The Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

First up is an audio-commentary with director Joe Zito, screenwriter Barney Cohen and editor Joel Goodman. All note many production issues including deleted ideas or potential scenes, special effects and script issues. Zito and the others emphatically note that the studio assured them that Jason was going to die and there would be no more sequels, which made Zito and the crew try to make a better than expected Friday film. They also note the importance of revisiting the set of the end of part III, for part IV’s opening, which took more money from the budget, but felt it was necessary - fans certainly appreciate it. Despite a few blank spots, fans won’t want to miss this commentary.

Next up is a second “fan” audio commentary by up and coming directors Adam Green (Hatchet) and Joe Lynch (Wrong Turn 2: Dead End). Both are geeky, lively and talk very attentively to issues in the film and their great, if mostly nostalgic, reverence for this particular Friday film. It’s undeniably a fun commentary.

After that is the strange featurette (6:21), a drama really, Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part 4, which kind of continues a story of young adults being stalked. This time it’s in a parking garage (sigh). Have we not seen this before? The best thing about it is adding the familiar, worrisome Friday the 13th score by Harry Manfredini. Everything else is just begs the question…why?

Another featurette (15:19) of extended scenes called Slashed Scenes is included. Holy cow! Lots of gore here, but with no audio. Joe Zito does a good commentary over it, though. These show some of the full takes of gore scenes. However, after you watch them, they lose their effect because it’s out of context and almost cartoonish. Despite end credits noting this featurette was produced in 2009, I believe that at least some of this was on the ultimate collection.

Following that is a featurette (11:00) called Jason’s Unlucky Day: 25 Years after Friday the 13th The Final Chapter. This new featurette includes interviews with director Joseph Zito, actress Kimberly Beck, special effects guru Tom Savini (looking innately demonic as usual), screenwriter Barney Cohen and Tom White (Jason) and even actor Erich Anderson (Rob) who looks very different. Talk focuses on the strong opening of the scene, gore effects and a deleted ending scene, The Lost Ending. Great stuff.

Next is a deleted scene (3:20) The Lost Ending. This was essentially a dream sequence. In context of this type of film, at the time it probably would have been ok left in the film, but leaving it out seems a little better. Fans may disagree, but it’s great to have here. With some newly finished post-production (sound), perhaps a seamless branching option would have been a good idea – but no such luck. Note that since it does not have audio, director Joe Zito and actress Kimberly Beck talk over the action while remembering anecdotes.

A whacked out featurette (18 minutes) called The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited Part 1 is included. This is some new production with interviews of random people (actors) about what they know about the whole Crystal Lake stuff. It’s a silly Blair Witch kind of thing. Written directed and produced by some guy named Daniel Farrands, who knows what he was smokin in his pipe !?!

The last featurette (2:07) is literally called Jimmy’s Dead Fuck Dance Moves. The back of the keepcase removes the f-bomb word, but not in the DVD’s menu. Anyway, Friday fans know that Crispin Glover added a kind of spastic dance to the film that no one expected, when he was dancing with a girl. It’s crazy and hilarious, and this featurette is simply more of…well more of Crispin’s dance moves.

The supplements round things up with the original theatrical trailer and a preview trailer of The Uninvited (2009).

The keepcase is housed in a quality holagraphic slip case cover similar in style to the first three films and part V and part VI. You’d think they would have corrected Jason’s hockey mask with the right placement of the almost-iconic Friday III axe wound (it should be on the other side). But oh well, the original poster art way back in the day did the same wrong thing.

The 91-minute film is organized into fourteen chapters.

Final Thoughts

Here is a third release of a Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. Is it worth it? Well, if you are a fan, I’d really say it is because reasonably improved transfer, and an upgraded audio mix that is far from mind blowing, but brings out Manfredini’s score. Some relatively strong and new supplements this time around make this a good deal. Yeah, it’s the same three-act horror format of the prior films, but if that floats your boat, Jason and the tribe deliver in this overcooked franchise.