Horrors of October - Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th

Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th (2013)

Back in 2009, director Daniel Farrands helmed HIS NAME WAS JASON, a limb look at the FRIDAY THE 13TH franchise that barely spent any time on the beloved slasher entries and put all its energy into pushing the then upcoming awful reboot. After hitting a home run with NEVER SLEEP AGAIN, the mammoth exploration of the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET series, Farrands and the crew of 1428 Films went back to the dark woods of New Jersey in order to give the watery maniac his proper respect. CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES is an amazing horror film retrospective, vividly detailing the main 10 films, the TV series, the lifetime-in-the-making crossover with Freddy, and of course the mess created by Platinum Dunes. An adaptation of the humongous tome from Peter M. Bracke, the viewer is treated to all of the good times and bad times surrounding each and every flick. You get to learn the process of developing and casting, the tricks the directors and craftsmen employed to get the best shot, how the gore effects and death scenes were achieved, the publicity and critical/commercial reception, and sadly the creative missteps, the fights with the MPAA and the backstage politics that hurt the franchise. And yes, you get to hear how composer Harry Manfredini came up with the famous theme and what the voice is actually saying. Though it is mostly a happy look back at the films, the interviewees don't pull any punches on the things that they disliked. PART V: A NEW BEGINNING gets put through the ringer for its sleazy direction and fake Jason, the only strict defender for JASON GOES TO HELL is its pompous director Adam Marcus, JASON X is a sour affair due to the powers that be, and FREDDY VS. JASON may have earned the most money but suffered from a bad script and the loss of Kane Hodder behind the hockey mask. I can go on but you really should just experience this mighty epic for yourself. Just clear your schedule if you plan on binging it because it has a whopper running time of 6 hours and 40 minutes!


FINAL REVIEW: 5 / 5