Camp Crystal Lake became the most infamous summer camp in 1980. The place was already had a bad reputation when in 1958, a camper drowned because the horny camp counselors were too busy getting freaky to hear his screams at the lake. Years later when they decided to reopen, it got closed down when someone hacked away on all new counselors before the camp even opened. Friday The 13th became a massive hit as people couldn’t get enough of the killing. The sequels kept coming as Jason ended up in 3-D, Manhattan, Outer Space and Hell. Things came to an end in 2003 when he faced off against Freddy Krueger in Freddy vs. Jason. A few years after that entry, Jason went back to his Crystal Lake roots in Friday The 13th. The movie wasn’t a sequel, remake or reimagining of the first film. Instead to movie touched upon elements of the first four movies minus the 3-D effects found in the third flick.
We’re takes up back to that fateful Friday the 13th in 1980 at Camp Crystal Lake. Instead of recreating the entire film, we come to the final scene when Jason’s mom (Nana Visitor) is facing off against the final girl. Jason is lurking in the woods near the water when he sees his mother’s head get lopped off. While normally the final girl defeating the monster is a sense of release; Jason is heartbroken that his now an orphan. Flash forward to modern times (which is around 2009) where the summer camp is still closed, but the teenagers are eager to camp in the area. They aren’t merely there for a romp in the woods. There’s report of weed being grown in the area. Along with the Devil’s Lettuce, little Jason has grown up big and tall in the woods. He comes after the teens while wearing a sack over his head. When we’re down to the final girl, Jason doesn’t split her in half. He does something unexpected that ends in the mysterious tunnels that run under the area. Six weeks later, another group of teenagers arrives eager to party in a lakeside house. They run into Clay Miller (Supernatural‘s Jared Padalecki) looking for his missing sister. She was the final girl with the previous campers. Will there be another final girl in the new batch? Do they have a clue that Jason is active again. Are they really expecting to party in peace?
While it might be sacrilegious, this remake of Friday The 13th is the best of the franchise. Director Marcus Nispel and cinematographer Daniel Pearl really up the visual game for the franchise. The original movies were rather cheaply made and focused less on story than keeping that body count high. This might be what you imagined the films looked like before you were old enough to rent the VHS tapes and see them uncut. There is a sense of release that Nispel didn’t completely cut out the nudity. There are two cuts available in this boxset. The Theatrical Cut is 97:14. The Killer Cut takes 105:30. The extra minutes are worth it as Nispel gives us the moments of sex and violence that makes this feel like an early ’80s movie and not a sanitized throwback. You will want to watch The Killer Cut first. What makes this remake more entertaining is that the script covers elements found in the original four movies. Jason has slashed away the dull moments of the establishing films. We don’t have to wait for future sequels to witness him wearing the iconic goalie mask. Nispel elevates the series in his version of events instead of just coasting on nostalgia and servicing fans expectations. His version of Jason has a bit more depth than the killing machine that dominated the previous films. He even comes up with fresh ways to kill the horny teenagers that hold up well against Tom Savini’s original effects. It’s been 15 years since the Nispel’s version arrived in theaters and hist Friday The 13th still ranks at top of the Jason movies.
The Video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The 4K UHD looks good when the action goes deep into Jason’s tunnels. The Audio for both version is 5.1 DTS-HD MA. You’ll hear Jason’s machete slicing up victims. The movie is subtitled in English.
Double-sided foldout poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
Limited edition Greetings from Crystal Lake Postcard that’s suitable for framing.
Illustrated collector’s booklet with writing by Matt Konopka and Alexandra West
DISC ONE: THEATRICAL CUT
Brand new audio commentary by director Marcus Nispel lets him talk about what he hopes the audience gets out of the film. He talks about how he’s retired so he now has time to show up at horror conventions with the stars of the film. He likes meeting the fans.
Brand new audio commentary by writers Mark Swift and Damian Shannon has the reflecting on what they wrote and how it ended up in the screen. They point out that Jason had a talent for music before he drowned and came back as a homicidal killer.
Brand new interview with director Marcus Nispel (28:39) gets into how he related to the film. He views Jason as not a villain, but an anti-hero. The villains are the horny cool kids. He also talks about how fans weren’t happy when Jason ran on screen. He wanted Jason to be a bit more dynamic on screen. He gets into how after remaking The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, he did make another movie Pathfinder. But since it was a dud, he found himself back in the horror genre where he could easily find a budget. He explains how they shot the film in Austin, Texas without a real lake or camp near the locations.
Brand new interview with writers Mark Swift and Damian Shannon (37:09) allows them to talk about how they were on a ski trip when they got the call that they were up for Friday The 13th. They were up for it. The pitch meeting had 13 people around a room! They discuss how they didn’t want to make it a period piece and locate it in 2009. There’s talk of how they had to figure out how to one up the kills in the previous films. They had the movie greenlit with their first 20 pages given to Michael Bay.
Brand new interview with cinematographer Daniel Pearl (23:00) has him talk about his history of shooting commercials for Marcus Nispel. He came over first for the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake. The studio wanted them teamed up again. He talks about his favorite shots in the film. He breaks down what made the kill through the door shot.
A Killer New Beginning (18:22) has critic Matt Danato discuss why horror fans don’t need fear remakes of their favorite movies. He gets into Friday the 13th (2009) and how the works a powerhouse. He feels that after 15 years, the movie is better than the original as a “scream-lined slasher.” He likes how the film doesn’t mock the other movies.
Excerpts from the Terror Trivia Track (43:13) from a previous home video release the used picture in picture for bonus commentary. This includes color footage of the opening scene.
The Rebirth of Jason Voorhees (11:24) goes behind the scenes on revisiting Camp Crystal Lake. They get into whether Jason is supernatural or uses devise to look supernatural. Thus we get the underground tunnels.
Hacking Back / Slashing Forward (11:41) is how the cast and crew hope to connect with the original, but make their own film. Nispel remembers seeing previews for the film when he was a boy scout. The screenwriters warn parents to not bring their kids since there’s nudity in the remake.
The 7 Best Kills (22:32) goes into how the special effects crews came up with the top seven murders in the movie. The cast was exciting to be part of it. You will want to watch this after the movie.
Deleted scenes (8:20) includes the weed harvest, how the hockey mask ended up at the lake and more fight action.
Trailer Gallery includes Original teaser (1:28), trailer (2:25) and TV spots (6:34) lets us know that Crystal Lake is open for vacationers. Where were you on Febuary 13th, 2009?
Electronic press kit (35:10) are interviews with cast and crew that entertainment shows could use to edit together their own segments for broadcast.
Image gallery has 60 press photos, behind the scenes shots,
DISC TWO: KILLER CUT
Audio commentary by film critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson allows them to put the remake into the context of the movies. They point out in 2009, this was a big transition time from remaking known horror to the rise of low budget originals getting big box office returns.
Arrow Video presents Friday The 13th (2009). Directed by Marcus Nispel. Screenplay by Damian Shannon & Mark Swift. Starring: Jared Padalecki, Danielle Panabaker, Amanda Righetti, Travis Van Winkle, Aaron Yoo, Derek Mears, Caleb Guss, Jonathan Sadowski, Julianna Guill, Ben Feldman, Arlen Escarpeta, Ryan Hansen, Willa Ford, Nick Mennell, America Olivo, Kyle Davis, Richard Burgi & Nana Visitor. Boxset contents: 2 versions on 2 4K UHD discs. Rating: Rated R & Unrated. Release Date: September 17, 2024.
