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Jason Runs Wild in Friday the 13th Uncut Deluxe Edition
by Reg Seeton
 One thing I have no trouble admitting is that I never get tired of the Friday the 13th movies. Although I've been struggling with whether the upcoming redo of the classic Friday the 13th is necessary, and how one big remake fail can tarnish the magic of the original, I've been coming to terms that it's not a bad thing for a new generation of horror fans to see the machete wielding, hockey masked Jason Vorhees in a modern light. I mean, if Jason X didn't kill the franchise then the future of Friday the 13th should be fine. Thankfully, I had a good time with the remake of My Bloody Valentine, too, so I'm in for the remake ride since the trailers look cool. And just to set the record straight, if you read any reviews that say Friday the 13th didn't have a profound impact on horror after it hit theaters in 1980, the reviewers simply don't know what they're talking about.
In fact, Friday the 13th was one of the very first horror movies to explode on the newly formed home video market (another big one being My Bloody Valentine) in the early '80s. Believe it or not, it was a huge event for 20-30 friends to gather at one person's house, crowd around the TV, and get scared out of their minds by Jason and Friday the 13th. All of a sudden you had a group of teens who might otherwise not have been able to see the movie in theaters watching Friday the 13th at home. It wasn't about whether Friday the 13th deserved an Oscar, or the weekly "unoriginal, tired plot" formulaic ranting of critics. Who cares about that stuff? It was more about the fun of being scared by the guy in the hockey mask with a machete and the lasting images the movie left you with when you were alone in the woods on a camping trip of your own. That's why there have been so many movies in the franchise. People love it.
 As a tie-in to the upcoming theatrical reboot, Paramount has unleashed Friday the 13th Uncut on DVD as a primer for horror fans to get ready for a new version of the man behind the mask. And since hardcore Friday the 13th fans have had to wade through previous DVD releases throughout the years to piece together the differences between the 1980 theatrical release and subsequent additions on home video, the new Friday the 13th Uncut DVD finally makes available the complete uncut version of the classic horror stalker.
Now here's the deal with the latest Friday the 13th release that Paramount has assembled for fans: It depends on where you are in the history of the franchise, both theatrically and on home video. If you've never seen the original 1980 film, this is the best place to start. Technically, the Uncut Edition contains the best video transfer and audio mix in Dolby Digital 5.1 that you'll find. And if you own the first DVD release of Friday the 13th, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. They're not the best but since I've seen the movie at least 30 times on DVD over the years, even conditioning myself to believe the dirt in the 1999 video transfer didn't exist, the Uncut experience feels extremely fresh due to the attention paid to cleaning up the video and audio quality.
 If you're a fan and already own the previously release 2004 Friday the 13th franchise box set, we're splitting hairs with this one and the footage is already in the set. If you're a hardcore fan that's been after the full uncut version of the film for years, this is a must have. The disc features a new crop of great extras, but the footage inserted doesn't amount to much time at all. In fact, even if you're a fan and haven't seen the movie in years, you may not even notice and probably won’t. I had to dig out the old nearly decade old Friday the 13th release, borrow a friend's 2004 set, and spend three weekend running part-time from Jason at Camp Crystal Lake to get the uncut lowdown. Like many uncut DVDs that hit the market, much of the "uncut" version centers on the gore factor that you'll notice only slightly in certain sequences. But only hardcore fans will be able to spot them, which also includes inserts to the final kill sequence. Having spent time to cross-cut the previous releases and extra, I know they're great and add to the film but I'm also a fan who actually took time to check.
 As for the "all-new" special features, fans get almost 45 minutes worth of actual bonuses, plus a fantastic commentary track for horror fans by director Sean Cunningham, writer Victor Miller, actresses Adrienne King and Betsy Palmer, editors Bill Freda and Jay Keuper, and composer Harry Manfredini. You'll be happy to know that each crewmember doesn't shout and interrupt the other since someone was on the ball when creating the track and didn’t ruin the atmosphere by putting everyone together. If you're looking to delve deep into the history, lore, personal secrets, stories and approaches to the film and the franchise, the commentary is the best bang for your buck and time well spent on all fronts. Although there's some cool and revealing info about Cunningham, it's King and Palmer that truly bring the track to life.
As for the bonus docu-segments, fans receive a "New Tales from Friday the 13th", a deeper look at "The Man Behind the Legacy: Sean S. Cunningham", a "Friday the 13th Reunion," including the original Jason Vorhees, "Lost Tales from Camp Blood - Part 1", which continues on the newly release second and third DVD releases, and the original theatrical trailer. I've seen all Friday the 13th DVD releases and had a good time with the extras on the disc and have no complaints as a fan. I actually forgot the new Friday the 13th DVDs were coming down the pike anyway, so it was all a bonus to me. Bring it on. Although the uncut footage may not be worth the extra dollars to some, it was still fun to check back into Crystal Lake with a new and improved version of the film.
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