Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday - Arrow Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

As my colleague M. Enois Duarte already did some writeups for Jason Goes to Hell I’ll punch in his thoughts momentarily. In my own assessment, I can’t disagree with what Mr. Duarate had to say about this film. When this ninth film came out, I was just beginning to watch the true R-rated versions of the franchise after only seeing them edited for television. To say I was confused when I plopped down to Jason Goes to Hell is an understatement. Lost was the sense of creepy stalker slasher horror as a lumbering bulbous pustule Jason pops up inside of the first five minutes and is subsequently blowed-up-real-good by the cops. Then within moments of the opening credits, he’s been “reborn” after the coroner (the great Richard Gant) eats Jason’s sizzling heart taking a new human body as a "host."

And it just kinda goes on like that for 90 minutes with plenty of blood, gore, and sex to go around. Add in the spice that Jason is some kind of Deadite from the Evil Dead universe complete with the iconic shot of Freddy’s knifed fingers grabbing Jason’s mask into hell, and you’ve got one bonkers of a movie. Not a good movie, but one I find bemusedly entertaining enough to watch every couple of years. I don’t blame Cunningham and then first-time director Adam Marcus for taking a big swing with the film, but they were playing a game so far outside of the franchise stadium that it’s hard to accept this as a true Friday the 13th film. 

Here's what Mr. Duarte had to say:
"Since we're sharing memories, 'Jason Goes to Hell' has the pleasure of being the last 'Friday' movie I've seen in theaters, which probably goes without saying given how ridiculously stupid the series had become. The temptation of buying a ticket opening weekend was largely due to wondering how producers could bring Jason back after the last movie. To my amazement, the filmmakers don't even try to explain Jason's return; instead, they jump directly into a big action sequence opener where the unstoppable killer is blown to smithereens. But, wait! Our favorite hockey-mask wearing monster still has a beating heart. And, wait, yet again! Did you know the Voorhees family still lives by Crystal Lake, and that the only way to truly kill Jason is by chanting a clever nursery rhyme: "Through a Voorhees was he born, through a Voorhees may he be reborn, and only by the hand of a Voorhees may he die."

I was just as disgusted by the utter stupidity of it then as I am now. But, wait! What if this is all part of some hugely subtle, tongue-in-cheek gag, geared towards 'Friday' fans as well as horror-hounds alike. It's as if the filmmakers decided to take the campiness, twisted sense of humor of the previous movies and went overboard with it — if you're going to do it, then do it in the loudest, most obnoxious way possible. Steven Williams takes a leave absence working '21 Jump Street' as cartoonish bounty hunter Creighton Duke. Various homages and references are sprinkled throughout, such as Jessica saying Steven's body is just down the road from the Myers place. Or, the fact that the ancient Sumerian "Book of the Dead" from Sam Raimi's 'Evil Dead' series makes a hilarious cameo appearance. As silly as the whole thing may be, I also rather like the final minute with Freddy's gloves alluding to a showdown between modern horror icons which took another decade to finally realize. (Movie Rating: 2/5)"

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 
For this review, we were issued Check Discs from Arrow for both the Theatrical Cut (seriously who watches that version?) and the Unrated Cut of Jason Goes to Hell. When we get hands on a final retail copy we’ll update the review. Each cut of the disc is pressed on a BD100 disc. Each disc loads to an animated main menu with standard navigation options. Final retail copies will include reversible case insert art and a booklet. 

After a middling to slightly better run on Blu-ray, Jason Goes to Hell is blessed with a brand new 4K Dolby Vision transfer. Flipping between discs, it’s noticeably easy to see the differences between the initial Friday the 13th Collection set, the 2K scan of the interpositive of the Scream Disc, and then this new 4K scan. For starters, film grain is much tighter and far less noisy. This is especially noticeable in all of the numerous shadowy sequences. Colors are quite a bit more lifelike and vivid and the elements are in much better condition without the very noticeable speckling of the Scream release. Given this film was a bit more inventive for its kills and gore, the blood and guts get quite a bit more attention. The Dolby Vision grade isn’t overly aggressive but again those numerous dark and shadowy places pick up some welcome nuance and depth. Probably not a revolutionary transfer within the 4K UHD format, but for this particular title it’s a nice and clear upgrade.

Jason Goes to Hell retains its soul with the two excellent DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 audio options for both cuts of the film. Again, not sure why anyone wants to watch the theatrical cut, but it’s there and you get great audio that sounds right on point with the Scream Factory discs. Dialog is nice and clear, sound effects are well-appointed for a gnarly and squishy quality for all of the gore and viscera. Not my favorite Manfredini score but it’s well-engineered through the soundscape. Overall both tracks are great and get the job done but the 5.1 is much more immersive and exciting. When chunks of Jason's exploded body whirl past your ears, you know you're in for a good time. 

Arrow thankfully does what they do best by digging into Jason’s grave for a full spectrum of new and archival extras. Folks who didn’t spring for the big Scream Factory Blu-ray set will be happy to see those extras return here and deliver a new audio commentary for the Unrated Cut alongside some brand-new cast and crew interviews. So that’s three audio commentaries and hours of interviews to slice through once you’re finished with the main feature! 

Theatrical Cut 4K Disc

• Introduction from Adam Marcus
• NEW Faces of Death - interview with Robert Kurtzman (HD 16:47)
• NEW Undercover Angel - interview with Julie Michaels (HD 11:55)
• NEW Mixing it Up - interview with Harry Manfredini (HD 12:26)
• The Gates of Hell - interview with Adam Marcus (HD 36:03) 
• Jason vs Terminator - interview with Adam Marcus growing up with the Cunninghams (HD 11:34)
• Uber-Jason - interview with Kane Hodder (HD 28:22)
• Friday the 13th Props (HD 1:08)
• Additional TV Footage with Optional Commentary (SD 12:35)
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spots
• Stills Gallery
• Posters & Behind-the-Scenes Gallery

Unarated Cut 4K Disc

• Introduction from Adam Marcus
• NEW Audio Commentary featuring Michael Felsher and Steve Barton
• Audio Commentary featuring Adam Marcus with Peter Bracke
• Audio Commentary featuring Adam Marcus with Dean Lorey

Jason Goes to Hell is probably more infamous than actually good. Credit where credit is due, the franchise had already stalked the tents and bushes and even made a field trip to New York, but there wasn’t a lot left to explore. Adam Marcus and Cunningham took a big swing by dramatically changing up the Jason lore and even taking the character out of the slasher horror sub-genre altogether. Whether or not you’re up for the ride is subjective. I have fun with it, but it's not the first Jason film I pull off the shelf when given the opportunity. Arrow Video delivers what’s probably going to stand as the definitive home video release with an excellent new Dolby Vision 4K transfer, great audio, and several hours of new and archival extras to work through. As one of the stranger entries in the franchise, the appeal of this disc is for the die-hard Jason devotees - For Fans Only