Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) - 4K Ultra HD Review

      Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, 1993.

      Directed by Adam Marcus.

      Featuring Kane Hodder, John D. LeMay, Kari Keegan, Erin Gray, Allison Smith, Steven Culp, and Steven Williams.

      SYNOPSIS:

      After dying, returning, taking over Manhattan, and dying once more, Jason Voorhees resurfaces as a body snatcher in Jason Goes to Hell.

      Among horror franchises that have overstayed their welcome, Friday the 13th has long served as a symbol of diminishing quality. By the time Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday was released in 1993, the series had transformed from a campfire ghost story to an over-the-top soap opera armed with a machete. Now, over 30 years later, it makes its return in 4K, not necessarily for reassessment but perhaps for a better appreciation of its outrageous missteps coupled with moments of bloody brilliance and puzzling ambition.

      With Adam Marcus, who was only 23 at the time, at the helm, Jason Goes to Hell begins with an explosive scene. The iconic hockey-masked killer from Crystal Lake falls into an FBI trap, is blown to pieces in a dazzling show of excessive force, and ends up in the morgue. What follows is not your typical slasher, but rather a bizarre blend of The Hidden and The Evil Dead, featuring body-hopping possession, demonic mythology, and a dagger that suspiciously resembles one borrowed from Xena: Warrior Princess.

      It's understandable why fans were left disappointed. Kane Hodder, reprising his iconic role, is mostly absent. Jason spends a considerable portion of the film possessing other people, reducing one of horror's most recognizable physical performances to an almost ghostly presence. While the new mythology—introducing secret sisters, cursed bloodlines, and a magical dagger—aims to enrich the lore, it instead feels like a soap opera script crafted after a lengthy night of Jägerbombs.

      Still, there is something charmingly chaotic about Jason Goes to Hell. The opening ambush is delightfully exaggerated, and the gore—when it appears—is practical and impactful, with a tent kill remaining one of the most brutal in the series. Jason's resurrection via heart consumption by a pathologist absurdly outshines the lightning rod in Jason Lives, and Steven Williams’ cowboy bounty hunter Creighton Duke is so implausibly self-assured that he nearly steals the entire movie. One can't help but appreciate a horror sequel that disregards conventions, even if it seems unsure of its next steps.

      Visually, the 4K upgrade significantly enhances the film's murky cinematography. There are genuine atmospheric moments: the flickering lights in the Voorhees household, the glistening gore, and the dark sheen of rain on backcountry roads. The film looks better than it deserves. However, even remastering can't salvage a script this disorganized.

      As a Friday the 13th installment, it falters. Yet, as a curiosity and a relic of early '90s horror attempting to incorporate supernatural elements into a slasher icon, it has a peculiar charm. It may not be good, but it is unforgettable. In a series often criticized for its repetition, Jason Goes to Hell distinguishes itself by daring to be different, even if it ultimately collapses under the weight of its ambitions.

      A chaotic mess, indeed. But an oddly intriguing one.

      If the pleasure of revisiting this 90s classic in 4K isn't enough, Arrow provides an impressive restoration accompanied by numerous extras. There's an introduction from Adam Marcus, along with new and retrospective interviews featuring cast and crew, including SFX wizard Robert Kurtzman. The slightly extended 'unrated cut' is also available alongside the theatrical version, not to mention the stunning Arrow artwork.

      Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★ ★

      Tom Atkinson – Follow me on Instagram