‘Friday the 13th’ 4K Review

While remakes are a longstanding tradition in the horror genre, 2003’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre ushered in a decade-dominating trend of reinventing classic genre properties for the new millennium. Hoping to replicate the success of Texas Chainsaw, production company Platinum Dunes re-teamed with director Marcus Nispel for a contemporary take on Friday the 13th in 2009.

Like many of the best remakes, Friday the 13th doesn’t recycle the same plot and characters from the 1980 film. The script, penned by Freddy vs. Jason scribes Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, strikes a careful balance between fresh and familiar by blending novel concepts with interpolated elements from the first four Friday the 13th films — from Mrs. Voorhees to sackhead Jason to the iconic hockey mask.

Following an extended prologue — which streamlines the summer camp slasher formula into 20 breakneck minutes before the title card drops — ruggedly handsome Clay Miller (Jared Padalecki, Supernatural) is introduced. While searching the Crystal Lake area for his missing sister (Amanda Righetti, The Mentalist), he runs into the sympathetic Jenna (Danielle Panabaker, The Flash), her impossibly douchey boyfriend Trent (Travis Van Winkle, You), and their friends partying at a luxurious cabin in the woods.

The rest of the crew consists of stoners Chewie (Aaron Yoo, Disturbia) and Lawrence (Arlen Escarpeta, Final Destination 5), promiscuous couple Nolan (Ryan Hansen, Veronica Mars) and Chelsea (early aughts pop star Willa Ford), and seductress Bree (Julianna Guill, The Resident). It’s not long until Jason Voorhees (Derek Mears, Swamp Thing) begins slashing through them one by one.

A product of its time, Friday the 13th injects some sadism into the slasher fun. It doesn’t reach Rob Zombie’s Halloween levels of brutality, but Jason is noticeably more savage than before. Unlike past incarnations, Nispel’s take on Jason is a lean, mean hunter. The intense physicality that Mears brings to the role makes him a strong contender for the scariest Jason in the franchise’s 12-film history.

In celebration of its 15th anniversary, Friday the 13th is receiving a two-disc 4K Ultra HD release via Arrow Video. Both the 97-minute theatrical version and the 105-minute “killer cut” (with more plot, gore, and nudity) are presented in 4K in Dolby Vision and original 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Cinematographer Daniel Pearl’s (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) gritty aesthetic with a glossy luster is accurately represented in great detail and contrast.

Nispel provides a new commentary on the theatrical cut, in which he discusses his inspirations and the trials and tribulations of making the film. Shannon and Swift’s new commentary compares and contrasts their various drafts of the script to the final film and pokes fun at various fan misconceptions. On the unrated cut, critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson do a fantastic job contextualizing the horror landscape out of which the film was born.

A new interview with Nispel covers a lot of the same ground as the commentary, but the free-form nature allows for additional candid insight. The same can be said about the interview with Shannon and Swift, who reveal details about their unmade sequel that would open in the winter, feature Jason’s father Elias in a flashback, and see the return of franchise favorite Tommy Jarvis. Pearl also sits down for a new interview discussing his visual approach. Bloody Disgusting contributor Matt Donato presents “A Killer New Beginning,” a new video essay on Friday‘s exemplary approach to horror remakes.

Archival extras are also included: excerpts from the Terror Trivia track, previously presented in picture-in-picture; The Rebirth of Jason Voorhees, a making-of featurette with cast and crew; Hacking Back / Slashing Forward, about revitalizing the franchise; The 7 Best Kills, detailing some of the film’s death scenes; deleted scenes (including an alternate hockey mask origin); teaser trailer; theatrical trailer; TV spots; electronic press kit footage; and an image gallery.

The limited edition set comes with a booklet featuring new writing by horror critics Matt Konopka and Alexandra West, a double-sided poster featuring Gary Pullin’s new artwork and the original key art, and a Crystal Lake postcard.

Some fans took umbrage with the tweaks to the status quo, including Jason’s agility and intellect, but Friday the 13th offers vicious kills, some of the series’ best suspense, a few genuinely funny beats, and a fair amount of subversion in terms of genre conventions. Sure, it’s impossible to compare to the nostalgic warmth of an ’80s favorite, but taken at face value, the reboot belongs in the conversation as the franchise’s most well-rounded entry.

Friday the 13th (2009) will be released on 4K UHD on September 17.