His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th

Trailer—His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th

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source: His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th

Within ninety minutes, I got an interesting nugget or two on some production history of the Friday the 13th series that I didn't already know. The doc predictably explores the topics and themes associated with the films. They touch on every entry. Nothing deep. Just surface level. That about sums it up. I wasn't bored, but it wasn't highly entertaining. Hosted by Tom Savini at a Friday 13th theme park, 'His Name Was Jason' is a cash-in aimed at (and will be most appreciated by) the die-hard fans of the series. You get the occasional clip from the films. Some behind the scenes video / pictures, but it's mostly an interview clip show with a bunch of people associated with the films (the biggest names involved don't appear) and then a bunch of people in and out of the film industry who are fans (or self-promoting). As such, the narrative is scattered and bounces around between Savini's set pieces as host. The project is upbeat and positive, but the endless barrage of interview snippets (some good, some bad) that make up the majority of the runtime grow tiresome. There's also a segment towards the end that feels like a sell job for the then upcoming release of the 2009 reboot. The best part of the documentary is it capturing the series popularity, it's connection to fans and how iconic Jason as a character has become. Of course, both the writer and director of this piece are no strangers to the horror film genre or this business of fan based catering. This feels like something that could have been found as a DVD bonus feature. I don't have anything heavy against a product like this. There are countless documentaries out there covering the big horror film franchises, but they follow a predictable workprint. Here is no different. Perhaps sometime in the future, I'll give 'Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th' a go, but knowing it comes from the same people responsible and recycles a lot of the interviews found here is disappointing.

There is a plethora of loyal Friday the 13th fans and we have all been waiting for a documentary like this. Finally we get our money's worth. The Friday the 13th box set was an incredible rip off and it was a slap in the face to those of us who have supported Jason for more than three decades. This DVD gets it right but it still suffers from Steve Miner's absence. I'm not aware of any rift he had with Sean Cunningham or Frank Mancuso, so if anyone can shed some light on this for me, it would be much appreciated. Here are some of the highlights: Make-up effects legend, Tom Savini takes us through its humble beginnings to the re-imagining that came out in February. We take a tour through the Jarvis house with director Joseph Zito and Jason hunter Erich Anderson. They take you on a shot by shot recollection of filming in the house. The house, while dated, still has a great look to it this day. We get every director, except for Steve Miner of course, giving us their thoughts on the films they directed. We even get a bit by Danny Steinman, who I heard went onto become a * director, as he tells us his thoughts on Friday the 13th Part V, which in my opinion is one of the most underrated of the Friday's. There is also a very funny piece with Larry Zerner (Shelly from part 3) and Catherine Parks (Vera part 3). Shelly portrays a greasy lawyer who wants to represent the victims of Friday the 13th and Vera appears, still with the harpoon in her eye as she took it in the film. It is quite well done, and quite funny. There is a very good piece done by one of the guys who runs a website devoted to horror films, who goes on to say that watching horror films is good for you. And I agree with him. It didn't turn me into a raving psychopath hell bent on murdering people. This particular piece actually made me proud to be a Friday the 13th fan. The best piece though is reserved for Sean Cunningham and his seemingly never ending recollection of getting the film going and dealing with sudden fame as the series took off. If you are a Friday the 13th fan, this is a DVD for you. If you are not, why the hell are you even reading this? 8/10

"His Name Was Jason" is a recount of all of the "Friday the 13th" movies with some of the actors, directors, writers, and producers. It's a gory walk down memory lane. You get to learn some trivia such as when Kane Hodder became Jason Voorhees, when Jason donned the hockey mask, and the fact his name was going to be Josh. Mostly, it's many of the various participants giving their take on Jason, the franchise, and what it all meant. Free on YouTube.

If you are a real Friday The 13th fan or if you want to know more of one of the earlier slashers then I surely recommend this documentary. Especially disc one is extremely well done. You will have first of a one hour and a half about the whole franchise, even the remake. All you want to know you will know, secondly, all actors who played Jason are giving their view over their version. Disc two is more about entertainment. Here and there there are some interesting things to learn but there are also some stupid things on it. Luckily the items on disc 2 are all shorts. The only thing that I regret is the fact that when some actors are talking about some scene's they aren't shown, so if it's a while since you have been watching the movies you will have some questions about what they are talking about. But still, if you have the book and this DVD, I guess there's isn't more to learn.

His name was Jason, the ultimate mama's boy, the big baddie who just mainly hates people who have sex. Eh, it's all good, we all love Jason Vorhees, he's just the lovable lug who keeps coming back to Camp Crystal Lake to teach all these little creeps a lesson in not having sex, doing drugs or drinking alcohol. After 30 years and 13 movies of Jason, it's crazy to think how many times this man has come back to terrorize us, but we always fall for it and have to see what he's going to do next. Why do we watch these movies? THE DEATHS! After all, it wouldn't be worth the look if we didn't get into the good gore and love fest that the teens and Jason provide. This is a cool documentary that goes into interviews with the fans, the actors, the crew, the directors and critics on why Jason still delivers to this day despite the plot being used over a dozen times. Back in 1980 after the big slasher baddie that was Halloween, the writers definitely wanted to cash in on the idea of horny teens who get stalked by a man with a knife. Only Friday the 13th was more so a mystery scary story with Mrs. Vorhees, a woman who just wanted to avenge her son's death. In the sequel we are introduced to Jason and there was no going back. We've been to Camp Crystal Lake, Hell, New York, the sea, outer space, Freddy's nightmares with Jason, seems crazy right? But as we learn from this documentary we learn that we are not alone in the craze that is the Friday the 13th franchise, that there are some really crazy fans still to this day that will go to root their anti hero on. From the violence to the T and A, from the sex to the ultimate deaths, from the music to Jason's mask, His Name Was Jason is a great look into the awesome sequels that always deliver. Although I did notice this was made right before the remake of Friday the 13th was released, it could be a promotion fest, but still this was all good. It's always fun to watch other's opinions on the series, it helps me feel like not so much of a freak when it comes to watching the horror sequels. As silly, grotesque, stupid as they may be they always draw fun attention and how could it not? Jason always gives us the most awesome deaths and good time gore. The Friday the 13th sequels will never die, so to those who complain, give it a rest, they're fun! Seeing as the interviewee's were given a chance to say which was their favorite death from the sequels… mine will always be the classic Jason locks the girl in the sleeping bag and slams her against a tree! That was awesome! Sorry, it's the fan girl side of me that has to express my opinion. Anyways if you are a fan of the series or even just a horror movie fan, I highly recommend His Name Was Jason, the ultimate mama's boy gets his credit and will always be loved. 7/10

Being a huge fan of the "Friday the 13th" franchise and finding Jason Voorhees to be the ultimate of all slashers, then of course I would eventually find my way around to sitting down to watch "His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th". Oddly enough it wasn't before now in 2017 that I actually got around to doing it. "His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th" offers an extensive insight into the franchise through numerous interviews with directors, actors and actresses who performed in the movies (either as victims or as Jason himself), producers, and other such people whom has been tied in with the franchise in one way or another. This documentary didn't really reveal much of anything new that I wasn't already familiar with to the franchise. Although it did offer some nice enough experiences from cast and crew working on the "Friday the 13th" movies. And it was fun enough to hear about their experiences, but it hardly gives you anything new to bring to the movies when you watch them. Whether or not if you have seen "His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th" or not, then it doesn't really change the way you perceive the franchise, nor does it give you much of any kind of enlightenment of issues and questions that you might have for the this long-running franchise. Sure, this was entertaining enough for what it was, however this is a niche documentary, that caters only for fans of the "Friday the 13th" franchise. If you are not a fan of this franchise, then there is very little of any worth or interest for you to have by sitting down to watching it. Having seen it now, I doubt that I will return to watch it a second time. I could have wanted for a more in depth look at the production of the movies as well, with focus on the special effects. Sure, it was there, but not just as elaborate as I would have liked. This 2009 documentary hosted by Tom Savini scores a 6 out of 10 stars from me.

His Name Was Jason takes a serious (or self-serious and half-kidding) look at the horror icon, Mr. Voorhees (son of that old friend of the Christie's), and the saga of Friday the 13th and its impact on film and culture. It goes quickly through the stories and events of the films through 1980 to 2003 (since it was released on the day the remake came out- and they knew better- they left the most recent one out), and then it goes on to dissecting everything Jason. Who is this character? Why does he kill? And does he even have a soul? The cast and crew talk about Jason like he's a misunderstood being, and as well the notorious villain that he is and his status of being just another kid looking for revenge in his twisted mind (hence seeing his mother from time to time). Then it goes into talking about the legacy - the actors telling their stories, the make-up people (i.e. Tom Savini, who also graciously and wonderfully hosts) discussing techniques of killing people, and its status in popular culture. While His Name Was Jason has merits in terms of some, if not most, of the interviews accumulated from cast and critics and other filmmakers (the director of Wrong Turn 2, oddly enough, becomes something of an authority), and seeing the clips brings some nostalgia, nobody comes clean with certain things. For one thing, Sean S. Cunninghamn practically says that Friday the 13th invented the slasher genre, without noting a certain movie called Halloween a few years before (or just as inspiration), and that everyone ripped the series off as it if was, you know, always a good thing. And while everybody is quick to heap praise on certain scenes and kills and effects (some warranted if only in the slasher realm) nobody is seen criticizing anything - A New Beginning, come on! - and there's a constant nu-metal soundtrack accompanying the clips and the interviews. It almost defeats the purpose of a tribute when you can barely have the noted "Ccch-maaaa" sound effect that is the franchise's trademark. There's also the danger of having information in here that is nothing really new for die-hards of the series, whom this is marketed to most, but this isn't too much of a concern. If there is a problem with the information accumulated it's that it doesn't always have a clear focus: a topic is started up by Mr. Savini, and there's some time devoted to it (i.e. how kills are done, who Jason is) but then it trails off into something else. Some interviewees are interesting, like Kane Hodder and Savini himself. Others look like they could really use some work and desperately want anything, let alone to reprise their old characters... although an idea mentioned about bringing the surviving women from the 80's series together is a nifty idea. Certainly would be right up there in guilty-pleasure world like the bikini-girls hallucination in Jason X. So, it's not essential, and some horror fans that just find Jason "ok" may be insulted by some of the super-high adulations made to a series that is even admitted by its makers to be formulaic fantasy. But as a propped-up DVD extra, it's not too painful to watch.