The saga of Jason Voorhees appeared to end in 1989 with Friday 13th Part VIII: Jason Take Manhattan. The story seemed complete as we saw him go from a little kid who rose up from Crystal Lake to a sensation hacking away in the Big Apple. Horror fans felt the hockey mask wearing undead killer was retired as the credits rolled. There were plenty of Paramount executives who gave up on Jason as a money maker. But someone at New Line had a great idea: Jason versus their horror icon Freddy Krueger. New Line made a deal to get the right to the Jason character except they couldn’t get the Friday The 13th name from Paramount. This wasn’t a deal breaker since “Friday The 13th Versus A Nightmare on Elm Street” would take up too much of a marquee and look like a double feature. Upon landing the new star, New Line didn’t go straight to the main event. They wanted to get horror fans eager to see the big face off. Jason Goes To Hell proved that the horror icon wasn’t stuck in Manhattan. He was ready to get back to Crystal Lake and do what he does best: chopping up the locals.
Jason (Hatchet‘s Kane Hodder) is back to his old tricks when he follows a woman (Road House‘s Julie Michaels) inside her house in Crystal Lake. Even though there’s issues with lights and the fusebox, she doesn’t seem to care too much as she gets ready for a shower. But before she’s scrubbing up, Jason shows up ready to give himself a welcome home party. She flees into the woods and Jason follows since that’s what he used to doing to claim a fresh victim. This time, things turn out differently. He gets a big surprise when banks of lights flip on and a heavily armed military force blows him into little chunks of meat. The only two parts of him that survive are his blackened heart and his head (the goalie mask came in useful). His remains are gathered up and sent off to a morgue in Ohio. The coroner (Richard Gant, Rocky V) breaks the first rule of medical school as he tastes part of Jason. This proves really bad as Jason takes possession of his soul. Jason forces his new body to begin a long and bloody hike back to Crystal Lake. Bounty hunter Creighton Duke (Steven Williams, 21 Jump Street) is on his trail and knows the secret to finally sending Jason to Hell. But will he be able to pull it off and truly make this the final Friday the 13th installment?
Jason Goes To Hell really does feel different from the previous 8 installments of the franchise. Director Adam Marcus gives the nightmare a bit of comic edge. There’s something unexpected and funny about seeing Jason finally blown to bits. This is followed by the weirdness of the coroner taking a bite out of Jason during the autopsy. Plus we get an early performance from the always hilarious Leslie Jordan (American Horror Story). What makes the comedy work is that Kane Hodder isn’t playing the killer for laughs. It’s not a spoof of the series that mocks the convention and the audience. The movie also ties the mythos of Friday The 13th with both The Evil Dead and A Nightmare on Elm Street. It does get the audience primed for Freddy vs. Jason although there would be one more film until the title bout since Jason X was next (and is also out from Arrow Video on 4K UHD). Jason Goes To Hell revived the character and promised us that quite more was coming.
The boxset contains two different cuts of Jason Goes To Hell. The Theatrical Cut is 87:53. The Unrated Cut is 90:47. When it comes to a horror film, you should always go with the Unrated Cut first to see those little moments the MPAA thought were too much.
The video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The transfer is 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of both the Theatrical Cut and the Unrated Cut. You’ll see quite a bit in the shadows as Jason approaches. The Audio is DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0. You’ll be able to hear hacking all over the room. The movie is subtitled in English.
Double-sided foldout poster featuring original and new artwork by Gary Pullin that’s suitable for framing.
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring essays on the film by JA Kerswell and original production notes
Introduction to the film by director Adam Marcus (0:13) has him thank you for buying the film.
Faces of Death (16:47) is an interview with special make-up effects creator Robert Kurtzman. He likes how the film was different from the tone of the other Friday The 13th movies. He enjoyed the energy of director Adam Marcus and the fun rubbed off on them making the effects. He talks about what they did during the explosive opening scene.
Undercover Angel (11:55) has actor Julie Michaels get into how she lured Jason to his big blow up. She breaks down the sequence and what she had to do during the chase. She explains the original way the big shoot out begins.
Mixing it Up (12:26) lets composer Harry Manfredini talk about his score. He gets into how he got into the film after doing the music for the first six films. He knew director Adam Marcus since he was a kid. He hadn’t read the script before seeing the film with Marcus. This inspired his music when he realized this film wasn’t going to be like the first six installments. We learns how a song from Romper Room inspired the diner shoot out scene.
The Gates of Hell (36:03) is an archival interview with director Adam Marcus. He talks about how Sean S. Cunningham offered him a chance to write and directed the New Line installment of Friday The 13th if he could figure a way to keep the hockey mask off Jason. He talks about Sam Raimi and Evil Dead.
Jason vs. Terminator (11:34) allows director Adam Marcus to reflect on growing up with the Cunninghams. He was friend of Sean’s son Noel when the first Friday The 13th film came out. He learned a lot from Sean.
Über-Jason (28:22) is an archival interview with Kane Hodder about being Jason in several of the films. He has a great story about signing hockey masks at sports memorabilia shows with football and baseball stars. The athletes are horror fans. He talks about going from an unknown stuntman to a star. How he got into the role when he went beyond just playing the dangerous scenes.
Friday The 13th Props (1:08) includes hockey masks, weapons and outfits from the series that were part of a tour in Germany.
Additional TV footage (12:35) features optional commentary by director Adam Marcus. You’ll see the diner scene with the special Jason burger, more time with the baby and scenes that won’t upset the censors.
Theatrical Trailer (1:12) promises us pure evil in this installment. They use “The Final Friday” as part of the name.
TV spots contains the US (3:01) and Canadian (2:27) commercials. We’re told this is our final chance to see Jason on the big screen. It isn’t the last.
Still Gallery has over 110 images from the production.
Behind-the-scenes and poster galleries contains over 40 images of ads, press photos, international posters and snapshots of the cast having a little fun.
Director’s Cut contains three audio commentaries. The first is a new audio commentary with film historians Michael Felsher and Steve “Uncle Creepy” Barton. There’s also the archival audio commentary with director Adam Marcus and author Peter Bracke. The second archival audio commentary has director Adam Marcus and screenwriter Dean Lorey. You’ll get to know everything about what happened on the screen and behind the scenes.
Arrow Video presents Jason Goes To Hell (Limited Edition). Directed by Adam Marcus. Screenplay by Dean Lorey & Jay Huguely. Starring Kane Hodder, John D. LeMay, Kari Keegan, Erin Gray, Allison Smith, Steven Culp, Steven Williams & Leslie Jordan. Boxset Contents: 2 version of the film on 2 4K UHD discs. Rating: Rated R and Unrated. Release Date: May 20, 2025.
