Friday the 13th Part III Review | 31 Days of Halloween 2018

Friday the 13th Part III is a 1982 slasher film directed by Steve Miner, starring Dana Kimmell, Paul Kratka, and Richard Brooker. The film serves as the third installment in the Friday the 13th film series and follows a group of co-eds on vacation at a house on Crystal Lake, where Jason Voorhees has taken refuge.


Positives:

  • Good use of special effects
  • Great score
  • Highly suspenseful

Negatives:

  • Characters suck
  • Lackluster story
  • Bad script

Plot:  The story picks up on the day after the events of Friday the 13th Part 2, Chris (Dana Kimmell) and her sometimes boyfriend, Rick (Paul Kratka), are hosting a group of teenage friends at Chris’ lake house. Despite a run-in with a local biker gang, they enjoy an amiable weekend together — that is, until Jason begins knocking off kids and bikers alike.  The story fails to establish the setting and how it relates to Camp Crystal Lake nor does it deviate from the usual formula making many moments in the film predictable. There is this subplot where Shelley and Vera are on this blind date but the story touches upon it but barely fleshes it out. The ending with the hallucination was definitely uncalled for.  The whole subplot about Chris being attacked by a disfigured man years prior was a totally wasted subplot that once again showcases how everyone’s interest seemingly ties in with the Jason lore. (2 out of 5)

Characters: The characters are a bit more pronounced than in previous installments, thought they are cliche. Chris is a great character with depth, and she doesn’t play the damsel in distress. Shelly is one of the most unlikable characters and his death could not have come at a sooner time. Most of the performances are sub-par. The character Jason is more menacing, especially with the adoption of the mask. (3 out of 5)

Cast: The casting is decent and the performances are alright.  Dana Kimmell is actually pretty good as Chris. Richard Brooker does a fantastic job as Jason Vorhees.  The cast does also include Rick (Paul Kratka), Debbie (Tracie Savage), Andy (Jeffrey Rogers), Catherine Parks (Vera Sanchez), and Shelly (Larry Zerner). (3 out of 5)

Visuals: There is a good use of practical effects, thought it can be comical at times. The kill sequences are presented in a realistic way, not overly gory or over-the-top. The character design of Jason looks more intimidating. The score is pretty good. The Friday the 13th theme adds weight to the suspense.  The 3D effects are pretty obvious and seem like a waste but do help differentiate the layout. (3 out of 5)

Score:  Overall, the soundtrack is pretty damn good.  The film’s music was composed by Harry Manfredini, who composed the score for the previous the two Friday the 13th films.  He delivers the music with great execution.  There are times where the series’ theme is used too loosely, especially with the jump scares, making the movie less suspenseful. (4 out of 5)

Writing: The writing is sub-par and honestly could’ve been better. There are many moments in the script that are just underwhelming or make little to no sense.  Unfortunately the film does an extended recap of the previous film which is absolutely unnecessary. There are many jump scares due to the child-like (and quite frankly mentally handicapped) character of Shelly.  Also, there is some really bad dialogue.  The entire time the characters only talk about the Camp Crystal Lake murders. Nothing really about their lives, motivations, or anything important.  Also, the entire killing people off without anyone knowing has gotten old at this point.  There’s no tension built until the end and even then something random happens that makes little to no sense.  (1 out of 5)


The Verdict:  In the end, Friday the 13th Part III is not much better than its predecessors.  Despite the decent performances, good suspense, great score, and use of special effects; the script is riddled with plotholes, poor characters, and subplots that aren’t fully explored.  Friday the 13th Part III gets 3 out of 5.

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