Friday the 13th Part III

  In which Jason finally gets his iconic mask. With this installment the franchise finally settles into the aesthetic that it will maintain for most of the subsequent installments. 

Friday the 13th Part III was written by Martin Kitrosser (Model Behavior) and Carol Watson (South Park), directed by Steve Miner (Lake Placid) and was released on August 13th, 1982. Friday the 13th Part III was made on a budget of $2.2 million, made $9,406,522 upon opening, and went on to make $36,690,067 worldwide. At the time of its release the film received largely negative reviews. 

Set the day after the events of the previous film, Friday the 13th Part III finds Jason (Richard Brooker, Deathstalker) retreats to a house on Crystal Lake to recover from his injuries. At the same time, a group of friends arrive at the house for a weekend getaway. As before, Jason begins killing his way through the group until his climactic showdown with the homeowner, Chris (Dana Kimmell, Sweet Sixteen).

While a slight step down from its predecessor, Part III is still a lot of fun. Like Part 2 the cast is fun and engaging, though our final girl Chris isn’t quite at the same level as Ginny. The film gives us some truly gruesome and creative kills and the lakehouse setting allows for some different set pieces (most notably the barn) that set it apart from the previous films.

While fun, there are some issues with the film. Like Part 2, this one has some pacing problems. Part III also insists on using the first 6 or so minutes of it’s runtime to replay the ending of the previous film, getting us off to a bit of a slow start. The detour with the biker gang also drags the film down a bit (though their deaths are very satisfying). The obvious 3D moments in the film also pull the viewer out of the moment, particularly if you’re not watching the film in 3D. The lingering shot of the yo-yo is especially egregious.

Friday the 13th Part III is a solid, if largely pedestrian, entry into the franchise. It’s fun to see Jason finally put on his iconic mask and there are some truly great kills. 

Rating: 3 hockey masks out of 5

Other Observations:

• Does the Dog Die? No dogs are killed, but dead rabbits are shown.

• Harrison’s Favorite Scare: Andy (Jeffrey Rogers, CHiPS) being bisected groin first. YIKES!

• When The Fuck Is This Movie Set? Picking up the day after Part 2, we are still in 1985. Still reasonable, the timeline hasn’t gotten truly wonky yet.

• Next Week: The theme month continues with Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter.