Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.0

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday Blu-ray Movie Review

Note that the unrated cut includes missing footage. Shout! Factory is offering a replacement. Please click here for more on how to receive the corrected disc.

Scream Factory via Shout! Factory has released the 1993 Horror franchise film 'Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday' to Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer and a pair of lossless soundtrack options. Several supplements are included as well, carrying over the scant extras from Warner Brothers' disc found in the 2013 collection and adding plenty of new ones. It is currently only available in the exciting, and limited, Friday the 13th Collection which includes all 12 films featuring killer Jason Voorhees as well as two bonus discs.

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday features a soft but fairly impressive 1080p transfer. The image has a nice and functional look about it, though there are a few points of struggle. A fine grain structure accompanies, which never really fluctuates in density. But the the image is not always in top form. A lengthy nighttime outdoor scene in chapter five struggles to maintain crisp definition and organic texturing, appearing processed and fuzzy, not to mention plagued by black crush. Much of the picture runs flat but not fully devoid of texture. Essentials are intact and the image is more or less proficient in all ways but not at all visually exciting or robust. Core textures are not very complex, like clothes and faces, but they are stable and consistent. The picture is so dark when Jason makes a rare appearance that it's hard to see the mangled flesh and gore behind the mask. The gory effect are otherwise fairly stout (and are some of the most grotesque in the series). Colors fall more on the drab side of the ledger, perhaps even more dull than the texture. There's little feel for tonal robustness, leaving even the most colorful hues more lifeless than lively. The movie features a boring aesthetic and a boring, but competent for the source, Blu-ray transfer. It's easily the most uninteresting of the first nine.

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, like its predecessors, includes both DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtracks. Neither presentation really impresses, though the 5.1 track enjoys a healthier balance and sense of immersion. The 2.0 track struggles to keep up in terms of overall sound element clarity, but it's very aggressive, loud, and capable, even at the low end, such as when the heart thumps during the autopsy near film's start. The 5.1 experience is fuller with more opportunity for stage engagement and sound element finesse and clarity. Music is smoother and richer in 5.1, more stout in 2.0. Dialogue is sometimes shallow; listen to the interview with Creighton Duke at the 19-minute mark. It's flat in 5.1, poorly imaged and hushed in 2.0. The same can be said of another dialogue scene at a diner counter around the 23:45 mark. Both tracks are proficient for crude engagement and sound detail, but the 5.1 track enjoys superior presentation quality standards.

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday includes two cuts of the film: Theatrical (1:27:47) and Unrated (1:30:38). Both appear on their own Blu-ray discs. This is mostly new content.

Theatrical Cut

• NEW! Director Introduction (1080p, 0:12): Adam Marcus thanks fans for buying the film multiple times over the years.
• Theatrical Trailer
• NEW! TV Spots (1080p upscaled, 4x3, 3:00 total runtime).
• NEW! Still Gallery (1080p, 9:42): Images auto advance but can also be moved along with the remote's arrow keys. There is no musical accompaniment.
• NEW! Posters and Behind-the-Scenes Gallery (1080p, 3:25): Ads for the film from around the world. Images auto advance but can also be moved along with the remote's arrow keys. There is no musical accompaniment.
• NEW! Friday the 13th Props (1080p, 1:07): A look at masks, flipping through books, and more. A far too short "tour" that would have worked better as a still gallery.

• NEW! Director Introduction (1080p, 0:12): Adam Marcus thanks fans for buying the film multiple times over the years.
• NEW! Audio Commentary: Director Adam Marcus and Author Peter M. Bracke.
• NEW! Audio Commentary: Director Adam Marcus and Screenwriter Dean Lorey.
• NEW! The Gates of Hell - An Interview with Director Adam Marcus (1080p, 36:02): An engaging discussion in which the filmmaker discusses his love of the Horror genre, his heroes, his love of film with social themes attached, Horror film audience, making a "universe" film, the ending, the gore, growing as a filmmaker on the set, the edits, his wishlist for a future director's cut, audience response to the film then and now, and more. He makes a very strong defense of the film, one sure to challenge fans and critics alike on a repeat watch.
• NEW! Über-Jason - An Interview with Kane Hodder on Playing Jason (1080p, 28:21): Hodder talks about famous athletes who are fans of his work, his thoughts on Jason character exposition, an appearance with Arsenio Hall, his work in Jason Goes to Hell and thoughts on the film, disappointments with the stunt double work in Manhattan, playing the "über Jason, work on the video game, work on fire stunts throughout his career, and more.
• NEW! Jason vs. Terminator - Adam Marcus on Growing up with the Cunninghams (1080p, 11:33): Marcus recalls his lifelong connection to the Cunningham family, his passion for making movies and learning the craft, Cunningham's work on the film and beyond the franchise, and more.
• Additional TV Footage (480i, 4x3, 12:35 total runtime): With NEW! optional commentary by Director Adam Marcus.

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday works with some interesting ideas but diverges from formula so far that it understandably split the fanbase. There's more lore here than anywhere else in the franchise beyond the first two films, and kudos to Marcus for trying something that might not have pleased everyone but does shine a new light on the character and the story around him. New Line would attempt to resurrect Jason one last time in Jason X, which was also a radical departure in some ways but at least more or less true to the formula at its core. The Blu-ray's video quality is fine if nothing of note and the audio track is not in top form, either. Shout! Factory has included a very good selection of extras across the two disc set; everything with Adam Marcus is a must watch or listen. Recommended.