His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th (2009 TV Movie) User Reviews (24)

His Name Was Jason 30 Years of Friday the 13th: Watchable but underwhelming effort

[Platypuschow · 6/10 · 12 October 2017]

Now that I've watched every Friday 13th movie I can confidently say that though they are certainly entertaining and undoubtedly genre defining they really aren't for the most part that good.

This documentary does not really follow the movies per say, its more about Jason himself and bounces around across his 12 outings at random through interviews with both cast, creators and celebrity fans.

Sadly for a documentary it really isn't very enlightening, it recycles information you'll already know if you've seen the films and the interviews are surprisingly tame.

A few revelations came up regarding difficulties in production and censorship issues but outside of that I was very unimpressed.

Kudos to Tom Savini for playing host but truth be told the whole thing felt extremely rushed. How do you make a documentary about such an iconic household name that spanned 12 movies in one 90 minutes documentary?

For Friday 13th fans I'd say this is a logical watch, for everyone else I'd pass.

The Good:

Tom Savini hosts

A few interesting tit bits

The Bad:

Feels like an advert for the 2009 remake

Comes across as rushed

Very little new content

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

The twins from part 4 are even dumber in real life than they were in the movie

Die Hard fans of the "Friday the 13th" series will have a blast with this one.

[hu675 · 8/10 · 19 February 2009]

In this exciting documentary for the true fans of the series. Which it has honest interviews with the cast & crew from each film including fans & journalists. Hosted by Tom Savini, who worked in the original "Friday the 13th" and "Friday the 13th:The Final Chapter". He takes you inside into the entertaining horror series. Which the cast and crew tells you how much fun they had making these movies including hard work, difficulty on the set and the motion picture association of America (MPAA). Which the rating board wanted the studio Paramount or New Line Cinema to trimmed down some of the memorable death sequences.

Directed by Daniel Farrands (Screenwriter of "Halloween 6:The Curse of Michael Myers) made an amusing documentary for the ultimate fans of the series. This is a much bigger improvement comparing to the "Friday the 13th" box set from 2004. Which the bonus disc from that edition was certainly lacking in bonus features. This new documentary interviews most of the memorable characters of the series, including each actor/stunt man who played Jason as well.

The two-disc set from Anchor Bay. Disc one has an decent anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) transfer and an good Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD extra on the first disc are the extended interviews on the actors/stunt man who played Jason. Disc two includes "Final Cuts" interviews with the directors of each film (expect Steve Miner, who directed "Friday the 13th Part 2 & 3" and Ronny Yu, who directed "Freddy Vs. Jason"), "From Script to Screen" interviews some of the screenwriters of the series, fan films, two hidden features and much more. "His Name Was Jason:30 Years of Friday the 13th" is a much better documentary than you expect to be. You could tell the filmmakers behind this... including the actors, fans and journalist had so much fun doing this. It was certainly an labor of love for Sean S. Cunningham, who directed the original "Friday the 13th". Non fans of the series will find some of the interview segments intriguing and hilarious. Don't miss this one. (****/*****).

His Name Was Jason...passable documentary

[mattressman_pdl · 7/10 · 5 February 2009]

In spirit of the upcoming (reboot? remake? re-imagining?) of Friday the 13th comes a ninety-minute retrospective of the series thus far. What the fans get is a mixed bag of interesting interviews and fascinating tidbits of one of the largest franchises and yet critically maligned series in the history of cinema.

pros: The cast/crew that they gathered is very impressive, covering a good portion of the series. Anchor bay, the DVD's distributor, was able to use footage from all of the films, so it's fun to view the footage as it's being talked about. The whole experience is nostalgic for die-hard fans and for others as well.

cons: The documentary itself comes off as tacky at times. One would wish they would stick to a topic instead of going off on a few different rants all at the same time. Tom Savini's hosting was just fine, but the whole 'ride' device was distracting and unneeded. The funnest bits end up being the extras on the two-discs.

Ultimately, it's enjoyable for what it is: an hour and a half reliving the history of Jason Voorhees and thirty years of his body count.

An Enjoyable Documentary for Jason Fans

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 24 February 2009]

Tom Savini hosts this documentary on thirty years of "Friday the 13th", complete with some cheesy segue scenes of girls getting killed by a stalking killer. Just about anyone who was anyone in the film's history (besides Crispin Glover and Corey Feldman) make appearances to talk shop.

If you're a fan of "Friday the 13th" (and I am), you'll probably enjoy this documentary. It's fast-paced, covers plenty of ground, catches us up with "stars" we haven't seen in a while. If you don't know the stories behind the films, this is a great way to learn them in a fairly short time.

If you're not a "Friday the 13th" fan, I'm not sure why you're watching this one. Is your boyfriend making you do it? Most of the information covered is something you won't care about unless you're familiar with the movies. Does the casual fan care what some minor character from part six thinks? I doubt it. But the more serious fans will eat it up like rice pudding.

That's really all one needs to know here. After you've purchased all twelve movies in the latest special edition, this film acts as sort of a nice summary piece. They even have a feature that sums up the entire series in four minutes (sadly not so much focusing on death scenes as on Joe Lynch ranting). With two discs of special features, there's really no way you can expect more "Friday the 13th" love... if you need more, you're beyond help. Go to a convention and have Kane Hodder strangle you or Ari Lehman make a "rock" pose with you. That should do the trick.

Entertaining enough, but not enough information for true fans

[Shattered_Wake · 7/10 · 8 February 2009]

In 1980, a little film called 'Friday the 13th' was released and it changed the horror genre forever. Now, thirty years later, director Daniel Garrands has gathered some of the most important members of the 'Friday the 13th' crew. . . and some random people (like the dude from 'Psych' (?)). . . to discuss the series as it is, was, and will be.

Approaching a documentary like this and giving it a review is difficult. The main reason is because, well, it's just not all THAT informative. The majority of the film is made up of the opinions of cast & crew & random useless people. The main plus of the film, as with many of his horror films, is Tom Savini. As the host, he commands the typical creepiness with the mixed-in humour well. He's a good relief when the sloppy editing and occasionally trite discussions get to be too much. . . luckily, that doesn't happen a whole lot. Technically, the documentary does look a little cheap. I liked that Savini's scenes take place at the Universal Studios Horror Nights set for Jason, and the effects they used during his scenes were quite fun. However, the other Powerpoint-ish effects used for title cards and name tags were a little low-grade. As said previously, there really isn't that much information that a fan of the series won't know. This lack of information really puts the documentary in a weird purgatory. . . there's not enough information to make it informative for the casual viewer and there's not enough new stuff for a hardcore fan (like myself). I would've liked to see some more behind-the-scenes segments showing the productions of the various films, or maybe revisit more sets (they did once) to show us how the places are now. It was nice, however, to see a gathering of the old stars and crew, but the most entertaining parts with them weren't shown until the credits when they were all repeating their most famous lines and having fun. Also, it seemed that the majority of them were treading lightly as to not insult anyone (though I did like when one person comments on 'Jason Goes to Hell' as his not having a clue what the plot was (because, really, who the hell did?)). Overall, the documentary is entertaining and a good watch for both casual viewers and hardcore ones, but there's not enough for either group to make it great. Is it worth the $14 that it's currently listed at? Not the movie itself, but the features might be worth a look.

Final verdict: 7/10.

-AP3-

A MUST OWN For any Friday the 13th fan!!!!

[jbirdnc · 10/10 · 3 February 2009]

If you grew up watching these films, you will be pleasantly surprised to see many faces you probably won't recognize, all characters from each film. Love him or hate him, Jason became THE face for horror slashers. Such a great piece of work bringing everyone back together to celebrate Mr. Voorhees life...or um death. Tons of extras, even $5 bucks off the remake which comes out next week. This documentary will sit beside each Friday film, proudly. Don't worry about cheap edited shots or school room interviews. Nothing is edited here, you see most of the deaths again from every film. Don't worry about this being nothing but a rehash of the films as a cheap way to fill minutes. You get interviews with every Jason actor, the victims, they go back to certain sets and key locations. This documentary is pieced together very well, and will be something to watch over and again just like all your favorites. I imagine this being a staple on the Sci-fi channel every Halloween for the next 10+ years easily.

Nice Doc

[Michael_Elliott · 15 February 2009]

His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th (2009)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Entertaining documentary covering the nearly thirty-years that Jason has been stalking movie goers and cutting up film critics along the way. Fans will certainly see this as a dream come true considering the large number of people they've gathered from all the movies. The only noticeable people missing are Steve Miner and Corey Feldman. I'm really not sure why Feldman wasn't involved since he was interviewed on the Paramount disc from the box set but a few of the interviewees take a couple pot shots at him. It's also worth noting that there's really not too much discussion dedicated to parts four and five but then again I'm sure fans could take 90-minute documentaries on each film and not just the entire series. On the whole this is a fun documentary as we get to hear from countless victims, fans, producers, directors and so on. Tom Savini hosts the doc and does a good job, although they could have left out all the newly filmed horror sequences, which usually just features cheap death scenes and women screaming. Some of the best moments deal with the surviving women trying to give their ideas on all all-star revival of them going after Jason. If you're a fan of the series then I'm sure you've already heard or read these stories countless times but it's nice to have all of them together.

His Name Was Almost Josh

[view_and_review · 7/10 · 23 February 2022]

"His Name Was Jason" is a recount of all of the "Friday the 13th" movies with some of the actors, directors, writers, and producers. It's a gory walk down memory lane. You get to learn some trivia such as when Kane Hodder became Jason Voorhees, when Jason donned the hockey mask, and the fact his name was going to be Josh. Mostly, it's many of the various participants giving their take on Jason, the franchise, and what it all meant.

Free on YouTube.

His Name Was Jason

[Scarecrow-88 · 8/10 · 4 February 2009]

There is an army of loyal Friday the 13th fans who have waited for a documentary like HIS NAME WAS JASON and will get their money's worth.. it's fabulously informative documentary that details everything about the franchise and it's popular hockey-masked psychopathic icon, featuring a plethora of anecdotes from cast and crew who worked in the films in one way or another. Make-up effects legend, Tom Savini directs our tour through the genesis of the film's beginning until the "re-imagining" coming out to theaters February, Friday the 13th, 2009, highlighting the impact such a popular franchise had on those who were a part of it and pop culture in general.

I do, however, recommend seeing "From Crystal Lake to Manhattan", a documentary which dissected each film from the original until JASON TAKES MANHATTAN, individually(..it's featured within the Paramount packaged box set with all the films released a few years ago)because Corey Feldman isn't associated with HIS NAME WAS JASON, and had a great deal of input in his interviews for THE FINAL CHAPTER and THE NEW BEGINNING..which were not featured or discussed at any length on the new documentary. HIS NAME IS JASON benefits from(..and is it's greatest strength, in my opinion)from very entertaining and enlightening interviews from victims and survivors of Jason Voorhies and his loony mama. Also present are directors of the movies(..except, like in FROM CRYSTAL LAKE TO MANHATTAN, director of parts 2 & 3, Steve Miner, is again absent, which is a shame since he would be able to add a great deal of information for fans regarding the pains of making and distributing films highly scorned by film critics), those who were cast in the role of Jason, make-up artists, and others vital to the process which created a franchise so recognizable on a global scale. There are also familiar faces who were not directly involved with the franchise(..like Adam Green, director of HATCHET, Seth Green whose own ROBOT CHICKEN beautifully parodied Jason, James Roday of PSYCHE who was very funny, and Felissa Rose of SLEEPAWAY CAMP fame)but add to the fun of the whole documentary.

While HIS NAME WAS JASON covers an enormous amount of territory regarding a franchise consisting of 11, soon to be 12, films, I still think true fans should see "From Crystal Lake to Manhattan" because it, despite the lack of participation from a number of cast members who add so much to the quality of the new documentary, spends more time with each film. There's still a wealth of information here for those of us who watched these damned movies over and over again as teenagers growing up, and to see so many actors and actresses who playfully acknowledge their participation as both victims and survivors was just a blast. We even get their Freudian opinions about Jason and his plight, which is awe-inspiring in itself;I'm pretty sure those critics who just hate everything about Jason and his franchise would be banging their head against the wall. We also get interviews from a number of those associated within the horror universe, those who run popular Internet websites(..like Bloody Disgusting and DREADCENTRAL)to festival organizers. Tom Savini takes us through the documentary inside the Universal tour of Friday the 13th, having a little fun in the process using grisly sight gags made popular in the movies. If you are a beloved Friday fan, this will be a real treat. If you're not, why are you watching this anyway?!

Okay this is funny. * * *

[KroneofThorns · 6/10 · 27 September 2009]

In a Starz Documentary titled "Going to Pieces : The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film" (Great doc by the way for fans by fans) the girl who played Angela in "Sleepaway Camp" refers to Italian gaillo cinema as first coming up with a lot of original deaths aka, spear through two lovers backs. Then the documentary shows us that "Friday the 13th" actually stole that bit from I believe an Argento picture but then in this documentary she claims it to be ORIGINAL Wow just wow!!! I mean that's beyond changing your mind. It's on the same exact shot!!! Oh my take on this documentary it's totally unstructured 100% unstructured. It doesn't build a story or to a climax or even start at 1 and go to the end it's all over the damn place. I like it but it's not really a true documentary. There is almost no craft too it, but I still enjoy watching it. I'm a fan so it's really like watching one of those well edited but semi cheesy holiday vacation videos of a truly great vacation. This film makes me nostalgic for good slasher movies and despite desperate editing. (And I understand that) it is a truly enjoyable picture as a fan of Jason. Despite being a documentary where most of the stories I've already heard before it still managed to feel fresh which is one step better than "American Nightmare" which is a very stale documentary.

Enough with the HEAVY METAL SOUNDTRACK already!!

[braniki · 5/10 · 21 February 2009]

I was about to enjoy this documentary at least as much as I loved the 20 minutes bonus featurette on the first DVD edition of "Friday the 13th" Part 1. Alas, even if it has some irresistible elements (Tom Savini tremendous hosting, all the cast and crew reunited, occasional nice info...) I began to get quite irritated by some pretty obvious flaws half way through:

what is it all about this horrible and distracting heavy metal score endlessly spoiling the viewer's pleasure? It sounded as if I had an inconsiderate neighbor having his stereo playing out loud just to p*** me off.

At times, I could also get fed up with the bloody effects systematically interrupting the interviewee just when he or she was about to tell us something interesting.

Will anyone tell me what guideline exactly the editor used to do his work? It is as if the interviews had been put together pretty much at random, for all I could understand.

Finally, the last 10 minutes outrageously promoting the so called remake recently released (which I didn't much like by the way, but that's another story!) was the last straw.

And I ended up almost hating what I was bound to love in the first place. So paradoxically, I put 5/10 because the good elements just couldn't be overlooked. But, please Mr Farrands, try to be a little more modest next time. YOU'RE NOT the interesting part of the show, the SUBJECT IS. Be a little more at the service of it, not the contrary. When you get that, try and make another documentary.

Why is Steve Miner not present?

[baumer · 8/10 · 23 April 2009]

There is a plethora of loyal Friday the 13th fans and we have all been waiting for a documentary like this. Finally we get our money's worth. The Friday the 13th box set was an incredible rip off and it was a slap in the face to those of us who have supported Jason for more than three decades. This DVD gets it right but it still suffers from Steve Miner's absence. I'm not aware of any rift he had with Sean Cunningham or Frank Mancuso, so if anyone can shed some light on this for me, it would be much appreciated.

Here are some of the highlights: Make-up effects legend, Tom Savini takes us through its humble beginnings to the re-imagining that came out in February.

We take a tour through the Jarvis house with director Joseph Zito and Jason hunter Erich Anderson. They take you on a shot by shot recollection of filming in the house. The house, while dated, still has a great look to it this day.

We get every director, except for Steve Miner of course, giving us their thoughts on the films they directed. We even get a bit by Danny Steinman, who I heard went onto become a porn director, as he tells us his thoughts on Friday the 13th Part V, which in my opinion is one of the most underrated of the Friday's.

There is also a very funny piece with Larry Zerner (Shelly from part 3) and Catherine Parks (Vera part 3). Shelly portrays a greasy lawyer who wants to represent the victims of Friday the 13th and Vera appears, still with the harpoon in her eye as she took it in the film. It is quite well done, and quite funny.

There is a very good piece done by one of the guys who runs a website devoted to horror films, who goes on to say that watching horror films is good for you. And I agree with him. It didn't turn me into a raving psychopath hell bent on murdering people. This particular piece actually made me proud to be a Friday the 13th fan.

The best piece though is reserved for Sean Cunningham and his seemingly never ending recollection of getting the film going and dealing with sudden fame as the series took off.

If you are a Friday the 13th fan, this is a DVD for you. If you are not, why the hell are you even reading this? 8/10

30 years of 'Friday the 13th'.

[kirk-246 · 7/10 · 15 November 2009]

I think that there is something very special about the 'Friday The 13th' franchise.As a huge fan of the series, I have always loved at how Jason stalked and killed his victims.Every weapon that ranges from spears to machetes and the gore and mayhem that they cause always entertains me and I don't think that I will ever be bored by it.But we all know that every movie has some haters.While the 'Friday' films may not be loved by critics, fans such as I don't care about the critics and we just watch the movies and enjoy them for what they are.There is a documentary of the slasher genre called 'Goin To Pieces: The Rise And Fall Of The Slasher Film'.This was a superb film that demonstrated how the slasher genre worked and why people like me were into horror films such as the 'Friday' films.Now we are given 'His Name Was Jason', a documentary that explains the franchise and why people love them.Although I can't say that this Doc was as good as 'Going To Pieces', I do think that it is nothing more than a good Doc and really should be seen by fans of the movies.

Could have been so much better...

[ugotit-1 · 1/10 · 3 September 2010]

With the influence of Halloween: 25 Years of Terror, a group of filmmakers set out to make a Friday The 13th retrospective documentary on the entire franchise.Sadly,these filmmakers failed.First of all, this documentary is all over the place.Rather than explore all the Friday The 13th movies in order, we get several rants from obnoxious horror filmmakers giving their dumb opinions on the films.They barely let anyone who actually worked on the movies talk.There were certain people who did not need to be in this documentary like Steve Barton,Seth Green,Joe Lynch,Adam Green,Jeff Katz,Ryan Turek and tons more people.They do not offer anything about the making of the franchise so what's the point of having them interviewed? Also the heavy metal music is so annoying and painful to listen to!! It was just so horrible to have that music blarring in the background. Also Tom Savini's hosting is very cheesy and annoying. Honestly, he's tries to be funny and entertaining but he fails every time.The special features on the second disc were actually better than the documentary itself. At least we get to hear the cast and crew actually speak!! This was just a horrible documentary that could have been so much better.But as horrible as it was, it was still a slightly entertaining look back on the Friday The 13th franchise. But if you want a real retrospective on the series, get the CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES book instead!

Friday the 13th Lite

[refinedsugar · 6/10 · 16 January 2023]

Within ninety minutes, I got an interesting nugget or two on some history of the 'Friday the 13th series' that I didn't already know as the doc predictably explores the topics and themes associated with the films. They touch on every entry very surface level - nothing deep - highlighted by a huge amount of talking. I wasn't bored, but the format didn't leave me highly entertained neither.

Hosted by Tom Savini at a Friday 13th theme park, 'His Name Was Jason' is a cash-in aimed at (and will be most appreciated by) the die-hard fans of the series. You get the occasional clip from the films and a few pieces of behind the scenes looks thru video or pics, but it's mostly an interview clip show with a bunch of people associated with the films (the biggest names involved don't appear) and then a bunch of people in and out of the film industry who are fans (or self-promoting). As such, the narrative is scattered and bounces around between Savini's set pieces as host. The project is upbeat and positive, but the endless barrage of interview snippets (some good, some bad) that make up the majority of the runtime grow tiresome.

There's also a segment towards the end that feels like a sell job for the then upcoming release of the 2009 reboot. The best part is capturing the series popularity, it's connection to fans and how iconic Jason as a character has become. Of course, both the writer and director of this piece are no strangers to the horror film genre or this business of fan based catering. This feels like something that could have been found as a DVD bonus feature.

I don't have anything heavy against a product like this as there are countless documentaries out there covering the big horror film franchises, but they all follow a predictable workprint. 'His Name Was Jason' is no different. Perhaps sometime in the future, I'll give 'Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th' a go, but knowing it comes from the same people responsible and recycles a lot of the interviews found here is disappointing.

all the info you will need

[trashgang · 7/10 · 29 December 2010]

If you are a real Friday The 13th fan or if you want to know more of one of the earlier slashers then I surely recommend this documentary. Especially disc one is extremely well done. You will have first of a one hour and a half about the whole franchise, even the remake. All you want to know you will know, secondly, all actors who played Jason are giving their view over their version.

Disc two is more about entertainment. Here and there there are some interesting things to learn but there are also some stupid things on it. Luckily the items on disc 2 are all shorts. The only thing that I regret is the fact that when some actors are talking about some scene's they aren't shown, so if it's a while since you have been watching the movies you will have some questions about what they are talking about. But still, if you have the book and this DVD, I guess there's isn't more to learn.

A Damn Good Documentary

[bebopman182 · 8/10 · 5 May 2009]

This I bought just before going to go see the remake and I have to say that for being a... partial fan?.... this was extremely eye opening for me. I learned crap that I had no idea even took place. The fact that The whole thing went so in depth was just icing on the cake for me. The interviews were great and it went though great deaths, the origins of the series, and whole bunches of crap that really just grabs your attention. I will say this however, because along with everyone in the world saying it and this little thing saying it, Friday The 13th did NOT invent the slasher genre. It may have pushed the envelope and made some of the rules that we see in all modern day slasher flicks but it sure as hell did not create the genre. Did everyone forget that Halloween came out two years before? Did everyone forget that there was a little film called Psycho that influenced both of these movies. Either way this documentary was great and for any fan of the series I recommend picking it up!

"I needed the T&A for ME. To hell with the audience."

[utgard14 · 6/10 · 14 July 2014]

Friday the 13th movie series retrospective with lots of actors, directors, producers, etc. associated with the series, as well as other celebrities and fans. The best part of the documentary is that they were able to get so many of these people back to talk about the films. As a matter of fact, they got just about everybody I think except Corey Feldman and Thom Mathews. But, as great as that is, it's also a problem. They have so many commenters they don't spend a significant amount of time on any subject. It moves quickly from talking head to talking head, allowing for no stories just sound bites. Whether this is because they wanted to squeeze in every single person they could or because they believe the audience is suffering from ADHD, I do not know. Still, it's a fun watch for fans of the series.

Hello, my name is Jason. Prepare to die.

[thesar-2 · 9/10 · 7 February 2009]

In preparation of the newest (of, say 50) reboot(s), 'Friday the 13th' in 2009, I re-watched all 11 original movies (including 'Freddy Vs. Jason.') Upon hearing of this documentary, 'His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th,' I was stoked as I am a huge fan of the Jason mythology. And this doc didn't let me down. If anything, it just wet my appetite for the upcoming re-imagining and made me (possibly) rethink some of my harsh thoughts of a few of the chapters, namely 'Manhattan,' 'Final Chapter' and 'X.' It was wonderful to see a majority of the original cast(s) come back to speak of their experiences and turn the whole legend of Jason into, well, basically, a 'Trekkie' following. (I had no idea there were conventions out there devoted to 'Friday the 13th.')I loved the point blank description of their making of's and even the inconsistency of the series (i.e. some of the series landed on Saturday the 14th, Sunday the 15th and so on.) I loved the interviews with my favorite Jason: Kane Hodder, Sean Cunningham, the original survivor Adrienne "Alice" King and Betsy "Mother Voorhees" Palmer. I realize it was also made to promote the '09 film. Thankfully, they didn't spend too much time on the reboot, even bypassing segments as this was meant as a "history" of the fable, not the "future." Definitely needs to be noted: this is strictly for fans of the series, of those who didn't take the series too seriously (and yes, I am aware my own reviews showed frustration in some of the series, but in my defense, it was the directors/writers that just seemed lazy at times) and for those who have seen all the 'Friday the 13th" series. For, it is one major spoiler after another.

A documentary for the real fans...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 29 August 2017]

Being a huge fan of the "Friday the 13th" franchise and finding Jason Voorhees to be the ultimate of all slashers, then of course I would eventually find my way around to sitting down to watch "His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th". Oddly enough it wasn't before now in 2017 that I actually got around to doing it.

"His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th" offers an extensive insight into the franchise through numerous interviews with directors, actors and actresses who performed in the movies (either as victims or as Jason himself), producers, and other such people whom has been tied in with the franchise in one way or another.

This documentary didn't really reveal much of anything new that I wasn't already familiar with to the franchise. Although it did offer some nice enough experiences from cast and crew working on the "Friday the 13th" movies. And it was fun enough to hear about their experiences, but it hardly gives you anything new to bring to the movies when you watch them.

Whether or not if you have seen "His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th" or not, then it doesn't really change the way you perceive the franchise, nor does it give you much of any kind of enlightenment of issues and questions that you might have for the this long-running franchise.

Sure, this was entertaining enough for what it was, however this is a niche documentary, that caters only for fans of the "Friday the 13th" franchise. If you are not a fan of this franchise, then there is very little of any worth or interest for you to have by sitting down to watching it.

Having seen it now, I doubt that I will return to watch it a second time. I could have wanted for a more in depth look at the production of the movies as well, with focus on the special effects. Sure, it was there, but not just as elaborate as I would have liked.

This 2009 documentary hosted by Tom Savini scores a 6 out of 10 stars from me.

Great Insight

[G00fhunter · 5/10 · 12 September 2021]

This documentary was full of insight and commentary from the crew and cast of all the Friday the 13th movies. Watching this was a great recap of what happened in each movie as well as some insider info.

Kill her mommy! Kill her!

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 7/10 · 15 April 2009]

His name was Jason, the ultimate mama's boy, the big baddie who just mainly hates people who have sex. Eh, it's all good, we all love Jason Vorhees, he's just the lovable lug who keeps coming back to Camp Crystal Lake to teach all these little creeps a lesson in not having sex, doing drugs or drinking alcohol. After 30 years and 13 movies of Jason, it's crazy to think how many times this man has come back to terrorize us, but we always fall for it and have to see what he's going to do next. Why do we watch these movies? THE DEATHS! After all, it wouldn't be worth the look if we didn't get into the good gore and love fest that the teens and Jason provide. This is a cool documentary that goes into interviews with the fans, the actors, the crew, the directors and critics on why Jason still delivers to this day despite the plot being used over a dozen times.

Back in 1980 after the big slasher baddie that was Halloween, the writers definitely wanted to cash in on the idea of horny teens who get stalked by a man with a knife. Only Friday the 13th was more so a mystery scary story with Mrs. Vorhees, a woman who just wanted to avenge her son's death. In the sequel we are introduced to Jason and there was no going back. We've been to Camp Crystal Lake, Hell, New York, the sea, outer space, Freddy's nightmares with Jason, seems crazy right? But as we learn from this documentary we learn that we are not alone in the craze that is the Friday the 13th franchise, that there are some really crazy fans still to this day that will go to root their anti hero on. From the violence to the T and A, from the sex to the ultimate deaths, from the music to Jason's mask, His Name Was Jason is a great look into the awesome sequels that always deliver.

Although I did notice this was made right before the remake of Friday the 13th was released, it could be a promotion fest, but still this was all good. It's always fun to watch other's opinions on the series, it helps me feel like not so much of a freak when it comes to watching the horror sequels. As silly, grotesque, stupid as they may be they always draw fun attention and how could it not? Jason always gives us the most awesome deaths and good time gore. The Friday the 13th sequels will never die, so to those who complain, give it a rest, they're fun! Seeing as the interviewee's were given a chance to say which was their favorite death from the sequels… mine will always be the classic Jason locks the girl in the sleeping bag and slams her against a tree! That was awesome! Sorry, it's the fan girl side of me that has to express my opinion. Anyways if you are a fan of the series or even just a horror movie fan, I highly recommend His Name Was Jason, the ultimate mama's boy gets his credit and will always be loved.

7/10

Don't freak out fan-boys....it's not personal, it's just a doc

[twostpr41 · 5/10 · 24 February 2009]

I'm feeling you guys...this is what I'm guessin' you're thinking' "...jeezum crow! Tell me somethin I didn't already know!"

O.K. so this overview of the last 30 years of Jason flix is a little bit preachin' to the choir stuff. Anyone who claims themselves a fan is not going to learn anything new here, though I myself found the extras a lot more interesting than the actual doc. (The Men Behind the Mask)

You know this is pretty much just a marketing thing put out for the new film which I haven't seen, though I would. Does anyone want to send me $11.00 to see it? course not. Since We'll be able to see it PPV two months from now. But I digress.

Still, the doc is fun to watch a bit, seeing what former fodder has grown up to be (notice Feldman is nowhere to be seen) and their take on their experiences is interesting. Some good stories for sure.

fans may like it, and there are some informative bits, but...

[Quinoa1984 · 6/10 · 18 November 2009]

His Name Was Jason takes a serious (or self-serious and half-kidding) look at the horror icon, Mr. Voorhees (son of that old friend of the Christie's), and the saga of Friday the 13th and its impact on film and culture. It goes quickly through the stories and events of the films through 1980 to 2003 (since it was released on the day the remake came out- and they knew better- they left the most recent one out), and then it goes on to dissecting everything Jason. Who is this character? Why does he kill? And does he even have a soul? The cast and crew talk about Jason like he's a misunderstood being, and as well the notorious villain that he is and his status of being just another kid looking for revenge in his twisted mind (hence seeing his mother from time to time). Then it goes into talking about the legacy - the actors telling their stories, the make-up people (i.e. Tom Savini, who also graciously and wonderfully hosts) discussing techniques of killing people, and its status in popular culture.

While His Name Was Jason has merits in terms of some, if not most, of the interviews accumulated from cast and critics and other filmmakers (the director of Wrong Turn 2, oddly enough, becomes something of an authority), and seeing the clips brings some nostalgia, nobody comes clean with certain things. For one thing, Sean S. Cunninghamn practically says that Friday the 13th invented the slasher genre, without noting a certain movie called Halloween a few years before (or just as inspiration), and that everyone ripped the series off as it if was, you know, always a good thing. And while everybody is quick to heap praise on certain scenes and kills and effects (some warranted if only in the slasher realm) nobody is seen criticizing anything - A New Beginning, come on! - and there's a constant nu-metal soundtrack accompanying the clips and the interviews. It almost defeats the purpose of a tribute when you can barely have the noted "Ccch-maaaa" sound effect that is the franchise's trademark.

There's also the danger of having information in here that is nothing really new for die-hards of the series, whom this is marketed to most, but this isn't too much of a concern. If there is a problem with the information accumulated it's that it doesn't always have a clear focus: a topic is started up by Mr. Savini, and there's some time devoted to it (i.e. how kills are done, who Jason is) but then it trails off into something else. Some interviewees are interesting, like Kane Hodder and Savini himself. Others look like they could really use some work and desperately want anything, let alone to reprise their old characters... although an idea mentioned about bringing the surviving women from the 80's series together is a nifty idea. Certainly would be right up there in guilty-pleasure world like the bikini-girls hallucination in Jason X.

So, it's not essential, and some horror fans that just find Jason "ok" may be insulted by some of the super-high adulations made to a series that is even admitted by its makers to be formulaic fantasy. But as a propped-up DVD extra, it's not too painful to watch.