Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) (4K Ultra HD Review)
DIRECTED BY: Adam Marcus
STARRING: John D. LeMay, Kari Keegan, Kane Hodder
RATED: UR/Region: O/1:85/2160P/NUMBER OF DISCS 2
AVAILABLE FROM Arrow Video
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday is the boldest, weirdest, and most aggressively “what if we just did something else?” entry in the entire Friday the 13th franchise—and whether that’s a compliment or a cry for help depends on how much Jason Voorhees you expect to actually see. Because yes, this is the movie where the hockey mask takes a backseat to body-hopping, evil worms, and lore expansion that feels like it was scribbled on a napkin during a late-night Evil Dead marathon.
Let’s get the big issue out of the way: this movie desperately needed more Jason himself. Kane Hodder shows up, looks great, and then—poof—Jason spends most of the runtime as a supernatural infection instead of the hulking slasher icon people paid to see. It’s a gutsy swing, but also a baffling one. You don’t go to a Jason movie to watch random dudes melt and vomit demons; you go to watch a masked tank silently end people. The film remembers this just often enough to keep fans from completely rioting.
That said, once you accept that Jason Goes to Hell is basically a splatter-heavy remix rather than a traditional slasher, there’s a lot to enjoy. The gore is top-tier for the series, the kills are mean, wet, and inventive, and the movie has an undeniable ‘90s horror attitude. It also deserves some credit for trying to give the franchise mythology and continuity—something Friday the 13th had previously treated like a suggestion, not a rule. Plus, the ending cameo remains an all-timer mic-drop moment, even if it feels like the movie suddenly remembered what franchise it belongs to.
Arrow Video’s 4K release does this messy oddball a lot of favors. The transfer looks sharp and clean, with strong contrast and excellent detail that really brings out the gnarlier effects (for better or worse). It’s easily the best the film has ever looked, and Arrow sweetens the deal by including both the rated and unrated cuts, letting fans choose between theatrical restraint and full-on gooey excess—which, let’s be honest, is the correct option.
In the end, Jason Goes to Hell is flawed, frustrating, and frequently ridiculous—but it’s also ambitious, gross, and strangely memorable. It may not give you enough Jason, but it gives you a lot of everything else. Thanks to Arrow’s solid 4K presentation and multiple cuts, it finally gets the respect it deserves as the franchise’s weirdest black sheep. Love it or hate it, you’ll never forget it—and that alone earns it a grudging thumbs-up.
Extras
4K UHD Disc One (Theatrical Cut)
- Faces of Death* (HD; 16:47) is an interview with special make-up effects creator Robert Kurtzman.
- Undercover Angel* (HD; 11:55) is an interview with actor Julie Michaels.
- Mixing It Up* (HD; 12:26) is an interview with composer Harry Manfredini.
- Gates of Hell (HD; 36:03) is an interview with director Adam Marcus.
- Jason vs. Terminator (HD; 11:34) is another interview with Adam Marcus, this one recounting some childhood memories.
- Über-Jason (HD; 28:22) is an interview with actor Kane Hodder.
- Friday the 13th Props (HD; 1:08) is a brief look at various iconic accoutrements utilized in the series.
- Additional TV Footage (HD; 12:35) features optional commentary by Adam Marcus.
- Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:12)
- TV Spots* (HD; 5:27) looks like it includes some additional pieces based on running time when compared to the older 1080 release, which I’m assuming may be the Canadian spots included.
- Stills Gallery (HD)
- Posters and Behind the Scenes Gallery (HD)
- Introduction by Director Adam Marcus (HD; 00:13) is accessible under the Play Menu and is authored to lead directly into the main feature.
4K UHD Disc Two (Unrated Cut)
- Audio Commentary with Michael Felsher and Steve Barton*
- Audio Commentary with Director Adam Marcus and Author Peter Bracke
- Audio Commentary with Director Adam Marcus and Screenwriter Dean Lorey
- Introduction by Director Adam Marcus (HD; 00:13) is accessible under the Play Menu and is authored to lead directly into the main feature.
