Product Description

A collection of the first eight feature films about a diabolical killer who wears a hockey mask.
Genre: Horror
Rating: UN
Release Date: 8-AUG-2006
Media Type: DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3785 in DVD
• Brand: HODDER,KANE
• Released on: 2004-10-05
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 5
• Running time: 734 minutes

Amazon.com
Five discs gather the first eight movies in the Friday the 13th series, plus a batch of behind-the-scenes featurettes. You can track the rise, fall, and endless resurrections of Jason Voorhees, from the original 1980 film to Jason's self-kidding trip to the Big Apple. Horror fans eat up packages such as this, but there's something odd about the deluxe treatment for a series that spotlighted atrocious acting, pitiful production values, and inane storytelling.

You'll spot a few future "name" actors in various installments: Kevin Bacon is morbidly dispatched in the first one. But in general, the dominant focus is how to kill horny teenagers, most of whom have gathered at Camp Crystal Lake in the misguided belief that the curse of the impossible-to-kill Jason has worn off. The first movie has a certain raw, crummy ability to shock, Part 2 is a dismal retread, and Part 3 actually features interesting use of 3-D, which doesn't translate to its flat DVD version. The fourth is boldly subtitled The Final Chapter, and we all know where that went, but it does have Crispin Glover doing a funky dance. A New Beginning and Jason Lives continue Jason's bad mood, maybe because the hockey mask doesn't fit right. The seventh chapter, The New Blood, stakes Jason against a worthy opponent (Crystal Lake's answer to telekinetic Carrie), but the result is the same. Part 8's subtitle, Jason Takes Manhattan, is wittier than the movie itself, as Jason menaces an unlucky cruise ship of high-schoolers bound for New York--where Mr. J fits right in.

Some of the films come with commentaries from directors or cast members, including heralded Jason performer Kane Hodder. Brief documentaries (ranging from five to 15 minutes) cover separate installments with amusing anecdotes, including interviews with Sean S. Cunningham, Tom Savini, and various actors. In another doc, actors speak of the fraternity of young actors who've been slaughtered by Jason over the years. A deleted-scenes section is skimpy and not very interesting, while the tricks of special-effects gore merit a film to themselves. It's a customer-savvy DVD box, even if the effect of watching a bunch of this stuff together is a little dispiriting. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews

Great set for Friday fans!
Featuring interviews with actors Adrienne King, Betsy Palmer, Amy Steele, Lar Park Lincoln and Corey Feldman. No interview with Dana Kimmell from Part 3, but she does do a commentary believe it or not! Also has interviews and commentaries with some of the directors. Some fans may not be completely happy because there is still no uncut footage. I am not a huge gore fan so that doesn't bother me. My favorites like many other fans are the first four films. Parts VI Jason Lives and VII The New Blood are good follow-ups, but Jason is less man-like and more zombie this time around. I would say Part V (A New Beginning) which featured a Jason imposter and Part VIII Jason Takes Manhatten are the weakest in the set. Still, it's a nice treat for any true fan!

Jason in a Box.
The Friday the 13th series is recognized as one of the most notorious of the 80's slasher flick genre. What we have here is a box set containing all 8 of the original films( excluding Jason goes to Hell, the awful unnecessary Jason X, and the upsetting letdown that was 'Freddy vs Jason').

The box set is done well, the picture and sound quality is great throughout. Any set backs? Unfortunately...yes. My biggest gripe is the special features DVD, and not really worth mentioning, but the graphic design of the box and dvd covers. I wasn't really digging the new 'Friday the 13th' font and the design of the individual covers; they opted not to go with the original poster art,but rather with an updated, 'Sci-Fi channel worthy' version.The bonus dvd is about 2 hours long;The filmmakers and special effects gurus offered an ensightful,but rather boring as hell commentary on each of the films; a last-minute add 'original versus final cut' deleted scene reel; a 'secrets behind the gore' exclusive on some of the flicks, amongst a few others. Only a few out of the 8 have Director's commentary with the feature.
If you're a fan of the series, by all means, buy it, my only point is that the series deserved a better treatment in it's dvd-era 're-birth'.

From Crystal Lake to Manhattan
This was a really crappy box set. All movies and a lackluster bonus dvd is all we get. I do like the slim cases and putting two movies onto one disc, but I would've liked the see unrated versions of the films-if they even exist. The one worth while feature is the deleted scenes from Friday the 13th VII-The New Blood. Alot of fans want the uncut version of the film and this is probably as far as we'll ever see is the deleted scenes from that movie. It has Jason's best kills and are the best thing about the set that makes it worth owning. Overall, its a good set with the bonus disc of deleted kills from Part 7 making it a keeper.