Cinema Macabre Issue 1: Psycho Killers, Devil Worshipers, and Lesbian Vampires Lurk Within! - Page 5

Mat Brewster: Friday the 13th, Part III (1982)

What is it about the 3-D effect that keeps it resurfacing every decade or so? Why do we want our films to come screaming right into our seats? I’ve only seen one full-on 3-D flick in an actual theatre in my life, and that was Jaws 3, not this third installment in the Jason franchise. While we’re at it, why do film producers think they’re being even more clever by making the third film in a series in 3-D? That ran out of style somewhere around Plan 9 From Outer Space, Part 3: The Revenge of Patrolman Kelton.

I never saw Friday the 13th, Part III in the theatres or in 3-D. In fact I never saw any of that series in the theatre, only on the long departed, and dearly missed late night television series, USA Up All Night (whatever happened to Rhonda Shear anyway?). To a prepubescent boy, even in a highly edited version, Jason kicked lots of sexy teen arse. 

This one includes lots of good 3-D scares like Jason shooting a spear gun right at the screen, but it was the creative kills and bountiful bosoms that kept me coming back. As a kid I always looked forward to Friday the 13ths on the calendar because I knew Rhonda would be showing a marathon of the films. I stayed up way too late on many a lonely Friday night watching that masked murdered wreak havoc.

They are all short on plot, convention, acting chops and anything else a critic might try to find, but it had everything a geeky little kid from Oklahoma wanted in his late night viewing.

Daniel Woolstencroft: Haute Tension (2003)

AKA High Tension AKA Switchblade Romance

Before he went all "me too" and jumped on Hollywood's '70s-retro-remake bandwagon, Alexandre Aja created a masterpiece of modern slasher cinema. The first time I saw Haute Tension, it was on a French DVD with no subtitles; it didn't matter — if anything, it enhanced the film. It's light on dialogue, high on style, and - as the name implies - oozing with atmosphere. There are only really three characters involved: Maïwenn Le Besco does a great job of being terrorised as Alexia, Philippe Nahon is deliciously unpleasant as "Le tueur" (literally translated: "The Killer"), and Cécile De France is magnificent as the main protagonist, Marie.

A brutal opening sequence at Alexia's creepy, out-of-the-way home sets the tone for the rest of the film and amazingly Aja ensures that the pace never lets up. The finale features one of the most horrific kills in modern cinema - maybe Leatherface should consider taking that chainsaw back to the store - and packs a twist that I doubt you'll see coming. Everything looks spectacular, the performances are right on the money, and you care about the characters; everything falls beautifully into place.

Article Author: Ian Woolstencroft

Ian Woolstencroft was brought up on a diet of John Wayne movies and Marvel Comics and still has a passion for both. Now as a blogcritic he finally understands what Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben meant when he said ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ …

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