The horror genre has readily embraced sequels since the hey-day of Universal’s monsters, but now it appears ghoul moguls are resorting to cryogenics to keep the money train chugging. Word is malcontent Jason Voorhees gets deep-frozen and somehow blasted into outer space for the TENTH installment of the Friday the 13th dynasty, which is both a testament to machete boy’s fan base and the screenwriter’s "Star Trek" mania.
Back in Friday the 13th: Part 3 (1982, 95 minutes), Jason awakes from that crack to the cranium he took just before the credits rolled on Part 2, and goes right back to punching tickets to hell for every stoner and fornicator dim enough to wander into the boonies. More of the same, really. But the J-man’s serial killing DOES expand beyond teens this go around, as he even lays waste to the world’s smallest motorcycle gang and a hapless shop clerk or two. But what’s really important is that the flick features the FIRST donning of Jason’s famed hockey mask — lifted from the off-screen murder of Shelly the prankster goofus.
Notables: Two fleeting breasts during shower scene (the lovely Tracy Savage later became a high-profile TV reporter who covered the O.J. Simpson saga). 15 dead bodies. Hand rolls. The ol’ phony hatchet-in-the-skull gag.
Time codes: Man on toilet with overly-realistic sound effects (13:27). Ode to FX guru Tom Savini and Fangoria magazine (1:04:25). Icy Chrissy scolds her amorous friends before their doomed journey begins, "Sex! Sex! Sex! You guys are getting boring, you know that?"
Final thought: A couple great kills: spear gun to the eye socket and the post-coital splitting of poor Andy mid-hand walk. But, unfortunately, visual gags meant for 3-D audiences just seem silly without the effect.