Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday

What the fuck is this movie? Seriously, this makes Jason X (coming next week!) look normal. Once again, I applaud the franchise’s desire to experiment with formula but it’s not entirely successful (though more successful than Jason Takes Manhattan). 

Jason Goes to Hell was written by Jay Huguely (Street Justice) and Dean Lorey (Major Payne) and was directed by Adam Marcus (Let it Snow). Jason Goes to Hell was made on a budget of $3 million, made $7,552,190 upon opening, and made $15,935,190 worldwide. It was released on August 13th, 1993 to negative reviews.

Jason (Kane Hodder, House), whose resurrection after his death in Manhattan is unexplained, returns to Crystal Lake where he is killed by FBI agents who set a trap for him. His soul begins jumping from body to body to continue his killing spree. He can only be stopped by Jessica (Kari Keegan, Mind Games), the daughter of Jason’s previously unmentioned sister Diana (Erin Gray, Silver Spoons).

Honestly, it’s a mess. The body swapping concept is dumb and it means that Hodder, who I’ve mentioned I think is the best Jason, is barely a presence in the film outside of the opening and climax. The film focuses to heavily on John D. LeMay’s (The Facts of Life) Steven (Jessica’s ex-boyfriend and father of her child) as its central protagonist despite Jessica having the familial connection to Jason and being the only one able to kill him. It’s a fatal misstep that the film makes. He’s just really boring.

The film isn’t without its charms though. The fake-out opening with Jason’s would-be victim being an FBI agent and Jason going down in a hail of gunfire is a fun and unexpected twist and the diner crew are a fun diversion.

Jason Goes to Hell doesn’t quite succeed at what it’s trying to do, but it also isn’t a total loss. There’s fun to be had if you can accept it’s ridiculous premise.

Rating: 2 mystical daggers out of 5

Other Observations:

• Does the Dog Die? Nope!

• Harrison’s Favorite Scare: Don’t really have one, but Diana’s death is a pretty good set piece.

• When The Fuck Is This Movie Set: Once again it’s vague exactly how long it’s been since Jason Takes Manhattan, so I’m gonna go by amount of time between the films’ releases which was four years, putting us in 2002.

• The ending of the film obviously teases a confrontation between Freddy and Jason, but it would be eight years before the next sequel and ten years before the crossover.

Next Week: We’re leaving the planet and heading to the future for the bonkers Jason X!