With Friday The 13^th, Part 3, the studio tried a new approach. At the time, 3D was again all the rage (it really hadn’t been used since the 50s), so this bigger-budgeted (nearly six times the budget of the first installment) presentation went all out by going scope and by carrying on the old moviehouse gimmick of pouring the action happening onscreen out into your lap! Somebody get Count Floyd in here, quick! Ooohhh!!

The story picks up after the climax of Part 2 (and carries on into Saturday and Sunday as well, but of course Sunday The 15^th just doesn’t have any oomph to it), with a mortally injured Jason Voorhees (this time portrayed by Richard Brooker) picking himself up and dusting himself off (the machete embedded in his torso was apparently a superficial one), hell bent on killing more people. Moving away from Camp Crystal Lake, this entry was the first chapter in the series to take Jason out of his “normal” element, as he heads on over to a convenience store to butcher its sleazy white trash proprietors (he was probably paying them back after buying a pack of used donuts and half-sipped Sunny Delight). Finding the time to change his clothes, hair, and body size as well, Jason settles on stalking an isolated house (and barn) inhabited by another assortment of naughty teens, including the innocent Chris (Dana Kimmell) and her estranged beau Rick (Paul Kratka); Andy (Jeffrey Rogers) and his pregnant girlfriend Debbie (Tracie Savage); fifth wheel Vera (Catherine Parks) and her toilet brush-haired blind date practical jokester Shelley (Larry Zerner); and stoners Chuck (David Katims) and Chili (Rachel Howard).

Friday The 13^th, Part 3 was a big turning point for the franchise: it introduced Jason to his iconic hockey mask (courtesy of prankster Shelley) as well as gave us a few more reasons to root for the unstoppable Mr. Voorhees by adding in some of the worst bikers ever seen on film (Kevin O’Brien, Gloria Charles, and Nick Savage, the latter of whom miraculously springs back to life for the movie’s climax) whose idea of getting even with someone is by siphoning the gas out of the kids’ Mystery Machine van! Oh, the hilarity! Heh, and they get about forty gallons out of the damn thing, too (which makes me more than a bit envious of mid-80s Dodge vans).

But for me, the most mind-numbing silly bit of Friday The 13^th, Part 3 (apart from the disco music, which should really have gone gold) involves a dumb subplot wherein Chris was assaulted by Jason two years back (which, if you go as far as to really keep track of these things, would make it 1983 since Part 2 takes place in 1985). Apparently, Jason must’ve felt a good ol’ fashioned Southern uprising for this character (despite the fact that his mum would not approve of such a thing -- making this one of the best conundrums in the series), as he not only caught her, but didn’t kill her (and presumably raped her? I don’t know! Hell, I doubt the filmmakers knew, either!). Chris continuously hints at that fateful day and when she sees Jason’s face at the end, screams “It’s you!” Well, DUH, lady!

Although the movie has a number of weak links, the weakest one by far would be the casting of Richard Brooker as Jason. Even the overall-clad, flour sack on the head Jason from the previous film emoted more. Brooker has the size thing down pat and his appearance as Jason in this film would pretty much mold the way he would appear in every film afterward -- but the man brings no “presence” or “menace” to the character, really: he just kind of stands there, leaning to one side, as if to say “Yeah, so?” That minor irk of mine aside, Friday The 13^th, Part 3 remains a landmark of the series (no matter how cheesy it is).

Presentation
Like the newer DVD releases for Friday The 13^th and Friday The 13^th, Part 2, Paramount has done a little bit of Spring cleaning on the movie but, personally, it’s been so long since I saw any of the older DVD releases that I really couldn’t say whether this 2.35:1 anamorphic presentation is an improvement or not, as I could still see a fair amount of grain and fuzz throughout. The colors look a bit better, yes, but this isn’t anything to brag about.

Accompanying the feature presentation is a new English 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack that, like Part 2, doesn’t really give you a whole lot to work with. The original English, French and Spanish Mono Stereo soundtracks are also included (again).

Subtitles options include English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish, with Closed Captioning also available in English.

Extras
Although the Special Features department is surprisingly bare for this “Deluxe Edition,” Paramount has at long last given fans what they’ve been screaming for for years: the option to watch Friday The 13^th, Part 3 in its intended 3D form. Now, 3D has always been a bit of a problem, especially in the projection booth, where the process involved two separate projectors, running two duplicate prints of the film at the same time. Can you imagine the hell that a projectionist went through getting that bitch threaded up just right, not to mention the agony of cutting out the exact same amount of frames on both prints should one print break? Why, that’s more frightening than the movie itself!

Anyway, Friday The 13^th, Part 3 in 3D looks rather well, but (as is usually the case) just doesn’t come through as well on disc as it would in theaters (not to mention the theaters used a different 3D process). Each release of the movie contains two pairs of red and blue lensed glasses (which bear a similarity to a certain hockey mask on the front) that really aren’t the most comfortable things in the world, and the colored lenses really start to make your eyes go wobbly in no time at all (especially the red, which seems like it’s too red). Like any good 3D movie, actors are required to stick even the most out of place object directly in front of the camera, and while the “regular” shots come through fine, it’s those gimmick scenes that always seem to wind up becoming distorted.

The only other Special Feature is the Original Theatrical Trailer (2:10), which is shown flat. Sadly, the Audio Commentary from the 2004 set is nowhere to be found here (nor is anything else).

The Bottom Line
Friday The 13^th, Part 3 certainly isn’t the worst 3D film ever made (that honor is currently being decided between Spacehunter: Adventures In The Forbidden Zone and Comin’ At Ya!), and it certainly isn’t the worst Friday The 13^th film ever made, either (I think that battle is reserved for part V and VIII -- excluding the New Line movies, that is).

Besides, you know you want to try out the 3D thing anyway, don’t you?