CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES (2013)

Studio:       1428 Films
Director:    Daniel Farrands
Writer:       Daniel Farrands, Peter M. Bracke
Producer:  Thommy Hutson
Stars:     Corey Feldman, Wes Craven, Tom Savini, Robert Englund, Sean S. Cunningham, Kane Hodder, Erin Gray, Alice Cooper, Frank Mancuso, Jr.

Review Score: 

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Summary:

Cast and crew from a dozen films and the television series offer recollections of the entire “Friday the 13th” franchise. 

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Synopsis:     Show/Hide Spoilers

Introduction – Corey Feldman recaps the history of Jason Voorhees and Camp Crystal Lake during a recreation of the campfire scene from “Friday the 13th Part 2.” Various personalities associated with the franchise then discuss the popularity of the series, focusing specifically on the audience appeal of Jason.

Chapter 1: Long Night at Camp Blood – Producer and director Sean S. Cunningham discusses his early days as a filmmaker in the 1970’s, including the production of Wes Craven’s “Last House on the Left.” “Friday the 13th” started with just a title and a plan to imitate John Carpenter’s “Halloween.” Filming began in Blairstown, New Jersey and at Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco. Revelations about the first film include the fact that Jason was originally named Josh in the script, the ending was directly inspired by “Carrie,” and Sean’s son Noel Cunningham was supposed to play young Jason, but Sean’s wife refused.

Chapter 2: The Body Count Continues – The ending of “Friday the 13th” was always intended to have been a dream sequence until Paramount insisted on a sequel and the filmmakers decided to change the fact that Jason drowned as a boy. Adrienne King improvised the extended prologue. Filmed at Camp Kenmont, the sequel was codenamed “Jason.” Effects artist Stan Winston was forced to drop out of the project due to scheduling conflicts. An unreleased alternate ending includes Mrs. Voorhees’ severed head opening its eyes and smiling.

Chapter III: A New Dimension in Terror – Amy Steel declined an offer to reprise her Ginny Field role as a trauma patient stalked by Jason at a mental hospital. The codename for “Part III” was “Crystal Japan.” Innovative for its time, the 3D technology introduced significant time delays and technical challenges into the production. In an alternate ending, Jason decapitates the movie’s Final Girl, Chris Higgins.

Chapter IV: Jason’s Unlucky Day – Ted White was cast as Jason because director Joseph Zito wanted a veteran stuntman in the role. Effects artist Greg Cannom left the project due to “personality differences,” opening the door for Tom Savini’s return. Ted White had some difficulty dealing with Corey Feldman’s personality on set. Judie Aronson ended up with hypothermia due to spending too much time shooting her death scene in cold water, which prompted a disagreement between Ted White and Joseph Zito. An alternate ending featured Trish Jarvis discovering her mother’s corpse before being murdered by Jason. Long discussions took place on how to kill Jason, including an idea to have his head explode.

Chapter V: Repetition – With Corey Feldman cast in “The Goonies,” the scope of Tommy Jarvis’s role in the story was changed, although Feldman’s schedule did permit a short cameo. Some people were wary of director Danny Steinmann’s background in exploitation and pornography and certain actors had difficulty with his style. The movie’s codename was “Repetition.” Actresses were reportedly cast based on breast size, which excluded Gina Gershon from receiving a part in the film. “Part V” remains a divisive entry in the film series, primarily due to the fact that the real Jason Voorhees is not the movie’s focus.

Chapter VI: Resurrection – After the disappointment of the fifth film, Paramount executives gave producer Frank Mancuso, Jr. a directive to put the franchise back on track. Originally titled “Jason Has Risen,” John Shepherd decided not to reprise the role of Tommy Jarvis in “Part VI.” Mancuso had a habit of codenaming “Friday the 13th” productions after David Bowie songs. The codename for “Jason Lives” was “Aladdin Sane.” Writer/director Tom McLoughlin originally scripted an ending that introduced Jason’s father, Elias Voorhees.

Curious Goods – “Friday the 13th: The Series” is briefly discussed.

Chapter VII: Jason’s Destroyer – The codename was “Birthday Bash.” Behind the scenes, the movie became known as “Frigay the 13th” because of the sexuality of several cast members.

Chapter VIII: Terror in Times Square – Budgetary restrictions limited the scope of how much could be done with the New York setting. The film’s codenames were “Ashes to Ashes” and “Burial at Sea”

Chapter IX: The Nine Lives of Jason Voorhees – Ending the film with Freddy’s glove pulling Jason’s mask underground was director Adam Marcus’ idea. Fans felt let down by the film because Jason was not a central presence.

Chapter X: Evil Gets an Upgrade – Because the filmmakers did not want to do anything with the Jason character that might impact plans for “Freddy vs. Jason,” the decision was made to put Jason 400 years into the future. A “Mythbusters” episode disproved the scene where a head frozen in liquid nitrogen shatters into pieces. During filming, studio notes demanded numerous self-referential rewrites due to the box office success of “Scream.” Despite its commercial and critical failure, “Jason X” went on to spawn its own continuity of tie-in comics and novels.

Chapter XI: Winner Kills All – Of the numerous screenwriters who turned in drafts of “Freddy vs. Jason,” Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris had an idea to connect the two characters by having Freddy Krueger be a camp counselor who molested Jason as a boy and then drowned Jason to keep him quiet. David J. Schow’s script included a group of Freddy fanatics called “Fred Heads” led by their cult leader Dominic Necros. A New Line executive asked for a different actor than Kane Hodder to play Jason. Betsy Palmer was not interested in a cameo role as Pamela Voorhees due to the brevity of her character’s appearance. Giving Jason a fear of water was a rewrite not created by the original screenwriters. “Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash” was talked about as a follow-up film, until the treatment eventually saw life as a comic book mini-series.

Chapter XII: Reboot – Conflict between director Marcus Nispel and the Platinum Dunes producers introduced some tension on set. The film was financially successful, despite negative reviews.

Chapter 13: Reflections on the Water – Cast and crew present their thoughts on what the franchise has meant to them.

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Review:

Ready for a nearly seven-hour documentary on the “Friday the 13th” film franchise?  The prospect of spending more time with behind-the-scenes recollections than it takes to watch any four of the movies in the actual series inspires either unfettered enthusiasm or exasperating dread.  That is the same line that separates those for whom the documentary is intended from those who should steer clear like a teenager avoiding Camp Crystal Lake.  The running time alone makes it perfectly clear that this is a viewing commitment for serious fans only.

Director Daniel Farrands and producer Thommy Hutson previously teamed on a truncated version of this same material for the 2009 documentary “His Name Was Jason,” which ran for a comparatively scant 90 minutes.  “Crystal Lake Memories” is a less rushed and more polished approach towards honoring three decades of an iconic horror franchise with spirited devotion and attention.

First on the extensive task list of upgrading their 2009 effort is focusing on franchise cast and crew recollections as opposed to a random inclusion of celebrity fans and website pundits waxing nostalgic on favorite scenes and what the series means to them personality.  Nothing against their opinions, but “Friday the 13th” deserves a retrospective that leaves its viewers informed and engaged.  Sentimentality fuels fond memories in the moment before morphing into quickly fading satisfaction.  A pointless straggler or two still wanders in on occasion.  Naturally, the girl who played a baby at six months old in “Jason Goes to Hell” has nothing of substance to offer, but it is at least admirable that the filmmakers made a visible effort to track down everyone they possible could.

There are still some noticeable absences.  It is unsurprising that bigger names like Jared Padalecki, Crispin Glover, and Kevin Bacon are nowhere to be found.  But really, what would Kevin Bacon actually have to offer to a “Friday the 13th” documentary besides his name?  More unfortunate are missing names like Steve Miner, the only director to helm two “Friday the 13th” movies, which also happen to be two of the best-regarded films in the series.

The most significant improvement over “His Name Was Jason” is the chronological arrangement of segments devoted to each chapter in the series.  Not only is the presentation ordered in a sensible time tunnel format, but it also makes the whopping amount of material easier to digest in smaller increments.  This is how “Crystal Lake Memories” breaks down:

Introduction – 0:00-0:05 (5 minutes)
Friday the 13th (1980) – 0:05-0:45 (40 minutes)
Friday the 13th Part 2 – 0:45-1:22 (37 minutes)
Friday the 13th Part III – 1:22-1:55 (33 minutes)
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter – 1:55-2:33 (38 minutes)
Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning – 2:33-3:05 (32 minutes)
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives – 3:05-3:41 (36 minutes)
Friday the 13th: The Television Series – 3:41-3:51 (10 minutes)
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood – 3:51-4:20 (29 minutes)
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan – 4:20-4:43 (23 minutes)
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday – 4:43-5:06 (23 minutes)
Jason X – 5:06-5:25 (19 minutes)
Freddy vs. Jason – 5:25-5:56 (31 minutes)
Friday the 13th (2009) – 5:56-6:26 (30 minutes)
Additional Reflections – 6:26-6:36 (10 minutes)
End Credits – 6:36-6:40 (4 minutes)

It is difficult to envision a complete 400-minute viewing in one sitting.  After awhile, scenes of actors reminiscing about their favorite kills or reinforcing the notion that Jason Voorhees is a pop culture phenomenon blend together and become tiresome.  More than a few minutes are given over to plot summaries, recaps, and personal reflections on what the series means to each individual.  These non-essential moments are more irritating when the runtime turns into a grueling marathon.  Appropriate pacing is required.

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Are those crib notes on Corey Feldman's hand?

On the whole, “Crystal Lake Memories” is more honest than its predecessor.  Clips of actors and creators acknowledging that something “sucked” or pointing fingers of blame at another party for dips in the series’ popularity are included in refreshingly upfront moments.  “Crystal Lake Memories” is unafraid to address items like “Friday the 13th” creator Sean S. Cunningham’s origins in softcore pornography whereas “His Name Was Jason” did things like make its segment on the 2009 reboot merely a commercial for that film.

While the majority of the previous documentary’s hiccups are cured, there are several fair criticisms that can be leveled at the production.  For one thing, few of the interviews are actually new.  From the backgrounds and the wardrobes, it is plain to see that the majority of the talking heads are culled from footage originally shot for “His Name Was Jason.”  Some of the same sound bites are even recycled.  With only a four-year difference between the two films, it is hardly a major offense, as the insights are still mostly current.  Although it is slightly jarring in scenes such as when “Jason Lives” director Tom McLoughlin looks different enough in a new interview that his footage from “His Name Was Jason” appears to belong to a different person altogether.

Other elements of the film will either be pros or cons depending on each viewer’s tastes and personal affinity for the series.  Seeing Corey Feldman included as a major presence is a boon in theory, but his repetitive intonations and delivery across six plus hours do not always make for the best narration.  Such nitpicks may be irrelevant, however.  No one but the truly diehard are going to tackle this mammoth beast without an inherent appetite for every extra minute they can possibly put their hands on.  Some minutes have far more value than others, but “Friday the 13th” fans will want it all no matter what.

“Crystal Lake Memories” makes “His Name Was Jason” irrelevant with its remarkably balanced devotion of time considering the number of entries covered as well as the details that are critical to understanding the franchise’s timeline and enduring popularity.  Casual observers and anyone with only a passing interest in the ongoing saga of Jason Voorhees would be better off elsewhere.  Then again, this documentary is meant purely as a depthless treasure trove for the true fans of Jason and Camp Crystal Lake.

Review Score:  75

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