Greetings and welcome back to October Horror Fest! Today is Day 13, and although it’s not a Friday, you all know what I was gonna watch. Today, we venture away from the spiritual horrors of Poltergeist, to something that’s very familiar to us. Slashers. And of course, a Slasher that’s very familiar to all of us as well. Happy 13th Everyone, and let’s see what teens are victims of Camp Blood this time… Without further ado, sit back, relax, turn off the lights, grab some Candy and Popcorn, and let’s review…

Friday the 13th: Part 3

Yes, my friends, we are back! Having finished with Jason’s story last time on the penultimate article of horror fest, it’s time to return to Camp Crystal Lake, and continue his story! The first seven minutes of this film is literally just the ending to part two, but at least we get to see Ginny again! If you all remember, she is my favorite final girl (so far) in the Friday franchise, and is up there in my Horror Fest Final Girls Tier List from last time. So, as we watch Jason attack Ginny, let’s go over some stuff! First of all, this movie is CORNYYYYY. It’s great, but it’s extremely corny. This is due to the EXTREME nature of it. Or, that’s what the filmmakers probably intended. Part 3 is filmed entirely in 3D, and was shown that way in theaters. So when affects look dated or very very 80s, that’s why. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s list our teens for this movie? Let’s see if you can guess who our final girl is! Our teens consist of Chris Higgins, a pretty girl who owns a home on the lake, Debbie (who is pregnant), her boyfriend Andy, the prankster of the group named Shelly, his blind date Vera, stoners Chuck and Chili who are kinda just there for the ride, and Chris’s boyfriend, Rick. That was a lot, but hey, no need to explain now. Alrighty, it seems like Ginny escaped, so let’s start this thing, shall we?

Our film starts right after the 80s-tastic credits, with a couple named Harold and Edna. They run a convenience store right next to Crystal Lake, and of course, our boy is there. Jason stalks around the store, as we hear “ki ki ki, ma ma ma” once more. The scene becomes more and more unnerving, until Harold goes to smoke in a secluded part of his property. Suddenly, Jason is there, plunging a hatchet deep into Harold’s chest. As Edna watches a news report on the events of Part 2, she hears Harold die, and goes to investigate. She doesn’t get far until he gets her. Jason stabs his arm through a glass window, and imaples Edna with a sharp weapon. We see her wound gushing blood, as we cut to our group (pre-named and established, good thinking Danny!)

We see Chris driving, as her, Debbie, and Andy all hop out. Since they are teens in the Friday the 13th series, they immediately start talking about “the act”. Shelly hops out after, and pranks Andy. He wears a mask and uses a prop knife on him. The group walks up to Vera’s house, and she comes out, and immediately has mixed opinions on Shelly. The group picks up everyone, including our two stoners, and speeds out in the van. On the way there, they are warned to not go near the camp, just like our teens in part one and two. On the way to Chris’s house, they even see the cops rolling up on the store from the opening. The group finally arrives at Higgins Haven (The name of Chris’s property). And, once there, teen things start happening. Chris reunites with Rick, and the two have fun. However, Jason is there. He watches the teens but they never see him. He hides within the shadows, and his favorite place to be is the barn. Shortly after, we see Shelly with an axe in his head, blood gushing. In this part, I honestly thought Jason had his first kill of the movie, his iconic music playing as well. But, it was a joke. He gets up, removing the axe from his head. Vera starts to speed off to the store in Rick’s car, but begrudgingly lets Shelly accompany her. Debbie and Chris have a heart to heart in the forest, as we cut to Vera at the store. Now begins easily one of the funniest scenes in all of horror. I died here guys. Shelly tosses his wallet to Vera, misses, and it falls on the floor. The pair are confronted by a biker gang, and the only two that matter are Ali and Fox (boy and girl), but another boy Loco is there as well. Fox begins to taunt Vera, and finally gives her the wallet back. The pair gets in the car, and my god, this was so funny. Shelly accidentally backs up into the bikes, and Ali comes out holding an 80s chain wrist thingy. He literally just puts his hands up with it, and causes the car to come to a screeching halt. He then punches through the windows (I’m not joking), and the pair drives off. He goes to pursue on his bike, but Shelly drives back and pops the tire. He then drives off, impressing Vera. This all happened within three minutes. God I love Friday the 13th. 

Once the group reunites at the Haven, Chris and Rick take off in it. Rick needs to get away, but Chris goes with him. Jason watches this happen from the barn. Debbie and Andy go out to swim, whilst Vera and Shelly head inside. Unknown to any of them, our favorite biker gang somehow by the grace of God found out where the Haven is, and began to siphon gas from the Van, hoping to blow it up. Fox makes her way inside the barn, being watched by Jason. Loco makes his way in after her, and of course, sees her dead body impaled into the wall by a rake. He is then stabbed by another rake, and the wooden end of it comes right next to the camera. PERFECT FOR 3D GUYS!!! Ali, shaken, goes to the door holding his gas cans, the dead body of Loco falls on him, and he is attacked by Jason. I was PRAYING that Jason would kill the gang when they arrived at the Haven just because it would be funny, and I was so happy it actually happened. ALSO, Ali uses a Machete he finds on the ground to attack Jason, soon becoming Jason’s famous weapon! Jason watches through the window as Debbie and Andy arrive back. We FINALLY cut to Chris and Rick in the woods, at a really quaint and peaceful area. They begin to have a heart to heart, talking about their relationship. In the house, the unimpressed duo of Debbie and Vera watch Andy and Shelly compete in a juggling competition. Debbie gets up, walks to Andy, and says a comment to him that causes him to fail. You can guess along the lines of what she said. Shelly then stops juggling, and confesses his feelings to Vera. Before he can get anywhere, she says she is going to go outside (first mistake), and when she gets back, they’ll talk. Remember Randy’s third rule from Scream, my friends. Never say “you’ll be right back.” She goes outside, and I honestly started debating if Jason would come for her or Shelly first. And, of course, “ki ki ki, ma ma ma” starts playing. He stalks Shelly through a window, as Shelly leaves the fire poker in the fireplace. He then starts walking after Vera. 

We cut to Debbie and Andy, and they are getting ready to do it on the hammock in Debbie’s room. On Day 30, I referenced Randy’s rules twice, and, since this is a Friday the 13th film, they’re back. Give a warm welcome back to the #1 rule of Horror Fest, my friends. “Like Randy from Scream and I always say, in an 80s horror movie, and any horror movie in general, if you decide to do the act, you aren’t making it out alive.” I said these words on Day 30, and they ring TRUEEEE right now. Always trust Randy! Back with Chris and Rick, we start to get deep. Chris spills her guts, telling Rick the real reason why she didn’t go back to her Haven for two years, and why she’s been so distant the past few months. The night of a date between the couple, Rick dropped Chris off at her parents. She went in, and a massive argument ensued, resulting in Chris’s mother hitting her. Chris took off, and planned to spend the night in the forest to punish her parents. She was sitting there, until a grotesque man attacked her. We know this man, of course, as Jason Voorhees. We see the attack occurring on screen, as Chris panics while she retells it. Jason caught her, pulled her down to the ground, and was dragged. Chris says after this, she blacked out. She woke up in her bed, and her parents never said a word about it. It still haunts her to this day. In this scene, it is heavily implied that Jason assaulted Chris.

After this, the car dies, and the pair starts walking back together. And, at the house, we gotta get rid of our side characters to make way for our 20 minute final battle, typical of all Fridays. And, this starts with our stoners. Chuck makes his way to an outhouse to smoke, as we hear “ki ki ki, ma ma ma”. Once inside, the outhouse is rattled, and he looks outside to see Jason walking into the barn. Chili then surprises him, and the two make their way to the barn, thinking Jason was Shelly. In the barn, the pair look around, but are unable to find Shelly. They leave, as he watches them. We cut to Vera, who is still alive to my shock, sitting on the edge of the dock. Shelly comes out from beneath the water, holding a harpoon, wearing a swimming suit, and wearing a very, very familiar hockey mask on his face. It’s happening guys. It was another prank obviously, and the two talked. Vera is obviously upset. Vera says she likes Shelly, but not when he acts like a jerk. He responds, saying being a jerk is better than being a nobody. He walks to the barn (IT’S HAPPENINGGGG), as Vera sits back down. Vera accidentally drops Shelly’s wallet in the lake, and goes to retrieve it. When suddenly, Jason Voorhess walks out. He is wearing the iconic hockey mask. After two movies, Jason, OUR Jason, is finally here. He fires a harpoon into Vera’s eye in an iconic glorious 3D kill. This actually made me sad, because I really liked Vera, and I thought she might have been the final girl. Jason turns around, and sees the upstairs light on. He walks towards the house, diligently following Rule #1. We cut to our lovebirds, as they finish. Andy does his goofy handstand walk around the house as Debbie showers. He goes to get a beer for her, as THE Jason Voorhees walks up the stairs. He has the mask, he has the machete. It’s time. Andy’s handstand walks away, as Jason surprises him. He brings the machete down, and Andy falls to the ground. Debbie finishes in the shower, and doesn’t know where Andy has gone. She sits on the hammock, and reads a page celebrating 25 Years of Godzilla. As she reads, blood falls down from the ceiling and lands on the King of Monster’s photo. She looks up, and sees the severed corpse of Andy. His legs have all their blood and tissue intact, and this was one of the most gruesome sights I have ever seen from this franchise. Jason grabs Debbie’s head, shoving his machete through her chest, killing her and her unborn child.

The clock reads 29 minutes left, and the movie knows what it has to do. We cut to our stoner friends making popcorn, as the lights shut off. Chuck heads down into the basement to fix the power. Chili checks the door, and finds Shelly, somehow still alive. His throat is slit, and he dies while asking for help. He cried wolf too many times. Chuck flips the switch, and Jason is there, ominously staring at him from behind. Chuck turns around, and Jason rushes him. He throws him into the fuse box, electrocuting him. Chili finally realizes Shelly is dead, and the panic hits. She runs around, as Jason pulls a trick from Micheal’s playbook. He strings the bodies of his victims all around the house in various places, terrifying poor Chili. He grabs the fire poker Shelly left in the fireplace, and walks. He comes face to face with Chili, and kills her, picking up her corpse. Our duo finally arrives home, and my clock reads 25 minutes…

Inside, they discover that no one is there. Rick goes out to look around, and Chris can’t find him. We are then hit with one of the most iconic horror scenes ever, and I’ve seen this exact shot so many times. Chris goes outside, searching for her boyfriend. On the other side of the wall from her, Jason covers Rick’s mouth, subduing him. Chris goes back inside, and Jason puts his hands on his skull. His eye pops out in a very funny, very 80s, very 3D moment (I wasn’t watching in 3D), and he falls to the floor. It’s time for our final girl to step up to the plate. 22 minutes on the clock, perfect time for the battle. She walks upstairs, noticing an overflow of water. She goes into the bathroom, and the tub is filled with blood and the corpse of Chili (I think). Chris runs stairs, calling for Rick. She runs outside, and heads towards the barn. Once there, more Micheal Myers antics begin. Loco’s dead body falls from a tree, hung up by a rope. Chris freaks out, and runs back into the house. Jason absolutely chucks Rick’s dead body through a window, and stares ominously at Chris. He comes through the window, and it begins ladies and gentlemen! Chris throws a bookshelf full of books onto Jason, and he is injured. She continues to run, finding Debbie’s body inside a closet. Jason approaches, trying to get in the door. In a gut wrenching moment, Chris pulls the knife from Debbie’s neck, and uses it. Channeling his inner Jack Torrance, Jason axes the door, but Chris, channeling her inner Wendy Torrance, stabs his hand. She runs outside, swinging widely, and gets Jason again in the leg. She gets into a room, and breaks the window. She goes to JUMP OUT IT, until Jason grabs her. She gets away, and falls to the ground.

From there, she bashes Jason on the head with a 2×4, and bolts. She gets to her van, and starts it, almost running over Jason. She drives, but remember our favorite biker gang? Their actions have consequences now, as the van is out of gas. Jason attacks, but Chris rolls up the window, trapping his hands. Jason bangs his head into the glass to free himself, as the chase starts again. Chris runs into the barn, barricading the door to give herself a bit of time. Jason looks around, becoming frustrated, as Chris tries to climb on the support beam above. She falls, crashing into Jason. She tries to get out, but Jason’s newly replaced barricade is too strong. He swings and misses with the machete, as Chris hides at the top of a ladder with hay all around. Jason gets up there, but is whacked in the head with a shovel, getting knocked out. Chris initiates some of that final girl within her, and ties Jason’s neck to a rope. She lets him go, and we hear his neck crack. Is it over? Our girl heads downstairs, and opens the door. Jason’s body hanging is a horrific sight, until he pulls on the rope. He removes his mask briefly, revealing he is the same man from that night two years prior. Chris absolutely breaks down, screaming and crying, when all of a sudden, ALI comes running out! He was alive this whole time, and tried to protect Chris. But, there’s only room for one final character in Camp Crystal Lake. His hand is chopped clean off with the machete, as Jason absolutely goes to town on him.

Chris bravely picks up the Axe, and the most famous few minutes of this entire franchise (debatable), begin. She brings the axe down on Jason’s head, slicing clean through the top of the mask. Fun fact, the indent the axe leaves on Jason’s mask stays through every single movie. Jason reaches out his arms like a zombie, and keeps moving forward. The axe and his arms really feed into the 80s 3D goodness of this film, as Chris backs away. You can REALLY tell what scenes were really taking advantage of 3D, and which were not. Jason falls to the ground, axe still sticking out of his head. Our final girl reaches the lake, pushes a canoe out into the lake, and lies down in it, echoing her spiritual predecessor Alice from two movies prior. Chris wakes up, and she is terrified. She screams as various things and animals jumpscare her, as we see something honestly terrifying. She looks at the house, as Jason is in the upper window, unmasked but covered in blood. He BOOKS it out of the house and gets ready to attack. He disappears, until the rotting corpse of Pamela Voorhees, head still attached, comes out of the water and drags our girl in…

We cut to the house in broad daylight, as the cops show up. Chris is taken out of the house, shaking. She has gone insane. The ending we just saw was a hallucination, echoing the previous two movies and two final girls Alice and Ginny. Chris joins the list, although I still prefer Ginny! She laughs widely, crying at the same time, echoing Sally Hardesty from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. (Chainsaw Massacre celebrated its 50th only two days ago. Happy Anniversary!) Chris is taken away by the cops, as we cut to Jason in the barn. He is still there, Axe still embedded in him. He is covered in blood, and doesn’t move. We see the lake, and it finally, finally, looks peaceful…

I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED! I LOVE Friday the 13th. Although you all know that Halloween is my favorite, watching Part One and Part Two last year, and Part Three now, (maybe more to come, stay tuned…), has truly given me a love and appreciation for good old Jason. It was incredible to finally see THE Jason Voorhees come to life finally in this film, and I’m so happy I saw it. No matter how corny, I loved it. Thank you all so much for reading! And, always remember… Beware. Camp. Blood. Third time is usually the charm, but not this time…