Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982) Review

Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982)

So, per Corey Carvelli‘s request, we’re continuing the series on to Part 3.

Friday the 13th Part 3, set a day after the events of Part 2, follows Chris and her group of friends on their weekend getaway at Chris’ lake house, where they are picked off, once again, by a masked killer.
Finally, we get the first appearance of Jason’s iconic hockey mask! 

The third movie in the series took many departures with this film from the status quo, removing the camp, counselors, and a lot of the suspense, thrusting us into the action from the opening scene. I did enjoy the change in the story with this one, as it needed something fresh. Once again as well, the kills were more creative, brutal, and bloodier. Part 3 though, was filmed in 3D, one of the first to showcase the new style, and boy was it gimmicky from beginning to end, adding everyday mundane things, to skull popping kills into the 3D madness, which was super weird and out of place.

I did however, enjoy this iteration of Jason. He has seemingly evolved since 2, being smarter and less of a dunce, while still managing to almost die a lot. The suspense leading up to his acquisition of the mask makes for a great reveal to the staple of the franchise. The obligatory face reveal(s) were also disturbing, showcasing his twisted and deformed face.

Chris, played by Dana Kimmell is the only real connection we get with this film, with every other character getting minimal screen time that usually only involved getting high, playing pranks, and having sex. It lacked the community and connections we got from previous characters, which made their deaths not as impactful.

Getting to finally see the famous mask though, made the build up pretty cool, and seeing staples to the series still being introduced 3 movies in is an impressive feat. They could’ve dialed down on the 3D and made it more natural, but with it being a new thing, it’s somewhat understandable. All in all, a decent entry into the series that used callbacks throughout, to set up most of the final act in a way that was smooth, and gorily fun. Hated the ending though, which was a slap in the face for fans of the original.

6/10