*** Official "JASON X" Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Nate Anderson]

I guess it's just the thrill of seeing a bunch of teenage morons get brutally murdered. I really dunno...

I really think I probably could have lived through one of those flicks. It's simple.

Don't go in the dark house.

Make sure you have a dependable car

Run away.

Don't look back.

Don't fall down.

Don't go skinny dipping.

Don't go to any of the following places: Haddonfield, Elm Street, or Crystal Lake.

If you follow those rules, you should be good.

 

[Shad R]

what is BWP3? What does BWP stand for?

 

[John Spencer]

Boobies With Purpose

No, actually it's Blair Witch Project.

 

[Chuck L]

First, Newline has yet to announce a release date for Jason X. They have stated that the information that was on those website was false and nothing has been decided on as of yet.

As for those people that won’t be going to see Jason X…that is fine. The theaters will be packed the first weekend whether you show up or not. These films have a proven track record of making their money back whether you find validity in them or not. Had it not been such a cash cow, 10 movies would not have been made of the series.

Personally, any movie with Jason I find entertaining. I am not looking for social merit nor am I looking for it to be considered a classic. The Friday films, even the horrid part 5, at least provide some sort of entertainment.

Though many don’t really care…just keep in mind, for every horror film that you will sight disinterest in, there is a favorite title of yours that I might not like. But, I am not going to trash your film and wonder why it was ever made.

Keep in mind, horror isn’t anything new to Hollywood. Many of the earliest films had horror in mind as plot device. Also, the money that the studios rake in from these films are what they use to subsidize many of the bigger, more mainstream fair.

The Friday the 13th Series has it’s place in cinema history, whether good or bad, and there isn’t much that anyone can do about that.

Here is to looking forward to Jason X…whenever Newline decides to give it it’s release.

 

[Brad_W]

what is BWP3?

Blair Witch Project 3

Scott plugged up my BWP3 thread with talk of his "Jason X" film and as a joke I thought I would mention BWP3 in his Jason X thread. Cute huh?

 

[Chad R]

Every 'Friday the 13th' film has committed the cardinal sin of horror movies: they were boring. Even the tongue and cheek humor of 6 couldn't save it.

But, for me to make that statement means I've seen every one of them, and I'll probably see 'Jason X' also. After-effects of growing up in the 80's I guess. I actually like the 'Halloween' series more, but with the disastrous reports coming from the new Myers movie, I'm probably more interested in Jason X.

Luckily matinee prices 'round these parts can be less than $5 if you choose your theater wisely.

 

[Brett_B]

I would probably still watch the series if it may sense at all or at least followed some sort of logical time-line.
My question for all you "die-hard" Jason lovers, who is this Jason supposed to be? Before answering, keep in mind the endings of part 8 (last seen as a healthy little boy) and part 9 (wasn't even Jason, rather Jason's living black heart - "The Hidden" ripoff).
I will not spend any money to see Jason X. Just isn't worth it.

 

[Chuck L]

My question for all you "die-hard" Jason lovers, who is this Jason supposed to be? Before answering, keep in mind the endings of part 8 (last seen as a healthy little boy) and part 9 (wasn't even Jason, rather Jason's living black heart - "The Hidden" ripoff).

As for part 8...can't tell you what the hell that Paramount was thinking. I can tell you that it made no sense what so ever...and I admit, this is a problem. I honestly don't think that anyone

Part 9 on the other hand, I can explain.

First of...Kane Hodder, who has played Jason since 1988 said that if he was to return for Newlin's first installment that it would only be IF they DIDN'T pick up at the ending of the last, that being part 8.

Second...the body jumping stuff, never really got, but Jason was Jason in the first five minutes of the film and the last segment. It explains it well enough in the story, that if his body is destroyed that his 'sole' will continue on and search for a 'body' until it he can return to his body the body of a relative. (Okay, before you say that this doesn't make sense...nothing does seeing Tom Hanks spouting clever lines through the mouth of a mentally challenged Forrest Gump while sitting on a park bench.)

Anyway...in Jason X the movie takes place WAY after the events of part 9....about 400 years to be exact. Many changes have taken place in Jason and it is only left up to the imagination of future screenwriters and, ultimately the FANS, to see what works.

Hope this helped.

 

[Brook K]

Who cares, Jason never aspired to be anything but a killer. Whereas for Halloween they made up all this ridiculous backstory that just got worse and worse.

Admittedly the movies suck, every one but #4 completely sucks, while #4 has Cory Feldman and Tom Savini makeup effects that elevate it to the level of below average. But it's the car wreck thing I can't look away. There's something about the chutzpah of creating these films; wondering how couple #2 will end up dead or nerd #4 will find himself alone by the lake.

Halloween started well and then just sank into a bottomless pit of suckage. Friday the 13th was just bad and stayed there. I'll take the consistently bad over the consistently disappointing.

 

[Brian Kissinger]

I'll probably watch it. Why? Because it takes me back to my early teen days. Back to times when car payments and insurance, and rent and such evil mature worries didn't exist. I'll watch, and part of me will wonder why in the Hell I'm here, and part of me will just be happy for the throwback. And no matter what, it will have to be better than Save The Last Dance . Which my wife suckered me into watching at the theaters.:frowning:

 

[Terrell]

Brook my friend. I hope you aren't suggesting Halloween sucks. The first two films walk all over anything from the Friday the 13th films. Not only that, even the later Halloween films, although fairly bad in their own right, were much scarier than anything in Friday the 13th franchise. And at least they tried to make it reasonable and believe in the Halloween films, even though some stunk. However, Halloween the franchise includes the worst sequel ever. Halloween III: Season of the Witch is far worse than any Friday the 13th film. But if you remember, Jason had a reason to kill, although that reason had long since gone out the window 5 films ago.

Of course, this is all my opinion.

 

[Justin_S]

Actually, Halloween 3 is the second best film in the series in my opinion, right behind the original. It is FAR from even remotely being the worst sequel ever made! Everyone has their opinion, and this is mine. Halloween 3 is an excellent film, one of the BEST sequels to be made. It is also better than any of the F13 films if you ask me. I love this film to death, and would love to see a SE DVD!

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Al and Brook, not all of us watch movies for artistic enlightment. Some of us still smile and chuckle when movie characters utter something completely stupid as opposed to becoming frustrated at the bad script and direction.
The Friday the 13th series is terribly cheesy, and that's part of its appeal. One moment you'll be talking about how cool a death scene is, the next you're talking about terrible the dialogue is or how stupid the characters are. There's something eye-opening about a body in a sleeping bag being slammed against a tree.
As for Jason X, I'll probably watch it.

 

[Adam Tyner]

Terrell: I got the impression that Brook doesn't dislike Halloween so much as the backstory. Although I'm a fairly vocal fan of Halloween IV, I very much agree with Brook. The original Halloween, at least to me, plays so much better if you disregard any knowledge of Mikey and Laurie being brother/sister. The idea of the stalking being more random is much, much creepier.

 

[Terrell]

The backstory is one of the things that made this series so interesting to me. As for the quality of the films, I guess it's just a matter of tastes. But to me, the Halloween series is far superior to the Friday the 13th series. And Halloween I and II are both vastly superior to any of the Friday movies, with the original being the best.

Justin, I have to disagree. Halloween III was brutal. First of all, it wasn't scary in the least. Not at all. And that is the main aspect of a horror film, that it be scary. Also, I thought the story was also god-awful. But here's the kicker. How can you make a sequel and have the sequal to a very popular series not related in any way, shape, or form to the films that preced it. Halloween III has absolutely nothing to do with Michael Myers, which is what the whole franchise is about. How can a sequel not be at all about the movies it follows. Oh well, everyone is different. To me, this films is one of the worst I've ever witnessed.

 

[Walt Riarson]

I'm going to have to agree with Dome here.
I enjoy the films of Fellini, Hitchcock, Kurosawa, and Lean, but the way I've been able to enjoy films for so many years is that I know the difference between a film that's trying to be serious, and a film that's trying to be fun.
One shouldn't criticize a film whose sole purpose is to entertain, even if that purpose is executed somewhat brainlessly. Not every film is aiming to change lives, and/or win Oscars.
I'll be the first to admit: I enjoy slasher films. Even the bad ones. When I was young, I read the Agatha Christie novel "And Then There Were None" (also published as "Ten Little Indians"). If this film were made into a motion picture (which I like the original 1945 film) today, it would easily be a slasher film. That's what many don't realize when viewing slasher films. They're mysteries. Like the Giallo work of Dario Argento. They're only classified as "horror" films because they're bloody, violent, and often creepy. Many people miss this about slasher films and often dismiss them as trash.
I can pick up The Hidden Fortress, The Jazz Singer or Lawrence of Arabia and get as much enjoyment out of it as I can by watching slasher films like Halloween or The Prowler. Different films make you feel different ways. To me, that's what makes film such a great medium. Like good artwork in a museum, films should be enjoyed on their own merits. Should we criticize a Dali painting just because it doesn't look like a Van Gogh? Then why criticize a slasher film for not trying to be Magnolia or The Seven Samurai? Enjoy them for what they are. Granted, some are better than others, but just enjoy them for the mystery, the make-up FX, and the fun atmosphere.
As for Jason X, I'm a sucker for pulp sci-fi (and as previously stated, slasher films as well), so I'm sure I'll see it when it comes to town. Word around the net has been nothing but positive (usually the crowd which crucifies films like this), so I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised.
Now, I must finish watching all the stuff on the Tron discs!

 

[rhett]

And no matter what, it will have to be better than Save The Last Dance . Which my wife suckered me into watching at the theaters.

Oh suuuuuuuure, that's what they all say!
As far as the Friday films, they above everything else bring forth a sense of nostalgia for my childhood that no other films can ever capture. I remember just looking at the movie boxes in video outlets and being scared sleepless! But are the films actually scary? Not really. These films are about one thing above everything else, cheese (marble, swiss, you name it!). The deliciously hammy performance by Betsy Palmer in the first two, the two unbelievably old hippees in Part 3, the disco score of Part 3, Dana Kimmell, the famous Crispin Glover dance sequence in The Final Chapter, continuity errors abound, and so much more make these films such a treat to watch.
This films represent such a huge slice of 80's pop culture (just like Saturday Night Fever does to the 70's) that it should be required viewing for all Gen X-ers or anyone who've lived through the 80's for that matter.
As for Jason X, I will be first in line, but I have my reservations. I am not a big sci-fi nut, (sorry Walt!) so the whole space idea doesn't really appeal to me. But the movie has been getting unbelievably positive reviews online (as of this posting I have yet to read a negative review of the final theatrical cut), so I am expecting the same thing I got out of all the other films, and that is entertainment (with the exclusion of the shit that is JGTH).
As a side note, I really wish the film would have stuck with the formula that made the first 4 so successful: summer camp and cheese. Wouldn't it be great to see a new Friday film that replicated the 80's setting, appealing to the nostalgic values many people hold for the early films? Now that would be a nifty sequel!

 

[Adam Tyner]

How can a sequel not be at all about the movies it follows.

If you have Anchor Bay's DVD release of the theatrical cut of Halloween in '99, this is explained on the accompanying documentary. IIRC, once the Halloween title was conjured up, it was decided that they'd release a film under the Halloween name every year with an entirely different concept. The runaway success of Halloween prompted a sequel following where the original left off, though Hill and Carpenter returned to that other concept with part III. They probably would've continued with that if Season of the Witch hadn't been such a critical and financial disappointment.

 

[Terrell]

But Adam, that theory must not have held true, because every film in the series is about Michael Myers. Yet, III was the only film that was completely different and off the subject. I bet a lot of people like me saw this and went "What the fu**!"
I don't know. Again, different tastes I guess. But this movie was rancid in my opinion.

 

[Brook K]

Hey, I'm there for Jason X, like I said, I think they suck but I've seen them all. They would be the very definition of guilty pleasures for me.
And what I was saying about Halloween is that IMHO, 5, 6, and especially H20 are completely unwatchable (though of course I did watch them once ) By far worse than anything Friday ever turned out. Ok, maybe not by far XIII and IX are pretty stinky in their own right.