16. Friday the 13th 4K Limited Edition (2009) from Arrow Video
On a dark and stormy night, Pamela Voorhees (Nana Visitor) is explaining to a camp counselor (Stephanie Rhodes) that they are the reason her young son Jason (Caleb Guss) is dead. Ms. Voorhees is beheaded, but unknown to her, her precious Jason is still alive, watching her die.
Flash forward a couple of decades, and a group of young friends, Whitney (Amanda Righetti), Mike (Nick Mennell), Wade (Jonathan Sadowski), Ritchie (Ben Feldman), and Amanda (America Olivio), are camping and searching for a mythical marijuana grow.
Amanda is unaware of this as her boyfriend Mike has taken her on a mini vacation because she is caring for her dying mother. As night falls, Wade tells everyone they are near Crystal Lake and tells the story of Pamela and Jason. Mike and Whitney leave. Ritchie and Amanda go into a tent to have sex, leaving Wade to look for the marijuana grow.
Wade finds the marijuana. He also finds a very adult Jason (Derek Mears). Jason goes on a killing spree. And no one is safe.
Six weeks have passed, and Whitney is only believed to be missing. Her brother Clay (Jared Padalecki) has returned to Crystal Lake to look for her. Catching the ire of the locals and the police. A new group of friends have arrived at the lake and are ripe for picking.
Friday the 13th (2009) is a retelling of the first 4 movies, squashed into a frantic 97 minutes. The pace rarely lets up, as Jason systematically dispatches the young campers one by one. It’s violent. It has nudity to spare. And Jason is scary again.
I rank this as one of the better remakes that came out around this time. I had a blast watching this film. I have seen it a lot and I am never bored.
Grade: A-
Friday the 13th (2009) 4K Video Quality
Jason slashes his way into your home with an impressive HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160 transfer. Friday the 13th has always been a dark movie, but its move to 4K has done wonders for the film. The details are sharp. The blacks and the blues have much more depth to them. There are no signs of crushing or pixelization. The film looks spectacular.
Grade: A+
Friday the 13th (2009) Audio Quality
Every machete to the head lands with an authoritative thump with an incredible DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Horror movies need killer (wink) sounds and Arrow’s presentation of Friday the 13th delivers. The screams, the music all blast through your speakers with conviction.
Grade: A+
Friday the 13th (2009) Extras
The 4K release of Friday the 13th contains two discs. With both the theatrical and Killer Cut getting a proper disc and upgrade.
Disc 1 contains the theatrical cut and the following extras;
Commentary with Director Marcus Nispel
Commentary with Screenwriters Mark Swift and Damian Shannon
New Interviews
Director Marcus Nispel
Screenwriters Mark Swift and Damian Shannon
Cinematographer Daniel Pearl
A Killer Beginning: A new visual essay by Matt Donato
This disc also contains extras from the previous release of Friday the 13th as well;
Excepts from Terror Trivia Track: This was a picture in picture feature on the original release of the film on blu-ray in 2009. It totals about 45mins and has some cool information.
Deleted Scenes
EPK
TV Spots and Trailers
Disc 2 contains the Killer Cut, which is 9 minutes longer than the theatrical version. The biggest change, however, is the edit of the film, which is, in my opinion, a better version.
Commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson
Arrow always delivers a standout package. Include in this release is an excellent booklet, reversible sleeve, mini poster and a postcard.
Grade: A+
Friday the 13th (2009) is the way to reimagine a classic horror franchise. It’s brutal, funny and sexy. Director Marcus Nispel never takes his foot off the gas, giving fans what they want, blood, boobs and a scary Jason. Arrow’s 4K release is outstanding. By far the best release of this film.