Friday the 13th: From Crystal Lake to Manhattan--Ultimate Edition

Friday the 13th: From Crystal Lake to Manhattan--Ultimate Edition includes all eight features (none in their "uncut" versions) released during the 1980s (minus the later Jason Goes to Hell, Jason X, and Freddy vs. Jason) in the successful slasher franchise built around Jason Voorhees, a boy who allegedly drowned at a summer camp but apparently returns (and returns, and returns) to murder teenagers experimenting with sex and unchaperoned freedom. Not surprisingly, the quality of the original film and its sequels varies drastically, though even the first flick in the series, 1980's Friday the 13th, was a poor relation to John Carpenter's stylistically superior Halloween. Looking for ways to resurrect Jason sequel after sequel was always the most creative aspect of these movies, though there are a couple of interesting peaks--Friday the 13th, Part IV: The Final Chapter (yeah, right), starring Corey Feldman as a kid who takes on the monster, and Friday the 13th, Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, which transfers the action, with a pinch of wit, to the Big Apple. In addition to commentary tracks on the third, sixth, seventh, and eighth entries in the series, this boxed set also includes an entire bonus disc of special features, including the 104-minute documentary "Friday the 13th Chronicles" (featuring new interviews with cast and crew from the films), the three-part featurette "Secrets Galore Behind the Gore," the featurettes "Crystal Lake Victims Tell All" and "Friday Artifacts and Collectibles," and trailers. Fans will certainly want to check this out, but let's face it, this is not great cinema, even within the horror genre. Not recommended. (T. Keogh)