“Everyone grab your 3-D glasses! It is time to witness some murderously grisly gore. Harpoon guns, hot pokers and all sorts of cutlery are ready to jump out at you in this superbly done 3-D classic.”
TITLE: Friday the 13th Part 3 (in 3-D)
DURATION: 95 minutes
COMPANY: Paramount
RATED: R
RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2009
Directed by Steve Miner
Produced by Frank Mancuso Jr
Written by
Based upon Characters Created by Victor Miller and Ron Kurz
Screenplay by Martin Kitrosser and Carol Watson
Co-Produced by Tony Bishop
Executive Producer: Lisa Barsamian
Music by Harry Manfredini
Starring:
Dana Kimmell as Chris
Paul Kratka as Rick
Nick Savage as Ali
Rachel Howard as Chili
David Katims as Chuck
Larry Zerner as Shelly
Tracie Savage as Debbie
Jeffrey Rogers as Andy
Richard Brooker as Jason Voorhees
It’s spine-tingling horror in a whole new dimension as Friday The 13th: Part 3-3D comes to Blu-ray! A carefree summer becomes a deadly nightmare for another group of naive counselors who choose to ignore Camp Crystal Lake’s gruesome legacy. They find themselves in a bloody game of cat-and-mouse with the maniacal Jason, who stalks their ever move….and ruthlessly kills them off one by one.
So this is where Jason dons the infamous hockey mask that has become a staple of Halloween tradition everywhere. And this release does not disappoint that tremendous legacy.
It comes with 2 pairs of red-blue 3-D glasses but you will need to grab some more as this film is best enjoyed in group settings. Or you can watch it by yourself in the dark, late at night so you can rewind all the good parts and watch them over and over again to notice all the little things in 3-D.
The packaging is a standard Blu-Ray case with the jacket only printed on one side. There are no inserts other than the glasses which are made up to look like Jason’s hockey mask.
The 2-D version of the film is very solid with no noticeable problems and its much brighter in tone balance when compared to the first film. The a pacing of the film moves slowly building to the fast scenes of death where the frame rate shows great detail during the scenes of gore.
The real fun here is all in the 3-D viewing. And it is fun -but I have to warn you that for some scenes it does take some work as you are forced to focus your eyes oddly at times. I noticed that in a few scenes where object get extremely close to the camera, you have to take a second and re-adjust focus as the left and right images are more distant in these extreme close ups. There is nothing wrong with the transfer, it is just the camera technique used.
I particularly enjoyed the establishing shots at the beginning of the film with the panoramic view of the store which then moved onto the laundry flowing in the wind. Often times I found myself lost in some of the minutiae of the scenes such as looking at windows and backgrounds. This often helps to punctuate the murder scenes as they can be even more jolting while you are distracted looking elsewhere. And just so you know, the harpoon sequence is incredible.
The special features are all in HD and are of the same high quality as the prior films. And the sound is also solid as well.
But this release is all about good old fashioned 3-D red-blue fun and will require lots of use of the rewind button.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
Video is presented in 1080p Widescreen. Â The disc includes both a normal 2D version and the Anaglyphic 3-D for use with red-blue glasses of which 2 are included in the disc case. Â Any red-blue 3D glasses can be used but it is more fun to wear the hockey mask glasses included. Â Also watching the 3D version without the glasses just looks like a red-blue mess so make sure that you have enough glasses for your entire viewing party.
The 2D version is a bit soft and with a pleasant amount of grain but nothing terribly distracting. Â The transfer looks good and picture quality is very good compared to similar fare from the 80s. Â Overall it looks somewhat worse than the second film which probably has much to do with the film being made with the intent to be viewed in 3d.
For the 3D version of the film, we have the first older 3D film release on Blu-Ray and it is a lot fun to watch. Â The overall picture quality will be a arguable as there is not much out there to compare it.
So the real question is do the 3D visuals work effectively. Â I think in most cases they do. Â However during some scenes where objects are flying at the screen there is a noticeable shift in spacing between the red and blue images which is rather difficult to re-focus and see the 3d effect properly.
This extra eyeball effort can cause headaches which is a common complaint when watching anaglyphic 3D films. Â But overall the sense of depth perception and layering is excellent. Â Pay attention to things like windows, stairways, doors and objects in various mid layers and you will have a more enjoyable viewing experience. Â I particularly liked the harpoon to the eye socket scene and watched more times than I should admit.
Subtitles:
- English
- English SDH
- French
- Spanish
- Portugeuse
Audio:
- English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD
- English Mono
- French Mono
- Spanish Mono
The sound stage here was good with voices clear and in the center with the score pulsing the unforgettable chi-chi-chi ha-ha-ha hitting from all around during the Jason’s stalking and murdering scenes.  Don’t expect too much as the original soundtrack didn’t have much to work with but is included here to show the improvement in the 5.1 version.  A slight but noticeable improvement over the first film but about on par with the second film.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Friday the 13th Part 3 (in 3-D) comes with a good number of special features ALL Â in High Definition
Included are:
- HD – Fresh Cuts: 3D Terror (13 minutes)
Interesting look behind the scenes with a bit of technical detail into how the 3D portion was made. Â I would have preferred to see a bit more attention as most the material was high level. Â I would have liked them to have gotten a bit more nerdy about the 3D film making process. Overall it was enjoyable but a tad bit lacking for my taste.
- HD – Legacy Of The Mask (10 minutes)
This feature is all about the hockey mask, its various incarnation and it impact on pop culture. This is rather fitting and excellent since the mask is introduced in this film.
- HD – Slasher Films: Going For the Jugular (7 minutes)
A quick look at the slasher genre and how Friday the 13th fits into it as one of the most seminal entries.
- HD – Lost Tales From Camp Blood – Part 3 (5 minutes)
Another entry in the series of what looks to have been made as some type of webisode material. Nothing spectacular as you will watch once and then forget it.
- HD – Theatrical Trailer
It is nice to see the promo trailer in HD as most released provide them in standard definition.
If you have parts 1 and 2, then why would you ever deny yourself the joy of Part 3-D?
Can you enjoy this release by itself? Sure, but part of the fun is the way these films build on each other getting more and more crazy with each release. And this disc is nothing but pure pleasure and lived up to my high anticipations.
If you are not a fan of 3D then this release may not be that great for you as there is small hit in picture quality on the normal version when compared with the first two films. Also be warned watching for too long can cause headaches -but what fun is a good slasher film without a little pain.
In particular, if you are a fan of 3-D films, this is a must own Blu-Ray.