Throughout human history there has always been some name used to invoke fear and dread to those listening. These are the bogymen that have been part of ghost stories told around countless campfires and in darken rooms around the world. While the names may change throughout the years their affect has staid the same. Some names have become so popular that they have risen to the heights of popular culture. In the landscape of horror films there are few perennial favorites that have endured through a constantly increasing number of movies. They are terrors from the deepest depths of our dark imagination and include such horrendous creatures as Freddie Kruger and Michael Myers. One other name has to take its place in this hall in infamy; Jason Voorhees from the hugely successful ‘Friday the 13^th’ franchise. Over the course of the ten films to date that comprise this series of movies Jason has grown from a boy killed by neglectful camp counselors to an unstoppable supernatural killing machine. There have been several documentaries made about ‘Friday the 13^th’ and Jason but none have been as complete as ‘His Name was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13^th’ by Daniel Farrands. The film on its own is an incredible journey through what it takes to create a successful horror franchise and more importantly a villain that will continue too frighten audiences for decades. This documentary goes where none have dared to go before. It pulls back the veil of mystery surrounding Jason and gives the viewer a detailed look at one of the most persistent killers in film. This movie is direct to video and stands as proof that this means of distribution no longer indicates sub standard quality. It is insightful and comprehensive and exceeds all the requirements for an excellent documentary. The film only would be well worth having on DVD but the distributor, Anchor Bay has gone the extra mile to provide the ultimate experience for fans of the films and horror devotees in general. This two disc set contains the film plus a group of truly special features that run the gamut from cast and crew interviews to behind the scenes looks that will answer any question you might have had about this character and the series of films that made him a household name. With the franchise about to get a reboot with a new re-imagining this is a great time to stop and look back over three decades of horror.

The creative minds behind this documentary have an interesting background. The writers for the project were Thommy Hutson and Anthony Masi. Hutson wrote a couple of the animated ‘Scooby Doo’ features to his name. Masi has a resume more on point for this type of film. He wrote a similar documentary covering twenty five years in the history of another staple in the horror film universe, Halloween. Masi also produced a number of horror flicks including two of the ‘Halloween’ series and this documentary. The director of the film was Daniel Farrands who previously wrote one of the Michael Myers flicks. He did direct some episodes of ‘History’s Mysteries’ but this is his first time up for a feature length film. As a novice director he does an exception job of presenting the material. This has to be an arduous task especially for a premiere opus. Not only does he have to get the required information out to the audience but it has to be done in a fashion that is fresh and exciting. It is easy for a documentary of this sort to degrade into a lecture hall snooze fest but to his credit Farrands has the style necessary to make his film actually better and more engaging than a few of the members of the franchise.

The film opens with a shot that has been repeated so often in horror films that it is now almost a requirement. A terrified young woman is running through a dark wooded area. She passes a sign that reads ‘Crystal Lake’ and the frantic music lets us know what fate is about to befall her. She runs past a young man, dead and tied to a pole. From out of the shadows comes man but it is not Jason. It is Tom Savini, the host of the documentary. He has worked as a stuntman, make-up artist, actor, and director, a unique feat. Savini is best known for creating some of the most ghastly and realistic special effects in film and provided his services for two of the ‘Friday the 13^th’ films including the first one. Savini guides us back to the source of Jason’s reign of terror, his mother. After all it was mom who was responsible for all the carnage in the first film; Jason would not show up until the sequel and it would take the third film to introduce his trademark hockey mask. The first of many interviews is with the creator of the series, Sean Cunningham. He describes and he and his partner Steve Miner had made a couple of chilidren’s movies that never took off and needed something that would keep the lights on for their business. At first all they had was a title and a need for money. Victor Miller, the original screenwriter describes that the story was very simple and one of the most difficult things was figuring out the settings. A deserted summer camp near a lake provided the right location. It was isolated from help and would give the camera some creepy woodland shots. We get to see many of the original actors as they look today talking about every aspect of their part and the films as a whole. Next is a detailed consideration of just who Jason is and how he has changed over the years. There is also a section in the formula used here that quickly became the standard for horror films. The documentary focuses a lot on the fabulous special effects makeup that make the films so gross and terrifying. There is also a section on the often forgotten person in most of these films; the sole survivor. Someone is always left standing when the killings stop. The documentary takes you from the start of the franchise right up to the plans to reinvent it with the upcoming new movie. This is not only a great flick to watch it is a complete course in how a horror film should be crafted. There are a lot of new Indy directors out there who would benefit greatly from the lessons given here.

Besides the feature the first disc has profiles of the eleven men who have taken on the role of Jason. Each of them go into just how they got a chance to portray one of the infamous villains of all time and each adds just a little more to the legend of Jason. Like most of the fans of the franchise I would have been happy with the contents of disc one. When I popped the second disc in I was delighted. This one is crammed full of more information that you could have imagined. This is something that no horror collection is complete without.

Disc Two Content