In the slasher horror genre, there are many imitators but just a few original icons. Chief among those monstrous purveyors of mayhem is Jason Voorhees, the hockey masked terror who slices his way through the Friday the 13th film series. Earlier this year Warner Bros paid tribute to Jason’s comrade and rival, Freddy Krueger, with their A Nightmare on Elm Street Blu-ray Collection. Now it’s Jason’s turn with the arrival of the Friday the 13th Complete Collection on Blu-ray.
Friday the 13th is one of the most venerable horror franchises, having delivered installment after installment from the first film’s release in 1980 through Jason X in 2001 and even following up the main series with a 2003 Elm Street crossover and a series reboot in 2009. With that much material, it’s easy to imagine a satisfyingly comprehensive collection, but it can be hard to pull these sorts of things off with the amount of impressive panache they deserve. The Nightmare on Elm Street collection that came to Blu-ray in March is a fantastic compilation of that series, but the collection’s packaging was little more than a standard Blu-ray case in a cardboard slipcover, leaving much to be desired. The Friday the 13th collection blows the doors off the Elm Street set, giving us all the promised high definition horror in a stylish set that will make any fan proud.
The Friday the 13th Complete Collection comes in a tin collector’s box, and it immediately feels sturdy and heavy. The front of the black tin is embossed with the franchise logo alongside an embossed image of Jason in his hockey mask and wielding his trademark machete. The box artwork continues onto the back and even to the inside of the tin case, a very cool and unexpected effect on the metal enclosure. The box opens with a hinged lid to show off all the goodies packed inside. Warner had the foresight to bundle the contents with an orange elastic band wrapped around them to prevent everything from shifting in the tin and possibly becoming damaged.
Upon removing the band you’ll find a stack of media and collectibles, starting with a 40 page softcover book that is an excerpt from the larger Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th, not included in this collection. This booklet has lots of photos from all the movies in the franchise, as well as some great behind the scenes shots and information about the films. Also packed in is a pair of classic cardboard 3D glasses branded for Friday the 13th Part 3 in 3D, complete with their old school red and blue plastic lenses. Next up is an iron-on Camp Crystal Lake Counselor patch that is just a fun collectible for series fans. Finally, there’s a hardcover book-style volume that holds all the movies in its cardboard sleeve pages. The book makes for a sturdy package and would look great on your Blu-ray shelf on its own if you didn’t want to display the full tin box.
The disc collection assembles the full movie series across nine Blu-rays and one DVD:
- Disc 1 – Friday the 13th (1980)
- Disc 2 – Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
- Disc 3 – Friday the 13th Part 3 in 3D (1982)
- Disc 4 – Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
- Disc 5 – Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1985) / Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
- Disc 6 – Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) / Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
- Disc 7 – Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) / Jason X (2002)
- Disc 8 – Freddy Vs. Jason (2003)
- Disc 9 – Friday the 13th (2009)
- Disc 10 – Killer Bonus DVD Disc
All of the included movies have seen previous Blu-ray releases, with the exceptions of Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, and Jason X, all making their Blu-ray debuts here. Most of the bonus features from all the movies’ previous releases on DVD and Blu-ray carry over to this new box set, but the special features are not comprehensive, as some of the extras and a few commentaries have been cut for this release. It’s unfortunate that this set is missing some material that otherwise would make it a comprehensive collection, but that is by no means a dealbreaker. The Killer Bonus DVD is a rerelease from the 2004 DVD collected edition, so you’ll already own that one if you picked up the earlier set.
The Friday the 13th Complete Collection released on Blu-ray, appropriately enough, on Friday, September 13, 2013. If you are a fan who doesn’t already own earlier releases of the films or if you want to add the new-to-HD releases into your collection this is a great opportunity to pick up the whole series all at once. And even if you do already have all the movies, the cool tin box and hardback disc packaging might be enough to tempt devotees. Either way, Friday the 13th is well represented in this set and has an awesome presentation worthy of these classic slasher films.
