My Friday the 13th (Part 3d) evening was shattered when I heard a quick plug for this Friday the 13th (Part All) film.
Despite the MANY horror concepts Lake Bodom "borrowed" from, this was one of the most strikingly original films I've seen in a while. And it didn't start out that way.
The first half was the movie I love to see with a slight twist: Legend has it, a group of teens were brutally assaulted and killed in this particular area deep in the woods and by the Title's edge back in 1960. So, naturally, one curious young male nerd and his horny tattooed friend lure two slasher-friendly BFFs to spend the night at the very spot some 57 years later.
As scares and jokes ensure, panic sets in and as in most in-the-woods, killer-on-the-loose films, they get picked off until even I questioned how this was different than the rest of the slasher-in-the-wood subgenre. That is, again, until the half-way point emerges. There comes the boom and boy, let's have some wild fun with many horror subgenre plot-twists.
Aside from how I relished in the vines of the story emerging and multiplying, the movie was incredibly shot, well-acted and even had a pretty decent score. Yes, I am aware of at least 4-5 different movies this either stole from or played homage to. Didn't matter. It was fun pointing them out to myself as I watched the action, frights and film unravel.
While the movie really opened my eyes to the delight of seeing many of my favorite types of films in one, the near-fantastic movie wasn't quite there. At a far-too-short runtime that might have just barely under- stayed its welcome, it almost felt experimental at points and might have benefited from some additional scenes and a tad more chapters to flesh more out as it, unfortunately, felt like it abruptly ended too soon.
That all said, it's a roaring fun ride and if you're like me, a slasher subgenre fan, specifically a Don't-Go-in-the-Woods slasher advocate, you'd probably like this and the directions it takes you.
***
Final thoughts: (Major Spoilers, for the subgenres I observed. Didn't want to give most of these away in the body as part of the fun was seeing it unfold to guess how many ideas this movie took. But, I gotta get them out of my head and into print. Just be warned: these could be considered major spoilers so stop now and watch the movie first before learning of the subgenres I observed
Okay, here goes: this is part (as stated) Friday the 13th, Tales from the Crypt, The Cabin in the Woods, I Know What You Did Last Summer and definitely, High Tension.)
