Friday the 13th: Part 3
Friday the 13th: Part 3
Jason Voorhees, having barely survived a wound to his shoulder from his own machete, is back to revenge on all that visit "his" woods. A new group of friends come over to party at an area close to the campsite. This time, Jason will be stronger than ever, and getting a hockey mask from one of those friends.
Jacob O’Neal reviewedJune 12, 2025
Okay, yes, Paramount employed a cheap gimmick to ensure good box office for a burgeoning franchise. And they also overused the gimmick all the way through. But, does that make this a bad entry in the Friday The 13th franchise? Not in the least. I have a lot of complaints about this movie, but I also a genuine love for it at the same time. It’s one of the series I look forward to most when I do my annual rewatch.
Sackhead Jason is back! He’s bigger, badder and far less itchy after switching to a hockey mask in this film. Yes! You heard that right. Shelly, the chubby dork with a penchant for masks and scaring people, is the victim responsible for Jason finally finding his iconic look. Come to think of it, no other horror icon has changed their iconic look as drastically as Jason. Michael always had the same (or far uglier) mask, Freddy had the glove, sweater and fedora, Pinhead had his pinhead. Now, on his second full appearance as the killer, he finally becomes the icon we have on hats and t-shirts, lamps, board games, coffee (seriously - Kane Hodder’s brand), video games and toys. Jason’s kills don’t disappoint in creativity, but the MPAA was really coming down on them by this point. Less and less gore shows up for a while in the 80’a run. The story tried to tread some new ground. Rather than a summer camp it’s a group of teens staying at a cabin near Crystal Lake. Each has a date for those “lovers in the night time” moments. But Jason doesn’t take kindly to fornicators or drug use. These poor kids were just asking for it.
The performances and characters were forgettable slasher movie fodder. The boob quotient wasn’t too bad in this one. Too bad we can’t see this movie in 3-D again, like we could in 1982. The directing duties once again were handed to Steve Miner. Although dated now and playing like a giant 3-D gimmick, that’s how 3-D movies were back then. This was a subtle masterpiece compared to Jaws 3-D or even Freddy’s Dead. If you like these movies, appreciate that we get Icon Hockey Mask Jason, some goofy set ups with hand stands, hand walking, juggling, yo-yos and boobs. What modern day theatrical horror movie dates such things?