If you read my review of Part 1, then you’ll know that I’ve already seen Jason X. To clarify I can’t remember a lot; I was a student, I was pretty drunk when I watched it and I remember it being not as ridiculous or funny as I was hoping. Watching it again, totally sober, totally focused, I felt like I got a little more out of it than I did the first time.

Since this is a review of something I’ve already seen, I’ll have to put aside the ‘what I was expecting’ and ‘what I got’ format and treat Jason X like another review.

While it isn’t the so-bad-it’s-good masterpiece you’re expecting, Jason X can be a fun watch with its bizarre world and characters, homages to previous films and incredible gore.

It’s the 23^rd century and a group of students have just retrieved two cryogenically frozen bodies from an abandoned uninhabitable Earth. Bringing them aboard their spaceship, the group manage to awaken the sleepers. One is a young scientist from the early 21^st century, the other is Jason Voorhees and from there it’s Friday The 13^th meets Alien as Jason goes on a bloodthirsty rampage, slaughtering the crew.

The Characters and The Plot

The cast of Jason X are pretty much like those of the earlier Friday The 13ths, most are defined by a single quality or characteristic be it what they do or how funny or sassy they are. You’d think they’d bring the film down but they don’t really. You’ll never care about them or find them interesting but you won’t hate them.

These characters aren’t just another group of students, they’re a group of students from the 23^rd century hence their culture and upbringing is quite alien. It is this alien quality that makes them so entertaining because if they’re not talking to intergalactic investors or using weird technology, they’re using futuristic slang and referencing history, all paint a bafflingly strange world. Hockey was band in 2024, humanity lives on a planet called ‘Earth 2’ and sentient androids are so commonplace students can build them. It’s so bizarre that you just can’t help but continue to watch.

‘Friday The 13th in space’ is quite an accurate description of Jason X, not only due to the age of its characters but the whole look and design of the ship and costumes. Initially it looks like a relatively well-made Alien porn parody but if you look again, you can see that the choice of fashion and makeup has a clear 80s’ influence. However, there’s no denying that the students’ costumes are hilariously revealing and wacky.

The film knows it’s silly but rarely acknowledges it. The references to the previous films with the characters and production design is great but it’s not enough. When we see the characters interacting and dealing with Jason the tone’s pretty serious, it lacks that satirical lens of Part 6. This results in some dull periods where you’re not laughing, not baffled, not really entertained and are just faced with how ‘meh’ the film is. Are the references and worldbuilding all you have to get through these periods? Not really.

The Horror (Gore)

The kills in Jason X almost make up for the scarcity of blood in parts 5 to 9. Most are pretty standard slashes and stabbings but some are just incredible. You may already know of the brutal scene where Jason dips a woman’s face in liquid nitrogen, leaving her to freeze, pulls her out and then smashes her head against a table. Compared to other slashers Jason X may have only a couple of highlights but after the last four bloodless films, Jason X is a glorious return to form.

Not one of the best but not one of the worst. There are sections that you do just have to sit through but I think they’re worth it. The gore, the funny characters and world, the homages to previous entries and adorable ending make Jason X a fun and decent celebration of the Friday The 13^th franchise.

I give Jason X a noble 4 out of 10.