Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Friday the 13th 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Paramount has released the iconic Horror franchise starter film 'Friday the 13th' to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/Dolby Vision video. No new audio track is included, and only legacy supplements have been added to the disc.

Friday the 13th 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from Paramount's 2021 1080p Blu-ray disc.

It's hard to imagine any Friday the 13th fans, or just film fans in general, being disappointed with how his Horror icon has translated to the UHD format. Paramount's 2160p/Doby Vision UHD presentation is an absolute treat. The picture quality is a resounding step forward from the studio's previous issue, which looked tremendous but here is brought to a whole new level of excellence. Here, the filmic roots are in full evidence, featuring a pleasing grain aesthetic which rarely spikes in intensity but rather maintains attractive stability. The image is sharp and revealing, clearly bringing out the most to be found both in broad daylight and in the chocking, suffocating darkness that defines much of the film after its opening act. Clarity of trees, vegetation, wooden cabins, clothes, and faces rates very highly for complexity and overall visibility.

The Dolby Vision color grading makes a big difference, too: nothing transformative, but there is certainly an added sense of accuracy and stability here, missing even from the latest Blu-ray. The yellow counselor shirts from the opening segment are rendered more faithfully, with a bolder and more naturally appealing shade. Bright outdoor shots, such as when Annie is making her way to the camp in bright daylight early in the film, look marvelous. These colors offer the viewer a brand-new perspective on the film as the boldest, brightest, and deepest shades ever experienced for this film. Of course, much of the movie takes place at night, and the UHD does not struggle to bring out the best of blacks and low light scenes. One of the only real issues one might have is the occasional evidence of black crush, such as during the first establishing shot in the film. Most blacks, however, are just pure and deep and mood-heightening. On the other end, the white opening titles leap off the screen with an incredible sense of newfound brightness and accuracy. Fans are going to be in for a treat with this one.

Friday the 13th 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Rather than remix for Dolby Atmos, Paramount has simply stuck with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack from the previous release. For more, please click here.

Friday the 13th 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Friday the 13th UHD release includes extras previously available on various other releases. There are a couple of differences to note between this disc and the 2021 remastered Blu-ray. Chief amongst them is the re-addition of the legacy commentary track. The only omission from the 2021 disc is the trailer collage. The big difference is that this UHD includes both the Uncut (1:35:27) and Theatrical (1:35:09) versions of the film; the remastered 2021 Blu-ray only included the uncut version. See below for what's included. Please click here for full coverage; all of the extras below were included on the original 2009 Paramount issue.

• Audio Commentary
• Fresh Cuts: New Tales from Friday the 13th (1080p, 14:07).
• The Man Behind the Legacy: Sean S. Cunningham (1080p, 8:58).
• Friday the 13th Reunion (1080p, 16:44).
• Lost Tales from Camp Blood Part 1 (1080p, 7:31).
• The Friday the 13th Chronicles: Friday the 13th (480i, 20:34).
• Secrets Galore Behind the Gore (480i, 9:32).

Friday the 13th 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is likely that Paramount will slow-trickle the entire Friday the 13th series onto the UHD format: new UHD for one film here, a SteelBook release for another that has already released there, and maybe a full series boxed set somewhere in the future. The only thing Paramount has done here to entice yet another dip into the Friday the 13th money pit is to upgrade the video and, well...it's worth another dip. The movie looks absolutely gorgeous, and fans are going to be nothing short of elated with it. It's too bad that the inevitable SteelBook wasn't concurrently released, or that Paramount didn't just forego this induvial release and drop the whole franchise onto 4K in one shot, but as a standalone release this is a must-own for fans.