Director: Adam Marcus
Screenplay: Dean Lorey and Jay Huguely
Starring: John D. LeMay, Kari Keegan, Allison Smith, Steven Culp, Billy Green Bush, Rusty Schwimmer, Leslie Jordan, Andrew Bloch, Kipp Marcus, Richard Gant, Adam Cranner, Julie Michaels, Kane Hodder, Erin Gray, Steven Williams
Year: 1993
Country: United States
BBFC Certificate: 18
Running Time: 87 min (theatrical cut), 91 min (uncut version)
By the time of the ninth instalment of the Friday the 13th slasher film series, antagonist Jason Voorhees had reached the highs of his box office success, with the series feeling stale and formulaic. The eighth entry, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, had performed poorly and was the lowest grossing out of all of the films in the series up to that point at the US box office. Manhattan also received an overwhelmingly negative response from critics and fans.
Something needed to change, and for the next entry, Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday, the formula was well and truly shaken up. Instead of Jason lumbering around in his iconic hockey mask, which he first wore in Friday the 13th: Part III, he now has supernatural powers and can transport himself between different people to carry out his kills. It’s an audacious premise and one which director Adam Marcus, remarkably only 23 at the time he directed the film, which was his directorial debut, relishes in.
Jason Goes To Hell starts with Jason stalking a woman, who turns out to be an undercover FBI agent. The rest of the FBI turn up, launch an all-out assault on Jason and blow him up. His various body parts are transferred to a morgue including his still beating heart which is eaten by a coroner. This allows Jason’s soul to possess the coroner, escape and go on another of his killing sprees, possessing different people to carry out his murders.
What follows is a mix of Jason stalking and slashing, an introduction to a variety of characters, including a marvelous turn by Steven Williams as a bounty hunter, and transferring his soul between different people, in a variety of locations including a visit to his old stomping group of Camp Crystal Lake. That’s the plot in a nutshell and, if you’re a Friday the 13th fan, you generally know what to expect, even though the formula is given a mix with the supernatural possession angle here. Indeed it’s changed so much that some fans don’t consider it a Friday the 13th film. For me it is, just a very different one, that at it’s heart though is still a slasher, which is what the series is at its core.
Firstly, the elephant in the room: the supernatural body-possessing angle. It certainly makes the film interesting and different from its predecessors but leaves us with one huge problem: Jason, as we know him, hockey mask, machete and all, is hardly in the film. Yes, it’s Jason that’s possessing people, and he is occasionally seen in mirrors as the character he’s possessing walks past, but if you tune into a Friday the 13th movie, you’re expecting much more Jason than we get here, and you’re expecting to see Jason wielding his machete and chasing people.
Another of the other issues I had with the film were the other characters. There’s hardly a likeable one in the film, which perhaps isn’t a problem for a slasher film. There are very few characters I warmed to. Acting is suitably on the nose though, everyone playing their parts with either tongue in cheek or hamming it up.
Where the film does deliver, particularly in its unrated version, is in the gore and splatter. This is a violent film, with some incredibly memorable death scenes, from Jason being blown up and a graphic decapitation during a sex scene to a particularly gloopy death which sees a character literally fall apart, teeth and bones and all falling off his body. It’s very icky but brilliantly realised.
The unrated cut really amps up the gore and sex, and the final 30 minutes in particular ratchet up the kills and violence to the next level. The special effects were created by Robert Kurtzman, Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger, who would find acclaim with their make-up effects for TV series The Walking Dead. The unrated cut really showcases their work to great effect.
Harry Manfredini, who would score a total of nine films in the franchise and returned after missing Manhattan, provides another marvelous score, with subtle nods to previous films in the franchise and the use of the iconic whisper theme. His score is one of the highlights of the movie.
As is Jason – when he’s on screen, which, as already mentioned, is not nearly enough. He’s played by Kane Hodder, who portrayed the serial killer four times in the franchise. Hodder’s Jason is the best incarnation of the character, adding subtle movements that make him memorable, so it’s a shame that aside from the start and reflections in mirrors, he’s not really in it until the final few minutes. Hodder also pops up briefly at the start as a police officer for eagle eyed fans, just one of a few cameos in the film.
The finale is also pretty good, not least because it brings us full-on Jason, no longer possessing other people and only seen in reflection, but also because it delivers a brilliant tease. Spoiler alert ahead for those who haven’t seen it, so if you don’t want the final shot to be spoiled, jump ahead to my review of the extras. The film concludes with Jason apparently finally dead and pulled down to hell by demons, his mask the only thing left. An iconic glove – A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger’s – then strikes through the dirt and pulls Jason’s mask down underground, as Freddy’s distinctive laugh is heard.
That shot seemed to set-up a soon to be released sequel, but, as I mentioned in my review for Arrow’s release of Jason X, after part nine the Friday the 13th franchise would end up in development hell, with the Freddy versus Jason WWE-style scrap teased at the end of Jason Goes to Hell unable to make it off the ground for years.
The series would eventually take-off again, but would go in another very different direction again with Jason X taking the character into the future and to outer space, before the pairing of the Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street antagonists would finally reach the big screen with 2003’s Freddy vs. Jason.
In conclusion, Jason Goes to Hell isn’t a great film, or one of the best in the Friday the 13th series. Sure, it has an interesting concept and feels like it’s not playing it safe, but it’s got plenty wrong with it. That being said, I found myself having a good time with it. When it’s delivering on the gore, and when Jason is on screen as Jason, not possessing someone, it delivers the goods, particularly in the finale. That final shot of Freddy Krueger’s glove taking Jason’s mask down into hell is also a doozy.
Film: 
Jason Goes To Hell, which presumably drops the moniker of The Final Friday because we’ve had two sequels and a remake/ reimagining since, is released on two-disc limited edition 4K Ultra HD by Arrow Video on 19th May 2025. The picture quality is really strong, with plenty of fine detail, a good filmic quality and no blemishes. It’s a huge step up from the previous Blu-Ray version I’ve previously watched of the film. The audio is also great.
4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray limited edition contents
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of both the theatrical cut and the unrated cut
Original lossless stereo and DTS-HD 5.1 surround audio on both cuts
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing on both cuts
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
Double-sided foldout poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by JA Kerswell and original production notes
Disc one – Theatrical cut:
Introduction to the film by director Adam Marcus
Faces of Death, a brand new interview with special make-up effects creator Robert Kurtzman
Undercover Angel, a brand new interview with actor Julie Michaels
Mixing it Up, a brand new interview with composer Harry Manfredini
The Gates of Hell, an archival interview with director Adam Marcus
Jason vs. Terminator, director Adam Marcus on growing up with the Cunninghams
Über-Jason, an archival interview with Kane Hodder on playing Jason
Additional TV footage, with optional commentary by director Adam Marcus
Theatrical trailer and TV spots
Stills, behind-the-scenes and poster galleries
Disc two – Unrated cut:
Brand new audio commentary with film historians Michael Felsher and Steve “Uncle Creepy” Barton
Archival audio commentary with director Adam Marcus and author Peter Bracke
Archival audio commentary with director Adam Marcus and screenwriter Dean Lorey
On-disc we get four new extras (three interviews and a new commentary), all of the legacy extras from the Shout! Factory release which came out as part of its Friday the 13th Collection boxset and a few other archival features.
Disc one begins with a 13 second intro from director Adam Marcus, accessed from the Play menu and ported from the Shout! Factory release.
Faces of Death is a new 17-minute minute interview with special make-up effects creator Robert Kurtzman. He touches on the lack of Jason for much of the movie, why it’s a more unusual entry in the franchise, and some of the awesome effects he created, as well as his reflections on the film and its release. There are some warm comments about director Marcus, who comes across really well throughout the whole set. Kurtzman’s comments on the creation of the effects and some of the in jokes related to Creepshow and The Evil Dead are fascinating.
Undercover Angel, is a fun new interview with actor Julie Michaels, who portrays an undercover FBI agent in the pre-credits sequence. We hear about her background and upbringing before Michaels shares how she won some Miss America Pageants, went to a performing arts college and arrived in Hollywood. We hear about her love for stunts, some of her roles, like her debut in Road House, and her memories of Jason Goes to Hell. Michaels, who is now a director, shares how she wasn’t a horror fan, so the story of why she agreed to appear in the film is a highlight of the interview.
Mixing it Up, is a fabulous 12-minute new interview with composer Harry Manfredini who covers the opening scene, the challenges in making the score feel fresh so many entries into a franchise, before looking at some of the other sequences. There’s a particularly fun anecdote about the scoring of one of the diner scenes. Manfredini is great fun throughout and a real treat to listen to.
The Gates of Hell is an excellent 36-minute archival interview with director Marcus from the Shout! Factory release. We hear about Marcus’s inspirations, some of the similarities of Jason Goes To Hell to the film The Hidden, a look at some of the themes of the film and why he feels you need humour in a horror film. His comments on the opening of the film and how in his words it features “every single trope” from the previous Friday the 13th movies is neat, as are his comments about who was originally meant to be the main character in Jason Goes to Hell. This is just touching the surface of what is a quite fabulous interview.
Next is another port from the Shout! Factory release called Jason vs. Terminator in which director Marcus talks about growing up with the Friday the 13th creator Sean S. Cunningham and his wife Susan, who is an editor, and the Cunningham children, as well as his memories of watching the original Friday the 13th movies. As a child, Marcus befriended the Cunninghams’ son Noel, and credits this with changing his life, as it opened up a door to the filmmaking world he’d enter as a young adult. The 12-minute piece is essentially an extension of the previous interview, and again, very good.
Über-Jason, is another Shout! Factory port, an archival interview with Kane Hodder about playing Jason Voorhees. It’s another really marvellous piece, this time running for 28-minutes, which starts with Hodder’s thoughts on fame, people knowing him, conventions and autographs. Hodder discusses being a stunt performer, provides recollections of playing Jason, stunts he wasn’t allowed to do, and memories of Jason Goes to Hell and Jason X, as well as doing the motion capture for the Friday the 13th video game. It’s another really great interview.
Friday the 13th Props isn’t listed as an extra but is included and is essentially a one-minute promotion for a book, with a brief look at some props from the franchise.
A total of nine scenes from the TV version, totalling 12 minutes, are included with an option to watch with or without a commentary from director Marcus. The opening diner scene is pretty good and, as director Marcus states in the commentary, would have allowed the film to breathe a bit. It’s the longest TV scene and one of a few that provide extra character details. The commentary is great, with plenty to take from it, not least a bit more of an insight into Marcus as a director but also some of his original intentions for the film.
The theatrical trailer runs for just over a minute, and feels more like a teaser. It plays up on this being the final film in the franchise which, with hindsight, we know wouldn’t be the case. It’s certainly a good hook to get viewers into the cinema to watch it though.
Next we get just over five minutes of US and Canadian TV spots, which include some in a similar vein to the trailer, but with more footage and a few in a different style.
The stills gallery features around 115 images, and the posters and behind the scenes gallery a further 40.
Disc two opens with a brief extra not listed, that same 13 second intro from director Marcus featured on disc one which can, again, be chosen from the Play menu, before we get three commentaries.
The first is a new one and it features film historians Michael Felsher and Steve “Uncle Creepy” Barton who deliver their take on the film, in a light-hearted and entertaining way. The pair cover a load of ground and are a wonderful listen. They highlight how the film was the first to be released by New Line Pictures, the house that Freddy built. Paramount had released the prior ones in the series. They touch on the actors, including some of the cameos, the differences the unrated cut brings, and much, much more. It’s the standout extra on the release.
Commentary two features director Marcus and Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th, author Peter Bracke and is ported over from the 2020 Shout! Factory release. We hear how Marcus was hired for the job at aged 21, before directing it aged 23, why he chose a more adult cast list than the usual cliché of featuring teens at a summer camp, his inspirations and plenty more. It’s another really good commentary.
The third and final commentary again features Marcus, this time with screenwriter Dean Lorey, and is another archival one. There is inevitably crossover with other extras, but there’s still plenty to glean from the commentary. The pair are very entertaining and informative, whilst also sharing their own take on why people enjoy the Friday the 13th series. Another very solid commentary.
I wasn’t provided with the booklet, unfortunately.
In conclusion, Arrow have provided the definitive edition of a mixed-bag, lesser Friday the 13th film. It looks as good as ever with a strong 4K presentation, we get a host of legacy special features including all of the Shout! Factory extras, plus three marvellous new interviews totalling around 40 minutes and a brilliant new commentary, that’s the highlight of the package.
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