Part 3 is basically Part 2 but with more funny characters, more gore and a lot of shots that probably look good in 3D but awkward and baffling in 2D. It’s only a little more fun than the second one, which is ok, I just hoped for better.

Barely escaping with his life following the end of Part 2, Jason ventures out into the woods and continues his murderous spree. Meanwhile, a young woman and her friends return to her old home on Crystal Lake, unaware of the past trauma waiting there (spoilers it’s Jason).

What I Was Expecting

My knowledge of Part 3, from all the clips and video reviews that I’ve seen, is blurry. I knew it was in 3D and I knew it featured the debut of Jason’s now iconic hockey mask. I was expecting dated 3D effects and some memorable gore. That was about it.

I’m beginning to wonder whether I should include an expecting section in future reviews as my knowledge of the next few sequels is even lesser. We’ll have to see.

What I Got

The characters surprised me a little. Some of them are your typical 80s’ slasher stereotypes. There’s the popular girl, the overweight comic relief, the stoners, the commanding alpha male and protagonist girl. I enjoyed the cheesy teen banter, especially from the comic relief and the stoner couple.

The 3D bits are fun. Some scenes you can imagine looking fantastic in 3D, particularly the death scenes as Jason’s instruments of death would be reaching out of the screen as they neared the camera lens. Most of the 3D bits though are just funny. You can tell that the filmmakers were hunting for every opportunity to impress you by shoving absolutely anything into the screen, whether it be a yo-yo or someone’s elbow.

What really surprised me were the additional antagonists. At a local store, the comic relief and popular girl are confronted by a trio of bikers. The encounter escalates and continues throughout the film, becoming more violent and tense. This subplot is actually more tense than any of the real ‘horror’ in rest of the film.

Protagonist girl’s backstory is a nice touch. You don’t care about her whatsoever but compared to the characters from the first two, who are just surrogates to navigate through atmosphere and gore, she’s refreshing. She even kind of goes through an arc by the end.

The gore’s pretty good. Some of it may not look convincing but it’s a lot more creative and cartoony than that of the first two. I think this may mark a turning point in the franchise in terms of tone, from serious high-brow horror to bonkers exploitation, which I’m totally game for.

Apart from that, it’s more of the same. As Jason emerges and the stakes are heightened, your interest sort of evaporates because unless something funny, gory or weird is happening, you just don’t care.

Despite the boring bits, Part 3 has many highlights that’ll keep you around. The 80s’ stereotypes, the gore, the 3D shots, the protagonist’s backstory, they all make it a fun watch. It’s certainly worth watching for the historic moment where Jason first puts on his hockey mask. Boring or not, it’s a landmark in the series.

I give Friday the 13^th Part 3 a worthy 4 out of 10.