Had the polarized 3-D process taken off in the manner it deserved, then 1982 would have been its watershed year. With Comin' At Ya and Parasite hitting screens--as well as hitting audiences in the face--the format seemed poised to revolutionize the state of the art. That didn't happen, alas, but the highest-grossing 3-D film made that (or any) year, Friday the 13th, Part III, still makes for repeat viewing on regular old 2-D video systems. Although Jason Voorhees (now played by Richard Brooker) sports a different make-up design, which is shown only near the end of the film, the filmmakers do take the time to show him acquiring his new outfit (an olive green shirt and khaki trousers, which would serve him for practically the rest of the series) from a misfortunate store-owner and his wife. And what about Ginny and Paul from Part II? Sorry, folks....no follow-up there. After the obligatory prologue and impressive 3-D opening credits, the aforementioned store-owners are dispatched, and we are then introduced to a van-full of college-aged kids on their way for a weekend of fun at Higgins Haven. It's conveniently located at Crystal Lake. The focal character, Chris Higgins (Dana Kimmell), recalls having been attacked in these very woods by some derelict (we all know it was Jason) a few years back, but she wants to confront her demons and lay them to rest. A fun weekend with her friends at the old summer home on Crystal Lake seems just the solution. Not. Jason, having survived his machete wound from Ginny in the previous movie, is lurking and soon doles out his brand of vengeance upon the partying teens, plus a trio of motorcycle-riding troublemakers. By the final reel of the movie, only Chris is left to defend herself against the madman, who now sports a hockey mask which he acquired from one of his victims. And despite Chris' seemingly-fatal axe wound to Jason at the film's conclusion, the series just doesn't seem to have reached closure. The element of the vengeful mom has been dormant for the entire movie, except during the opening prologue, in which Ginny was pretending to be Mrs. Voorhees to outwit Jason. But after Chris uses an axe to put Jason down (at least for this movie), she pulls an Alice and paddles a canoe into the lake, presumably to remain safe. And the next morning, after she awakens, a rotted Mrs. Voorhees rises from the lake and pulls her under. Many fans write this off as a dream sequence, but I have always maintained that, had the writers gone with this idea in later films, the mythology of the series would have been immeasurably enhanced. However, they did not. Instead, we get the "she must have flipped out" explanation from the country-bumpkin sheriff as the near-catatonic Chris is loaded into a police car. Jason's body still lies in the barn, axe in head, awaiting removal. An ominous bubble breaks the surface of Crystal Lake where Chris' strange encounter had occurred. And it would be two more years before Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter would hit screens. As an ending? Decidedly creepy. Principle Credits: Starring Dana Kimmell, Paul Kratka, Richard Brooker, Jeffrey Rogers, Tracie Savage, Larry Zerner, Catherine Parks, David Katims, Rachel Howard, Steve Susskind, Cheri Maugham, Gloria Charles, Kevin O'Brien and Nick Savage. Directed by Steve Miner Produced by Frank Mancuso, Jr. Written by Carol Watson, Martin Kitrosser and (uncredited) Petru Popescu Music by Harry Manfredini Title theme performed by Hot Ice Special Make-Up Effects by Douglas White, Allan Apone and Frank Carisosa 3D Supervisor: Gerald Feil << Back