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Kane Hodder bears the mask in Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday.
When we last left notorious slasher Jason Voorhees, he was melting away at the bottom of a New York City sewer in Friday the 13th, Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. Four years later (our time) Jason has miraculously resurfaced, and no, he’s no longer a Manhattanite. He’s back up to his old tricks at Camp Crystal Lake.
Jason Goes to Hell is somewhat of an enigma in a series full of them. The film opens just like any run-of-the-mill Friday the 13th film – with a buxom female stripping down to take a shower in the middle of the woods. But those first eight minutes prove to be the only reminder of where this franchise has been, as the entire remaining 80 minutes take the franchise in a completely different direction.
Ten minutes into the film, Jason is effectively ambushed and literally blown to smithereens. Mr. Voorhees has taken a lot of punishment (multiple machete shots to the head and neck, an ax to the forehead, being drowned… three times, toxic waste accidents…), but never has he been totally blown to pieces. But any idiot will figure where this is going. He couldn’t possibly be dead… there’s a lot more movie to go!
And right that idiot would be. Jason’s limbs and organs are delivered to the Federal Morgue in Youngstown, OH (where Kane Hodder, the man who plays Jason, has a small cameo). While performing the autopsy, the medical examiner seems to be become smitten with Jason’s heart, and proceeds to chow down on that bad boy. Yeah, the guy actually eats Jason’s black heart.
Now seemingly possessed by Jason’s evil spirit, this guy now goes out into the night leaving dead and mangled bodies along the way.
Alright, before you stop reading and poke fun at the film, the story really is better than how it sounds. Give it a chance at least.
Long story short, we meet Creighton Duke — a bounty hunter with an apparent history with Jason. A history we know nothing about, nor are made privy to during the film. He explains to our heroes that the true Jason Voorhees is just an evil spirit… the bodies he utilizes are “just meat.” And, amazingly, Duke has learned the only way to truly kill off Jason Voorhees… yeah, like we haven’t heard that one before!
“In a Voorhees he was born, through a Voorhees may he be reborn… and only by the hands of a Voorhees will he die.”
What does this mean? Well, apparently Jason has had a sister all along. Diana (Erin Gray) is now at risk… as is her daughter Jessica (Kari Keegan) and her newborn daughter. These three are the only human beings who can finally finish the job. Jason knows this, and is determined to hunt them down before they do the same to him.
After four years without a new Friday the 13th flick, the franchise was sold by Paramount to then-king of horror New Line Cinema. Notably absent was the traditional “Friday the 13th” moniker, as Paramount decided to hang onto that. This film was also supposed to set-up the eventual showdown between Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger — a showdown which ended up taking exactly a decade to come to fruition.
Jason Goes to Hell has some of the most detailed, albeit fantastic, background storytelling in any of the franchise’s films. So, while suspension of belief of most of the previous entries in the series is necessary, you can’t fault the film’s attempt at trying to create a better understanding of the Jason Voorhees character and his motives.
This is also the first time there is any mention of Jason’s family, outside of his mother Pamela. There is a brief mention of his father, Elias (who actually had a part in the original screenplay of Jason Lives)… and his newfound sister, niece, and grand-niece all have roles here. Why weren’t these kinfolk brought up in the past?
Well, you never asked, silly!
The real question is, did Jason know about his sister all along? Was that who he was really after in the previous eight films? Or did Jason find out about Diana in the script-reading in early-1993, and only then decide to set out after his only living family members? I guess only Mr. Voorhees knows that… but he’s dead now, right?
Pretend you haven’t heard of Jason X, or Freddy vs. Jason.
Flick Figures: 25 dead bodies; 6 breasts; 2 derrieres; 1 gigantic ambush attack; balcony-diving; total annihilation; heart-consumption; finger-breaking; 2 counts of vehicular hit-and-run; 1 WWE-style clothesline; deep fried face; head crushed between hands; throat slashed; forced shaving; upper torso split in half; 2-pronged probe through the skull; spade-fu; garden rake-fu; heads roll; and the required amount of underage drinking and pre-marital sex.
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