Review of Friday the 13th Part III (1982) by Patrick E — 14 Jun 2010

Part 3 is the film where the series firmly entered the realm of extreme cheesiness but is all the more entertaining for it. Originally released in 3D, this is the film where Jason finally obtains his iconic hockey mask and becomes a huge hulking cinematic presence.

The plot for part three is the first of the series to bring the main story away from the Camp Crystal Lake setting, instead we have a group of teenagers having a holiday in a lakeside holiday house. We have our usual mixed bag of characters, the hot girls and guys, the funny fat guy, a couple of hippies etc. We also meet a motorcycle gang and a crazy old guy along the way to bump up the horror cheesiness. The first 20 mins plays out like the first two films, Jason stalks and kills a couple of shop owners as we find out that the story is taking place one day after part two, that is on a Saturday! From here we spend the next 40 mins in the obligatory character development section where we are treated to characters getting stoned and having sex as well as plenty of 3D gimmicks such as characters juggling. When Jason finally shows up things really kick off, he is no longer the skinny inbred yokel but now a massive man who is a huge screen presence. About an hour into the film he obtains his hockey mask and he becomes the pop culture character of today. The killings are much more brutal in this film as Jason also uses his trademark machete. One eye popping scene is very well executed and the 15 minute finally is excellent as Jason relentlessly stalks our heroine. The final shot is of Jason supposedly killed with a machete through his head, it's safe to say though that we all know he isn't dead!

It's not as scary as the original two but it never tries to be, part 3 is more about the fun factor as it has plenty of jokes and an awful 80's soundtrack. The acting is the worst of the series by far but it can all be forgiven due to Jason finally getting his hockey mask and machete and becoming the badass killer of the later films. More fun than the originals but has to be watched with that in mind to enjoy it and shouldn't be taken seriously. Avoid the 3d version because it's not worth it.

6/10.