Blu-ray Review: Friday the 13th (Killer Cut)

Release Date: June 16th, 2009
Running Time: 97 min / 106 min

The Film

I love slasher films, and in my opinion no horror icon is as utterly badass and destructive as Jason Voorhees. Tearing apart coeds for decades, the vicious killer in the hockey mask is synonymous with horror. Yet after ten films and Freddy vs. Jason, it was decided that the franchise needed to be rebooted (as is the popular case these days). Employing the sleek, polished directorial style of Marcus Nispel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), the new Friday the 13th was a box office hit, further proving Jason’s staying power. Debuting on Blu-ray in an extended Killer Cut, Friday the 13th simply is what it is—you’re either a fan, or you’re not.

The film begins by recounting the fateful night that Jason Voorhees saw his murderous mother beheaded by a camp counselor. It picks up decades later when a group of coeds take a camping trip at Crystal Lake, believing there to be a stash of pot growing somewhere. As Whitney (Amanda Righetti) and her boyfriend stumble upon and explore Crystal Lake (including Jason’s home), Jason brutally murders all of their friends. Only Whitney survives, and she is taken hostage by Jason because she looks like his mother.

Six weeks later another group of coeds arrive at a swanky cabin on Crystal Lake. The group includes: rich jerk Trent (Travis Van Winkle) and his sweet girlfriend, Jenna (Danielle Panabaker); stoners Chewie (Aaron Yoo) and Lawrence (Arlen Escarpeta); Nolan (Ryan Hansen); and bombshells Chelsea (Willa Ford) and Bree (Julianna Guill). While in town picking up supplies for the weekend they come across Clay (Jared Padalecki), who has been combing Crystal Lake for his missing sister, Whitney.

Once arriving at the cabin, the standard partying ensues: drinking games, heaps of pot, topless wakeboarding—you name it. Just the type of stuff a certain deformed serial killer hates. As the group splits apart they begin to get picked off, even in the daylight. Meanwhile Clay comes to the cabin in his search for Whitney, and a fight with Trent prompts Jenna to help Clay search the other side of the lake. They come upon the camp and Jason’s home only to see him carrying a dead body. They race back to the cabin to warn everyone and Jason cuts the power. The body count continues to rise so Clay and Jenna escape back to the camp where they discover Whitney. With an angered Jason on their heels, it is kill or be killed.

Friday the 13th is a bit of a mixed bag for me. There are some things the film does incredibly well. The entire opening sequence of Jason hacking apart campers was brilliant; it let audiences immediately see his malicious, brutal nature and provided a tense intro for the film. There are a few noteworthy gore moments, such as a bear trap accident and a painfully slow stab to the neck, but in general the kills are pretty generic and not bloody enough for my tastes. The new Jason, however, is a definitive hit across the board. He is fast, strong, and very scary, particularly when he has the old-school sack on his head. But I’m a Kane Hodder fan for life. His Jason simply didn’t need to run; he’d find you regardless. Also, what is with the ending? If you introduce a wood chipper into a horror movie, you better damn well make good use of it. I couldn’t help but feel let down by Jason’s death sequence.

The new Killer Cut has only a few new sequences that I noticed. There is an extended sex scene and a ditched subplot where Whitney temporarily escapes. The one addition that I loved was something that was featured in the trailer but never made it into the final cut: Jason sharpening his machete. There is so much malice and hate in his eyes while he is doing it—truly terrifying.

The Disc

The video is presented in a 2.40:1, 1080p High Definition transfer. It’s not reference quality by any means, but is acceptable nonetheless. Colors are natural and vibrant, but so much of the film takes place in the dark that you don’t often see them. The outdoor foliage, however, looks fantastic during the daytime. Black levels aren’t as inky as I would like, but they are consistent and show off excellent shadow gradation and detail. Fine detail is impressive as seen in Jason’s mask, clothes, and stringy tufts of hair. The image has a lot of depth as well, whether in wide shots of the camp or the scenery of the lake house. Unfortunately the detail is inconsistent and quite a few shots are soft or blurry. The print itself is clean, and the transfer is free of noise or compression artifacts.

The audio is offered in English Dolby TrueHD Surround Sound and English/French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound with English/French/Spanish subtitles. The mix is more front heavy than I expected, with the classic theme bursting across the front channels. Distinct, crisp sound effects also bounce around the front. The rears are mostly used for atmosphere and music. The dynamic range is good as well with none of the screams sounding too harsh and more than a few bass hits associated with Jason. Dialogue is clean and balanced.

The Extras

The disc offers a decent spread of special features, especially when compared to the lacking DVD.

The Picture-in-Picture “Terror Trivia Track” is twofold, acting as both a pop-up factoid track for the entire franchise, as well as offering a slew of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. Many aspects of the production are explored, such as writing the story, the various gore effects, and more.

“The Rebirth of Jason Voorhees” is an 11-minute EPK piece that is far more promotional than informative. The cast and crew touch briefly on many of the topics discussed in the Picture-in-Picture track, particularly relating to story and character.

“Hacking Back / Slashing Forward” is another 12-minute collection of interviews, this time focusing on the history of the franchise and the approach they took with the reboot.

“The 7 Best Kills” (23 minutes) is easily the best feature on the set and breaks down the special effects process for seven of the kill scenes.

“Slashed Scenes” is a collection of three Deleted Scenes running 8 minutes, including an alternate ending and an alternate take of Jason finding the hockey mask.

Lastly, a Digital Copy is provided.

Final Thoughts

Though not the best entry in the series by any means, Friday the 13th: Killer Cut is a respectable reboot and bodes well for the future of the franchise.