Review of Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th (2013) by Alex R — 04 Oct 2013

A few years ago, a documentary on the Friday the 13th franchise surfaced under the title of His Name Was Jason. Though entertaining and very well done, it was a little short in terms of content and it didn't go in depth with the history of the franchise.

Peter M. Bracke wrote the definitive work on the series and director Daniel Farrands who also helmed His Name Was Jason and Never Sleep Again adapts Bracke's book to the screen. The result is a very impressive documentary that goes really in depth to the series.

If you really enjoy the films, then this is the documentary to watch. His Name Was Jason was very good in what it tried to do, but this is the superior film. Very much like Bracke's book, this gives fans the complete story about the legendary franchise.

The film runs for over 4 hours, thus it covers plenty of ground. Fans of the series will very much enjoy this and it gives them exactly what they want. Many of the cast from every entry in the Friday the 13th are interviewed along with the filmmakers and they give their memories on making the movies.

What I love about the documentary is that it gives the series more credibility as good films due to the fact that many people easily dismissed them as just Slasher films. The films were made with passion, dedication and heart.

You really get to see that by hearing the actors and filmmakers talk about their experiences. Crystal Lake Memories is a terrific documentary and far better than His Name was Jason. For fans that were disappointed by that film, and wanted more, you'll definitely get more Friday the 13th history with this film.

As it stands, this is the definitive film on the series, and it is a must see for horror fans.