Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7Neh90SoX8

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

You ever have those feelings where you used to love something so much you can’t believe how much you’ve grown to hate it? This is how it feels with Friday the 13th because even when under new management, it took a while for quality to improve the way it should have.


PLOT


Jason Goes to Hell begins with a blast as the mutated slasher Jason Voorhees gets slain in Crystal Lake by the FBI with gunshots and a grenade launcher. His body would be destroyed, but as his remains would be sent to a morgue, his heart would be eaten by the coroner named Phil, causing him to be possessed by the masked villain. In the coroner’s body does Jason escape after killing two guards and another coroner in the process. He would then continue his killing spree when targeting three teenagers camping in the area named Deborah, Luke and Alexis (Michelle Cluine, Michael B Silver & Kathryn Atwood). Elsewhere does reporter Robert Campbell reach out to bounty hunter Creightin Duke for an interview in stopping the possessed coroner. Duke reaches out to Jason’s half sister Diana Kimble (Erin Gray) to stop him as he believes only his living relatives can kill him for good. Jason then targets another officer named Josh (Andrew Bloch) to pass his soul onto him. The now possessed Josh does impale Diana when reaching her, but is unable to possess her next due to an interference from her niece Jessica’s baby daddy Steven Freeman. Steven throws him out the window but is accused of murder when his body is nowhere to be found. This is where he meets Duke who knows how the possession has been working for Voorhees. He escapes from prison and goes to the old Voorhees to warn Jessica of her connection to him, but finds Campbell hoping to reveal the slasher’s supernatural return on live television to boost ratings. That doesn’t happen when Deputy Josh appears and passes Jason’s soul to him before disintegrating. Despite Campbell going after her next, Jessica doesn’t believe Steve and goes to the police to arrest him. That ends up working because Freeman would still be able to protect her when Jason continues to pursue her in Campbell’s body. Duke breaks out during the commotion and both Steve & Jessica rush to the diner to pick up their baby Stephanie who the latter left to be tended by her boss Joey (Rusty Schwimmer). Jason catches up and kills the whole staff and customers on sight with his bare hands before Jsssixa leaves to the Voorhees house on her own. Duke picked up the baby before her and left a note to meet her there. As Steve catches up, Duke explains how she has to beat Jason and gives her a dagger meant to do so. When another officer enters the scene at the diner, Campbell passes his soul to him. Jessica would stab Sheriff Ed Landis (Billy Green Bush) with the dagger, presuming he’s possessed by Voorhees, until discovering it was actually Randy Parker (Kipp Marcus). Thankfully, Steve stops him again and hacks his face with a machete. However, his soul then targets Diana’s body and transforms back to his previous body before being slain in the beginning. Duke breaks his leg when falling through the floor and when getting back up does he distract the slasher long enough to give the couple time for them to defend themselves, getting killed in the process. Jessica eventually stabs him with the dagger and it seems to cause many demons to drag him to hell. As she and Steve walk into the sunrise with their baby, the film ends in a cliffhanger with Jason’s mask being separately dragged underground by a hand gloved of razors.


THOUGHTS


With New Line Cinema taking over the franchise from Paramount, it should’ve been a good sign we’d have better direction on creativity. Sadly, that wouldn’t be the case yet. Producer Sean Cunningham returned hoping to satisfy fans with a Freddy vs Jason crossover, hence Freddy’s gloved hand popping up in the end, but with Wes Craven prepping for New Nightmare, we had to wait a little longer and something fresh was needed to keep audiences excited. It should’ve sound cool for Jason to become a demon like Krueger himself, but it doesn’t make any sense at all the way the writing team of Dean Lorey & Jay Huguely were aiming for and the pressure was visible on debuting director Adam Marcus to make this vision possible. Kane Hodder remains imposing as the franchise’s poster boy, who also had his hand be the stand-in for Freddy at the end, and the practical effects created by KNB EFX were great in the slasher violence we’re seated for. It’s not everyday you see a guy melt after passing on possession or see another eat a fucking zombie heart. Hell, I was still quite stunned seeing a lady get sliced in half. In fact, this movie is hard to enjoy after all the janky-ness and incoherent vibe since the supernatural is another jump sharking moment after already making him a zombie. The biggest 180 that gets hard to be impressed at first is for multiple actors to take over as Jason after Hodder to establish the possession narrative. From Richard Grant as the disturbing Phil to the slimeball Steven Culp portrays Richard Campbell and everyone else between the lineup, it’s an interesting setup that just doesn’t belong per se. Steven Williams is the only one I can give most credit in chewing up the scenery as Creighton Duke who may be too eccentric given his line of work but however he knows Jason’s new lore, it makes sense he meant well the whole time before his sacrifice. The dynamic that John D LeMay & Kari Keegan bring to the table in their given time as Steven & Jessica is believable enough of an opposites attract relationship that see the best in each other despite having an on and off relationship upon introduction. The fact they still have each other’s back in defeating Jason does prove the movie’s point that we all face to confront the monster at one point in our lives in order to live on without fear. As much as I respect the sentiment, there’s still a bunch of things within that don’t make much sense as you watch along. It does make sense the FBI would trap Jason in Crystal Lake intending to finish him off, but the camp should’ve remained closed when the teenagers chose to camp for themselves. Just because they’re told the threat is handled, does not mean it was safe enough to visit. And in the beginning, I think Jason sneaking up on people got old here because there’s no point in him taking his time if he doesn’t want people trespassing. Also, Jason’s body shouldn’t be taken to a morgue at all and should’ve been cremated immediately on sight. The FBI may have not known Phil would eat the heart, but they obviously should’ve been more precautious. Lastly, I don’t know what’s more confusing between figuring out why Krueger takes so long with trying to control Jason, or the fact the Book of the Dead from The Evil Dead was in the Voorhees house for god knows how long. Ignoring all these things is hard for me to ignore and I’ll salute anyone who can. To wrap up, Jason Goes to Hell may not be The Final Friday, but it sure is as bombastic you want to expect in slasher flicks and if that’s what you’re into, I hope you’re not disappointed.