Friday the 13th 3 (1983)

From the moment the opening disco/dance version of the classic Friday theme hits the screen, you know this is something special. Riding in on the wave of the early eighties ever popular but short lived 3-D craze, director Steve Miner returns from part two delivering the series best Jason, the series hottest scream queen, and quite possibly, "the" quintessential" Friday the 13th film. Out of all of the many films in the series, from the original, the sequels, the prequels, etc., this baby right here is my own personal favorite. While it may easily be the worst acted and most idiotic out of the entire bunch, and believe me, that's saying a fucking whole hell of a lot, this 1983 effort to me, simply is Friday the 13th. Cue disco/dance Friday theme NOW.

Story wise, things are Keep It Simple Stupid. Taking place directly after the events of part two, Jason flees the scene of the crime and takes up residence on a nearby old farm/cottage. You know, the kind of place some dopey kids are sure to stay for a weekend, and lucky for Mr. Voorhee's, this they do. Our main good girl is Chris, who's parents apparently own the farm, who shows up with an assorted cast of characters any good psycho would love to stab, bludgeon, and impale to death. Chris, played by the ultra foxy Dana Kimmell, apparently has a bit of a history with Jason, as he seemingly attacked her some years ago in the woods. She hasn't been back since, and isn't even sure if it "really happened' so to speak, so she's here for a little bit of psychological treatment in conquering her fears. The rest of her friends, however, are here to have sex, get high and be idiots, and Jason, as stated above, is here to stab, bludgeon, and impale to death everyone in sight. Oh, fuck yes!

I'd almost like to consider this one as "Jason Voorhee's Coming Out Party", as he goes from a clumsy, awkward, psycho-killer-in-training in the previous film, to a righteous, sure of himself, imposing brute who is here to slay one and slay all. Jason also get's rid of that stupid bag over the head, and switches to the sleeker and cooler hockey mask we all know and love. Besides upping the psycho fashion meter, the old temper has not subsided any in this film, as those horny teens get treated to hot pokers through the gut, harpoons through the eyeball, machete hacking's aplenty, head crushings, and the ever handy pitchfork comes into play as well. While the gore is there and the cuts are not as prevalent as in part two, you gotta wonder just what all was left on the cutting room floor. Performance wise, while I love Kane Hodder as Jason as much as the next guy, part three's Jason (played by Richard Brooker) has always been a personal favorite. I'm not exactly sure how to put it, but there is just something to how Jason moves in this one that is cool. For example, take the scene where he nails the little Spanish chick in the eye with the harpoon, then casually drops the harpoon and sorta "lumbers" away. That's just cool shit. Or, how about the end sequence as Chris wakes up in the boat, looks up at the cabin, and see's Jason at the upstairs window, scratching at the window and pissed as all hell she's still alive. Awesome. Anyway, Jason kicks ass in this one and Mike, old buddy, I know you'll agree.

While none of the Friday films ever really take advantage of the surroundings's properly, I also like to consider this one to be, dare I say it, "atmospheric". Now, I don't mean atmosphere as in, say, an early Argento kind of arty way, but there is a vibe to this one. Whether it's the beginning shots of Jason lurking around some laundry blowing in the wind, or the cabins and their rather desolate location, part three takes advantage of the surroundings unlike any other Friday film does. It just feels like the way a Friday film should...creepy. As far as the rest, well...you know how it goes. When discussing the merits of a Friday film it typically revolves around how did Jason look, act, how gory was it, etc. You never discuss, say, "how was the acting" because it's always shit. That's not a knock on the actors themselves, because they are always no names/young kids starting out. The same applies here with what is probably the worst in the entire series, but that's alright. If you go into a Friday film expecting serious acting, you're at the wrong kind of flick. Actress Dana Kimmell probably plays one of the series best leading ladies, she's not only foxy but gives old Jason a decent run for his money. I'm even willing to forgive here "nicey nice" attitude of having some of the more violent aspects of the film toned down (say what?) just because she's so goddamn hot, albeit in a "girl next door" kind of way.

All in all, if someone wants to watch a Friday the 13th movie but hasn't really seen any of them, show them this one. While it is a sentimental favorite for nostalgia reasons, (it was one of the first Friday films I saw as a kid) it probably is what most fans would consider a "pure" Friday the 13th film.