Review of Jason X (2001) by Camden N — 24 Mar 2009

They say that the one where the character goes into outer space is the death kiss for a horror series (note: the Halloween series thankfully hasn't gone this route...yet), but this is surprisingly not the worst in the F13 series (it also didn't damage Pinhead too much). Not only is it much more fresh and fun than the preceding 3 entries, but it's also more tongue-in-cheek (and not in an annoying way either). I'd say that this goes back to what they started with Friday the 13th Part 6, and that's a good thing!

It's been awhile since I've seen this one, so my memory's a little fuzzy, but still I'd like to mention a few things that stick out. Firstly, though this film doesn't exactly set the bar for great horror filmmaking, this has one of the greatest onscreen deaths in film history. I won't say what it is, but you'll realize what it is when your mind is blown.

The major mistake the film makes is in "updating" Jason. His general look has always been unmistakably and irrationally creepy, but the new "futuristic" look just succeeds in making him look kind of lame. The scenes with him fighting the robot lady were entertaining, but definitely cheapened what was an already dying series.

All in all, a more fun entry than the preceding few, and not as moronic as the previous one (at least this actually has Jason instead of Jason's spirit inhabiting random guys' bodies!) but definitely feels like DTV material. I like it overall, but it sure didn't do much for the series' credibility. Thankfully I think the recent remake took a step in the right direction.