).

Friday the 13th (2009) — 2.25/5
Picture-in-Picture
– This feature provides on-set interviews and behind-the-scenes with the cast and crew all while you watch the film. It’s not bad but nothing special either.

The Rebirth of Jason Voorhees (11:24) is a look at the reintroduction of a horror legend. We get to hear from the cast and crew as they detail the development of this new Jason.

Hacking Back/Slashing Forward (11:41) – Take a look back at what made the original Friday the 13th one of the most successful horror franchises in film history as the cast share their memories from the original film and why it was important to give the series a fresh start.

Rounding out the features are The 7 Best Kills (22:33) giving a glimpse at how the top 7 kills were filmed; Additional Scenes (8:19) for shots reduced to completely cut (probably due to pacing issues); and the old BD-Live which nobody uses anymore.

** BONUS DISC (DVD) ** — 2.25/5
Note:
This is the exact disc that came with the “From Crystal Lake to Manhattan” Collection.

The Friday the 13th Chronicles (1:43:15) contains all eight parts with a ‘Play All’ option. It’s the same stuff from the ones above but includes 1-3.

Secrets Galore Behind the Gore (23:00) – Like the “Chronicles” featurette this has all the parts put together.

Crystal Lake Victims Tell All (15:36) has interviews with the different actors who became victims of Jason Voorhees.

Tales from the Cutting Room Floor (17:12) compares alternate scenes with the final cut and shows extended scenes as well.

Friday Artifacts and Collectibles (7:01) looks at the props used in the different movies.

Last up are the Original Theatrical Trailers for Friday Parts 1-8.

VIDEO – 4.25/5
AUDIO – 4.0/5

Friday the 13th (1980)
Originally released by Paramount in 2009, this transfer looks quite good for its age. Given a bulk of the movie takes place at night, there is some instances of noise but even so, the detail levels are solid and the colors look nicely balanced such as the yellow and orange raincoats which shine through the dark shots. 4.25/5

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track is very strong from the victims’ screams and shrieks to the now classic score by composer Harry Manfredini which really comes through the front and rear channels with excellent pitch and clarity. 4.5/5

Friday the 13th: Part 2 (1981)
Presented with a 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio, this sequel looks really good with solid detail levels. There is a fair amount of natural film grain but it’s never overabundant and the color scheme, like the last outing, looks nice and balanced without it bleeding over (no pun intended). 4.5/5

The TrueHD track for this movie isn’t quite as strong but the blood-curdling screams do come through well enough through the center speaker while the still amazing score, as well as ambient noises like Jason’s approach, helps envelope the other channels nicely. 4.0/5

Friday the 13th: Part 3 (1982)
Unlike the first and second movies, this one is a bit wonky in its look. The 1080p high-def transfer has some decent detail levels in some spots but others are rough with an almost splotchy look. The colors seem OK but the details are limited. Not sure if this is a bad transfer or merely a byproduct of the 3D look which doesn’t make for the sharpest picture anyway. 3.25/5

This TrueHD lossless track might not be as dynamic as its predecessors but it gets the job done with crisp and clear screams, nice surround elements with a downpour of rain and the score, which is weaker this go around, coming through with some depth. 3.5/5

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
The 1080p transfer for this entry comes across a lot better than in Part 3. The details are nicely defined, blacks are nice and stark and the amount of noise is low. There are some minor instances of dust marks and scratches in some places (as well as two light blue lines in one scene) but it’s nothing too obvious. 3.75/5

The DTS-HD MA 5.1 track here is adequate albeit nothing outstanding. Dialogue levels do sound good although there are couple scenes that top out but I think that has more to do with the source material than anything else. 3.75/5

Friday the 13th: Part V – A New Beginning (1985)
Warner Brothers, via Paramount, releases the fifth in the series with a 1080p HD transfer that looks pretty darn good especially considering not only the age but also the low budget. The picture shows off some fine detail especially during the daytime scenes while the darker scenes still look decent and don’t show signs of artifacting. 3.75/5

The disc includes a nice DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless track which has crisp and clear dialogue from the center channel and the other, more action parts, make up the front and rear channels. And once again, the classic score really comes through especially during the opening credits. 4.0/5

Jason Lives: Friday the 13th: Part VI (1986)
Equally as impressive is part 6 which resides on the same disc as part 5. The 1080p transfer on this movie, presented with a 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio, seems to have good details being able to see every spot on Jason’s mask and the back of his head while background objects can be on the blurry side. The black levels are deep enough and the picture on the whole seems clean enough aside from some minor scratch marks. 4.0/5

The DTS-HD MA 5.1 on this movie pretty matches part 5 from the dialogue levels to the other sound elements such, once again, the stormy weather to the slasher audio for each of Jason’s kills. 4.0/5

Friday the 13th: Part VII – The New Blood (1988)
The 1080p high-def transfer shows off nice details and a decent color array. The picture shows no signs of artifacting and I didn’t notice any significant flaws with the transfer such as dust marks or scratches. It’s not something I would call reference quality but it’s a nice transfer especially for the budget. 4.25/5

The lossless audio track, once again 5.1 DTS-HD MA, isn’t anything amazing yet still notable enough. Again, the bulk of the action takes place through the center channel from the dialogue/screams to the stabs and gushing blood. The front and rear speakers, meanwhile, round out for some decent depth for ambient noises. 4.0/5

Friday the 13th: Part VIII – Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
Crap movie it may be, but the picture looks pretty darn good. The movie is presented with a 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p HD transfer (with a MPEG-4 AVC codec). The black levels are especially impressive as I noticed those shots to be dark with no artifacting or pixilation, it was absolutely clean. The lighter scenes are also well detailed and while there is some fine grain, it still is a solid transfer and no doubt never looked better. 4.0/5

Nothing different from the others, this 5.1 DTS-HD MA track shows off especially on the boat with the usual water noises when – yet again – another major storm hits the vessel. The dialogue also sounds nice and clear although there are some minor issues that seem associated with the source material rather than anything to do with the transfer. 4.25/5

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
The ninth film receives a decent 1080p high-definition transfer. Presented with a 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio (originally shown in 1.85), the picture here doesn’t look half bad even with what I suspect is a lower production budget. The detail levels are good and the blacks seem stark. There’s a moderate amount of natural grain but it’s not overabundant. I do recall some minor instances of scratches but all in all it’s a fine, if not above average, transfer. 3.75/5

The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track offered up sounds good if not unexceptional. Like the other movies, it heavily relies on Manfredini’s score which, although still good, is getting tired and you can tell the composer is growing tired of it. Then you have the slasher elements and blood squishes which comprise most of the center channel. 4.0/5

Jason X (2001)
This sci-fi slasher also gets a 1080p HD transfer and presented with a 1.78 aspect ratio. While I don’t consider anything here to be astounding as the details are at times a bit soft, it does look better than its DVD counterpart. There are no signs of artifacting or pixilation and the film grain is minor. The colors do seem nicely balanced, standing out in the darker and dank spaceship setting. 3.75/5

The lossless track (DTS-HD MA 5.1) here is robust and a bit more expansive thanks to being confined on a ship which shows off the quieter, ambient noises to the explosions, gut gashing and body breaking, bone-crunching scenes. 4.5/5

Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
The evil vs. evil entry makes its debut on Blu-ray with a respectable 1080p transfer and shown with a 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio. Unlike the previous installments, this one relies heavily on colors going with extremes on either spectrum from the cool blues to hot reds and everything in between. First, the dark scenes/shots are clean while the lighter shots show off some decent detail levels, though it’s a bit off when it comes to Freddy’s oversaturated scenes and clearer during the regular actors parts. 4.0/5

The 6.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track (newly minted) provided is just as strong with some excellent LFE effects through some key sequences while the center channel shows off some solid audio with clear dialogue/scream levels while the front and rear speakers help round out one of the better outputs in this box set. I’m not sure if this is quite reference quality but it’s pretty darn close… 4.5/5

Friday the 13th (2009)
Surprisingly not very strong, this 1080p transfer of a film made only a few years ago tends to be soft in some scenes and a bit better detail in others. Not sure if it was due to how the film was shot, but there were a few shots that looked blurry while others looked quite good. The black levels are stark and I didn’t notice any overabundance of artifacting. 3.75/5

The weakest of all the tracks, the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track is, at best, uneven. The opening credits, accompanied by the recognizable score/theme, boasts strong levels with the LFE channel kicking in. However, as we get into the film, and especially for scenes where someone isn’t being hacked to death, the audio sounds really low to the point where it was hard understanding what the actors are saying. 3.5/5

OVERALL – 3.0/5

Overall, this Friday the 13th: The Complete Collection box set is not terribly bad in spite of the lack of any new material, it pretty much matches the DVD set released by Paramount a few years back, and unrated cuts of Jason Lives. Another concern is the high retail price of $130 price tag (and $95 on Amazon at the time of this writing) and, to me, a fairer price to nab this set especially if you already the DVDs, would be around $70 (or $5.83/movie). On a technical front, the audio and video for all 12 movies is respectable and the features, even if they’re all old, are nicely put together.

 

 

The Movieman
Published: 09/15/2013

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