Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 13, 2018

Actor/stuntman Kane Hodder is primarily known for his work on the “Friday the 13th” series, portraying Jason Voorhees for four movies, starting with 1987’s “The New Blood.” He’s celebrated for his reworking of Jason’s monster stomp, taking a figure of horror cinema and turning him into an icon. “To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story” sets out to humanize Hodder, to expose his real side after decades spent behind mask and makeup. Director Derek Dennis Herbert strives to understand what makes Hodder tick, using guidance from the subject’s 2011 autobiography to inspire this documentary, which employs a great number of famous faces and close friends to explore Hodder’s personality and professional triumphs, while the man himself sits down to share harrowing tales of medical and social challenges while helped to shape the genre legend that remains today.

Herbert tries to work in as many biographical details as Hodder will allow, with the opening moments of “To Hell and Back” exploring the subject’s adolescent experience in the South Pacific island of Kwajalein, where he was raised in paradise but experienced a living hell, facing tremendous bullying issues that reshaped his personality, subjected to peer-based horrors for no real reason. There’s a discussion of Hodder’s early interest in daredevil antics to frighten friends and entertain himself, but Herbert is aware of the picture’s audience, making a quick leap from 1974, where Hodder caught the acting bug doing extra work in “California Split,” to 1987, where he picked up the mask, cast as Jason Voorhees for the first time. It’s a jarring change of focus, but perhaps a necessary one, permitting the faithful to hear some “Friday the 13th” stories, relaxing expectations before returning to the rest of Hodder’s life experiences.

They’re good franchise anecdotes too, with Hodder detailing his method when portraying one of the most famous movie maniacs, focusing on slow head movements and deep breathing to give Jason some feeling of untapped rage while gradually tearing his way through victims. Hodder is largely credited by the experts gathered as the finest Jason of the bunch, showing complete dedication to the acting challenge and interest in mixing up the stunts, trying to avoid the norm to please fans who’ve stuck through the series for six previous endeavors. Also identified is Hodder’s sense of humor, delighting in the chance to really scare people while still in makeup, keeping his distance from the cast and crew, figuring out ways to introduce real fear into the filmmaking process and behind-the-scenes mischief.

Jason is a major part of “To Hell and Back,” with the documentary eventually touching on Hodder’s extreme disappointment when he wasn’t asked back for “Freddy vs. Jason,” left behind by a franchise many claimed he revitalized. The story of his dismissal is a little too vague (nobody from the studio or the production is asked about the issue), but it’s clear the denial weighed heavily on Hodder, who was sent into a deep depression, requiring some self-inspection and help from friends to dig out of. The abrupt end of Jason leads into an examination of “Hatchet,” a far less successful series that gave Hodder a second shot at masked menacing, working with director Adam Green to replicate slasher fever, this time respecting Hodder’s contributions to character work and gore zone highlights.

Aggressive acting choices in famous horror films are noted, but “To Hell and Back” is primarily about vulnerability, with Hodder taking time to share the story of his 1977 burn (torching himself for a newspaper article without proper preparation), which destroyed most his body, leading him down a dark path of arduous healing and psychological rupture. It’s a harrowing tale of survival and medical malpractice, told with quaking emotion by Hodder, who reveals himself in full, sharing the details of what ended up being his lowest point.

To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation delivers a consistent, bright look for "To Hell and Back," which is largely comprised of seated, well-lit interview segments with various personalities. Lighting adds varied hues to the basic setup, identifying changes in mood and location, and skintones are natural. Location visits for more dramatic passages are agreeable, with decent greenery, while Hodder's favorite clothing color, black, is deep. Detail is generally strong for the HD-shot feature, picking up on signs of aging and enthusiasm, while Hodder himself is an ideal subject for HD, with his scarred body coming through with satisfactory texture. Mild banding is periodically detected.

To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 Dolby Digital track for "The Hell and Back" provides a simple listening event, with obvious emphasis on interviewees, who offer a comfortable range of recollections, while Hodder's conversations are appealing, capturing his vocal quirks with slight differences between sound equipment. Scoring favors heavier metal crunch with distinct guitar shredding, supporting the genre mood of the feature. Surrounds are sparse, with the mix favoring a frontal push of voices and music.

To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Deleted Scenes (HD) include "Bonus Bits" (18:23), "Bonus Burn Memories" (15:15), "A Kane Hodder Fight History" (12:42), "More Memories on Kane Hodder Films" (21:52), "Extras Comments on 'Friday the 13th' Films" (16:55), and "Additional Thoughts on 'Hatchet' Series" (13:56).

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:59, HD) is included.

To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"To Hell and Back" is an enlightening documentary, shedding light on Hodder's personal behavior and professional standards, while pals such as Robert Englund, Bruce Campbell, and Adam Green share praise, highlighting Hodder's connection to the public, which typically involves convention appearances where he chokes people in photo ops. Herbert isn't the best with organization (we learn about Hodder's wife at the 92-minute mark) but he has enthusiasm for his subject, working to assemble a three dimensional portrait of a man who fell into acting and stunts, coming out the other side with interest in the process and determination to excel at the job. "To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story" has moments of fluff and misguided dramatic emphasis, but it's compelling, keeping Jason on the front burner while the picture strives to emphasize the man's everyday accomplishments and life lessons.