• Release year: 1993
• Director: Adam Marcus.
• Producer: Sean S. Cunningham.
• Screenplay by: Dean Lorey and Jay Huguely.
• Cinematography by: Bill Dill.
• Music by: Harry Manfredini.

Shotgun Commentary: insipid instalment with tons of unnecessary mythology pulled out of nowhere.

Review

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday is the second film that threatens to end the saga with the same credibility as The Rolling Stones touring “for the last time”. Granted, the opening sequence is an absolute blast, both literally and figuratively.

Sadly, the rest of the story feels like yet another attempt of the director and writers at making a name for themselves. The more you go into the franchise, the more you realise that this is actually its main issue.

Almost every instalment has its own director and writer, creating a dissonant product as a result of those professionals trying to instil their own view and style over a logical evolution of the previous films. This is a clear case of hubris over quality, pride over talent.

If your professional aspirations are to make something original that speaks about your personality as an artist, the last thing you should be doing is working on someone else’s franchise. There are very few cases where a change in style makes sense for a saga, especially one of slashers, and unless you have done plenty of research and can justify it to a T, it just doesn’t work, as is the case with this movie.

The big decline

As mentioned, the beginning is fantastic in a very The Cabin in the Woods (2011) fashion. It leans into the absurdity of it all to then provide a very logical explanation to what you were seeing. However, once the gunpowder clears out, the film rushes to lose your engagement at a frightening pace.

Despite doing what most viewers root for during supernatural slashers, blowing the hell out of the killer, it then proceeds to bring him back. Now, if one thinks about the title of the film, one expects there to be a cut after his death that connects to Jason being in hell and trying to get out or something like that. Is that what happens? Hell no!

Instead, think of the laziest possible solution to bring him back. You guessed it! Possession. Does it make any sense within the franchise? Is it innovative in any way? Does it provide a nice thriller opportunity? No to everything, and here is why.

What the hell?

First, Jason has never been sold as a demon, he is a kid who almost drowned due to the negligence of summer-camp counsellors. Second, possession is one of the most common horror themes ever, although it is usually more intertwined with religion. Even though Jason is pretty much the chastity police, he has never been directly affiliated with anything religious, unless you count putting his mother’s severed head on a table with some candles.

And third, Jason is a brainless killer. The whole point of possession is that the incredibly smart demon manipulates everyone around them by using someone else’s body. In this case, Jason is barely functional as a human, much less as a conscience, so his possessions look more like zombifications than anything worth being scared for. Overall, it is a terrible, terrible idea.

Why double-checking your script is important

The characters are also a big reason why the film is so uninteresting. A woman called Diana Kimble (Erin Gray) is introduced as if her name is supposed to ring any bells. After racking your brain trying to find any Dianas in the franchise, you’ll realise that you are not, in fact, supposed to know her at all.

The brilliant mind behind this decided that Jason actually had a sister all along. A sister that was clearly irrelevant to Jason’s mother and Jason himself, since neither of them mention or are seen next to her during the decades that have gone by since Jason “drowned” as a kid.

To top it up, this sister has a daughter who has had a baby out of wedlock, kinda like the ultimate Jason target if you think about it. Turns out, Jason needs to possess a woman Vorhees to resurrect. Why? Because. That’s it, you won’t find any actual explanations.

All in all, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday is an obvious attempt at being original and different in a franchise that didn’t need either, but could have benefitted from a coherent update. Despite its strong opening sequence, the film is so dull and monotonous, not even Leslie Jordan manages to perk it up.

Advice to take from this movie:

• Tony the Wonder Llama is not a good name for… anything. Not even an actual llama.
• Don’t gaslight your audience pulling characters out of nowhere and pretending they are supposed to know. That’s fifty shades of not OK.
• People don’t just smile and chill when they have an abdomen wound… just saying…

What’s your take? Have you watched Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀