More scares, more special effects than ever before

I’m a Friday the 13th fan. I realize my credibility as a critic is blown all to hell whenever I blurt this out, but anyone familiar with my writing knows that I have had a soft spot for Jason Voorhees ever since I saw the original Friday the 13th at – I’m not kidding – 13 years old.

Five long years ago, I wrote an entire update dedicated to the Friday the 13th series for The Los Angeles Times’ entertainment column. It was one of the first movie updates I ever did for this page. It was filled with all the gooey details regarding how much nudity and gore happened to be splashed into each celluloid slasher that had the Friday the 13th banner. I gave seven out of nine of the films a perfect 10; allegorically stamping a gigantic group of scarlet letters across my previously unsullied forehead that read, "FANBOY."

It’s oddly disturbing to think that a lot of the 17- and 18-year olds who were scared out of their wits by the original Friday the 13th film, way back in 1980 now have teenage sons and daughters of their own who will be eagerly waiting in line for the tenth installment of the series, 22 years later.

All the way through the sixth installment people went to the Friday the 13th films to be scared. I clearly remember theaters full of teenage girls screaming their lungs out as their boyfriends tried to score a few points with them by being "brave." Still, something happened with part six, Jason Lives, and it was something that changed the series forever... the movie was poking fun at itself as often as Jason was pushing machetes through his victims. It was as though the producers had abruptly gained a clear insight into the fact that a guy in a hockey mask walking around in the woods hacking up randy teens could only shock people so many times before it became a joke. So, with part six, out went most of the sheer terror and in came the pure schlock. The twist worked and the film was a success, breathing fresh life into the franchise after the dud that was A New Beginning.

The sixth went way over the top and gave us a couple of good, self-referential laughs and was a nice nod to the now aging Friday the 13th crowd. The seventh, the eighth and the ninth were so-so. And now the new Jason X beats them all. Armed with a huge US$ 50M budget from cash-rich New Line Cinema, the new Friday The 13th has more scares, more action and more special effects than ever before.

What did I like about Jason X?

1) The special effects.

With his FX background as special effects supervisor for such films as Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi, The Mummy and The Haunting, director James Isaac was the perfect person for the job. It’s very special effects-heavy movie and Jim’s expertise was really important.

2) The body count.

It was huge. I didn’t actually keep track, but it’s definitely up there with part five’s. They kept with Friday the 13th tradition and were extremely innovative. The screaming never stops.

3) The nostalgia. I absolutely loved the trip back to the Camp Crystal of yore, via a holodeck sort of setup. This is the part of the film that got the biggest reaction from the people I was watching it with.

4) The action:

With new visual effects technology at their disposal, the fight sequences were hi-tech ala Matrix and very effective, especially the fight sequence between Jason and the female android in the grand finale. You’ve got to see it to believe it.