Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th Blu-ray Movie Review

Everything you wanted to know about the guy who never speaks.

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf September 18, 2013

In the realm of horror cinema, the “Friday the 13th” franchise is a behemoth. It wasn’t the first to dream up the concept of a masked maniac slicing and dicing his way through a throng of idiot teenagers, but it gave the concept pop culture enormity, with healthy box office and an explosive home video presence to help guarantee longevity with its rabid, fall-on-their-sword fanbase. Other movies have made more money, displayed more gore, and showed more creativity, but nothing has touched the genre omnipresence of this series. Without warning, “Friday the 13th” turned into a cult classic and Jason Voorhees became the Elvis of slasher icons. Not bad for a picture that began life as a rip-off of “Halloween.”

Taking inspiration from a 2006 book by author Peter M. Bracke, “Crystal Lake Memories” (narrated and hosted by Corey Feldman) wades back into the muddy waters of the series, collecting interviews with key cast and crew to uncover backstage anecdotes, regrets, and appreciation for the movies that launched a thousand nightmares. These are conversations with people involved in creation of the pictures, no horror website commentators to dilute the information, generating a you-are-there spirit of intimacy and dissection that does a commendable job exploring the nooks and crannies of the difficult, low-budget shoots, and how each theatrical release fed into the next. Perhaps there isn’t enough time to dig into the efforts in full, yet “Crystal Lake Memories” sets aside nearly seven hours of screen time to the cause, which coughs up enough Voorhees-centric particulars, photos, and deleted footage to make the average fan cross-eyed.

The topics discussed here are numerous, including creative intent vs. end product, the franchise’s constant fight with the MPAA (resulting in irreversible editorial butchering), the evolution of Jason and the inconsistencies between the sequels, hockey mask introduction claims, hostile producer input, uncomfortable shooting environments, and a general sense of awe concerning fan adoration. An incredible amount of ground is covered here (blending new interviews with those conducted for the 2009 documentary, “His Name Was Jason”), generating a powerful appreciation for every installment (even the lousy ones), along with a brief inspection of “Friday the 13th: The Series.”

If there’s one complaint about “Crystal Lake Memories,” it would concern its lack of confrontation, allowing interviewees to openly discuss problems with various shoots without directly questioning involved parties. Controversies concerning Warrington Gillette’s true participation in the making of “Part 2,” the hostilities shared between leads Lar Park Lincoln and Kevin Spirtas during “Part VII,” and the silent treatment director Marcus Nispel gave the cast during the 2009 remake are a few of the mysteries brought up, discussed by outsiders, and never solved. It’s a minor irritant, but one that reappears throughout the documentary.

The Chapters

“Friday the 13th”

Interview participants: creator Sean S. Cunningham, Crystal Lake Entertainment producer Noel Cunningham, producer Dennis Murphy, writer Victor Miller, casting director Barry Moss, actress Robbi Morgan, actress Adrienne King, actress Jeannie Taylor, actor Ron Millkie, actor Ronn Carroll, writer Ron Kurz, make-up artist Tom Savini, make-up artist Greg Nicotero, New Line executive Jeff Katz, composer Harry Manfredini, actress Betsy Palmer, and actor Ari Lehman.

“Friday the 13th: Part 2”

Interview participants: creator Sean S. Cunningham, actress Betsy Palmer, writer Victor Miller, make-up artist Tom Savini, actor Warrington Gillette, producer Dennis Murphy, producer Frank Mancuso, Jr., actress Adrienne King, writer Ron Kurz, actor John Furey, actress Amy Steel, Camp Kenmont owner Lloyd Albin, actor Stu Charno, actor Bill Randolph, actress Lauren-Marie Taylor, actor Steve Daskawisz, Crystal Lake Entertainment producer Noel Cunningham, actor Jack Marks, make-up artist Greg Nicotero, and New Line executive Jeff Katz.

“Friday the 13th: Part III”

Interview participants: actress Amy Steel, writer Ron Kurz, producer Frank Mancuso, Jr., writer Petru Popescu, 3-D supervisor Martin Jay Sadoff, actress Dana Kimmell, actress Tracie Savage, actor Larry Zerner, actor Richard Brooker, actor Paul Kratka, actress Catherine Parks, 2nd assistant director Marilyn Poucher, actress Gloria Charles, make-up artist Douglas J. White, composer Harry Manfredini, actor Kevin O’Brien, and Crystal Lake Entertainment producer Noel Cunningham.

“Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter”

Interview participants: producer Frank Mancuso, Jr., director Joseph Zito, writer Barney Cohen, editor Joel Goodman, actor Ted White, make-up artist Tom Savini, actor Corey Feldman, casting director Fern Champion, actress Joan Freeman, actress Kimberly Beck, New Line executive Jeff Katz, actor E. Erich Anderson, actress Judie Aronson, actor Ted Monoson, actresses Camilla & Carey More, and actress Bonnie Hellman.

“Friday the 13th: A New Beginning”

Interview participants: producer Frank Mancuso, Jr., producer Timothy Silver, editor Bruce Green, director Danny Steinmann, actor Corey Feldman, casting director Fern Champion, actor John Shepherd, composer Harry Manfredini, actor Tom Morgan, stunt coordinator Dick Warlock, actor Shavar Ross, actress Melanie Kinnaman, actress Carol Locatell, actor Ron Sloan, actor Dick Wieand, actor Caskey Swaim, actor Corey Parker, actor Bob DeSimone, actress Rebecca Wood-Sharkey, actor John Robert Dixon, actress Debi Sue Voorhees, actress Darcy DeMoss, actor John Hock, and New Line executive Jeff Katz.

“Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives”

Interview participants: producer Frank Mancuso, actress Melanie Kinnaman, editor Bruce Green, casting director Fern Champion, writer/director Tom McLoughlin, actor John Shepherd, actor Shavar Ross, actor Thom Matthews, New Line executive Jeff Katz, make-up artist Gabe Bartalos, actor C.J. Graham, actress Jennifer Cooke, actress David Kagen, composer Harry Manfredini, actress Cynthia Kania, actress Nancy McLoughlin, producer Don Behrns, actress Ann Ryerson, actor Whitney Rydbeck, actor Alan Blumenfeld, actor Vincent Guastaferro, actor Michael Swan, musician Alice Cooper, and actress Cynthia Kania.

“Friday the 13th: The Series”

Interview participants: producer Frank Mancuso, Jr., producer Iain Paterson, writer/director Tom McLoughlin, actor John D. LeMay, and actor Steven Monarque.

“Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood”

Interview participants: producer Frank Mancuso, Jr., producer Iain Paterson, director John Carl Buechler, actress Lar Park Lincoln, actor Kevin Blair, actress Susan Blu, actor John Otrin, actress Jennifer Banko, actor Kane Hodder, actress Elizabeth Kaitan, actor Craig Thomas, editor Barry Zetlin, actress Diana Barrows, and actress Diane Almeida.

“Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan”

Interview participants: director Rob Hedden, producer Frank Mancuso, Jr., actress Tiffany Paulsen, actor Kane Hodder, editor Steve Mirkovich, actor V.C. Dupree, actress Sharlene Martin, actress Jensen Daggett, actor Peter Mark Richman, composer Harry Manfredini, actor Lee Coleman, and New Line executive Jeff Katz.

“Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday”

Interview participants: creator Sean S. Cunningham, Crystal Lake Entertainment producer Noel Cunningham, director Adam Marcus, actor John D. LeMay, make-up artist Greg Nicotero, actress Erin Gray, actress Julie Michaels, actor Kane Hodder, casting director Barry Moss, actress Brooke Scher, actor Michael B. Silver, actress Rusty Schwimmer, and visual effects artist Al Magliochetti.

“Jason X”

Interview participants: Crystal Lake Entertainment producer Noel Cunningham, writer Todd Farmer, director James Isaac, actor Chuck Campbell, actress Melyssa Ade, actor Yani Gellman, actor Kane Hodder, actress Kristi Angus, composer Harry Manfredini, actor Phillip Williams, actress Lisa Ryder, and New Line executive Jeff Katz.

“Freddy vs. Jason”

Interview participants: writer/director Tom McLoughlin, actor Robert England, director Wes Craven, actor Kane Hodder, New Line executive Jeff Katz, director Adam Marcus, executive Robert Shaye, New Line executive Mark Ordesky, writers Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris, writer David J. Schow, writers Mark Swift and Damian Shannon, director Ronny Yu, actor Kane Hodder, creator Sean S. Cunningham, producer Douglas Curtis, actor Ken Kirzinger, actress Monica Keena, actor Kyle Labine, and actor Doug Tait.

“Friday the 13th”

Interview participants: producer Brad Fuller, director Marcus Nispel, cinematographer Daniel C. Pearl, writers Mark Swift and Damian Shannon, actress Danielle Panabaker, actor Ben Feldman, actor Derek Mears, actress Julianna Gull, actor Arlen Escarpeta, actress Amanda Righetti, actor Nick Mennell, make-up artist Scott Stoddard, and actor Travis Van Winkle.

Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation carries itself as expected, with a comfortable HD appearance that brings out textures on the interviewees, allowing fans a detailed look at the participants many years after their franchise appearance. Crush pops up intermittently but is never troublesome, and minor banding is detected. Colors are satisfactory, best with location visits, fan art, and clothing choices, with fresh hues to study. Most film clips are in HD and look adequate, comfortably blended into the flow of the documentary. Interview footage ranges in quality due to the age of the conversations (chats with Tom McLoughlin were shot five years apart), resulting in some noisy images at times. The opening of the documentary adds a heavy layer of grain and some print damage to set the mood of the endeavor.

Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 Dolby Digital sound mix is an uneven listening event that blends interview audio with Corey Feldman's narration and film clips. Every element is at a slightly different level, with "Friday" footage muted to a whisper at times, not exactly making the evidentiary impact that it should. Feldman's voice is deep and strong, generating for an ideal guide through decades of horror entertainment. Interviews range in quality, though most are in fine shape, with crisp audio to convey the emphasis of certain anecdotes and franchise enthusiasm. Location audio is also satisfactory. Scoring is reserved and unobtrusive, supportive and secure, while a few of the most atmospheric moments do push out into the surrounds, conjuring a creepy vibe.

Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary with director Daniel Farrands, author Peter M. Bracke, and editor Luke Rafalowski acts as a companion piece to the documentary, with the three participants embarking on an impressively lengthy audio tour of the work. While I only sampled certain chapters of the track, it's clear the men have a tremendous love for the franchise, with Farrands taking the tour guide role, sharing additional anecdotes and his personal history with the movies. Bracke is the expert, comparing the visual effort to his book. And Rafalowski helped assemble this monumental amount of footage. It's conversational and not always on-topic, but those thirsting for an additional perspective on the "Friday" series will likely enjoy this extensive chat.

Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This isn't merely a documentary, it's a horror convention in your living room. "Crystal Lake Memories" is a monster effort to collect and communicate the sway of a controversial film series, taking a step back to comprehend its history as each installment scrambled to make sense of itself, clinging to the intense interest of its audience with each swing of the machete. For any "Friday" fan, the documentary is a must-see. Even if it reheats old stories, the charisma of the participants and the candor of the comments make it a necessary sit to best appreciate the blood, sweat, and more blood that went into the construction of these movies.