As a fan of the earlier “Friday the 13th” films, I’m finding it rather enjoyable to re-visit these classics on the wonderful world of Blu-ray. Of course, by the earlier I mean the first 2. By the time the series reached the 3rd film it was already becoming a bit of a parody. Consider the fact that the 3rd film was also in 3D… hoo boy. Still Paramount is thrilling fans again with the release of “Friday the 13th” parts 2 & 3 (3D!!) on Blu-ray this month. I had almost forgotten how much I liked part 2, with Jason returning as the actual killer this time, wreaking havoc… but not yet with his trademark hockey mask. Here we see him in all of his potato sack glory. “Friday the 13th Part 3”, begins to feel more like a rehash as we once again have teenagers returning to Camp Crystal Lake to have sex and get off… or would that be… get ‘offed’?

What made it different was the use of ‘3D’ to enhance the viewer’s experience. This was still in the early days of 3D however, when most directors went out of their way to make sure props would jump off the screen at you. It was clever, but ultimately rather silly.

There has been a renewed interest in horror over the past several years and so we have seen many different releases of this franchise. Both of these films were released just a few months ago in Deluxe DVD Editions, but these were questionable as the Deluxe part was not really that deluxe. “Friday the 13th Part 3”s only feature was the fact that it was in 3D. And admittedly it wasn’t a very good transfer of 3D at that (which isn’t totally the fault of the studio as most 3D on DVD looks pretty poor.)

These new Blu-ray Editions are a completely different story however. Both include a handful of decent extra features, the overall image quality looks a lot better than what has been available before, and depending on the TV you’re watching the 3D isn’t too awful. You definitely need a HD TV to really appreciate it.

“Friday the 13th Part 2” offers up “Inside Crystal Lake Memories” (which was available on the Deluxe Edition) allows writer Peter Bracke the opportunity to talk about how he came to write his book on the series and how much a part the fans were able to play in its creation. “Friday’s Legacy: Horror Conventions” looks at the phenomena of horror conventions and why a lot of the actors from the films are there (I kept waiting for someone to say, “To Make money from autographs since I no longer have a career!!”). “Lost Tales from Camp Blood: Part 2” is part of a series of short films inspired by Friday the 13th… skip it. In “Jason Forever”, Bracke is back to moderate a panel of former Jasons as they talk about their experiences playing the character. Finally there is a Theatrical Trailer.

“Friday the 13th Part 3” gives us “Fresh Cuts: 3D Terror”, which is a fairly lengthy featurette on how the film was made including some of the 3D processes. “Legacy of the Mask” tells us how the mask became the iconic look for Jason, while touching on his various looks from film to film. “”Slasher Films: Going for the Jugular” includes interviews from several horror luminaries as they touch on the subject of why these types of films work so well. “Lost Tales from Camp Blood: Part 3”… well again… skip it.

The 3D offered up here is about what you typically get from home video… red and blue ghostly images that give you 3D…but with odd colors and hues. For some reason no one has been able to capture the 3D we get in the theater, which uses the cool grey sunglasses and therefore does not mess with the color. In HD it is better than usual… but still far from perfect.

“Friday the 13th” is a series that has its ups and downs, but any completist will certainly want to collect these films on Blu-ray.

Friday the 13th Part 2:
Directed by: Steve Miner
Starring: Amy Steel, John Forey, Adreienne King
Extras: Inside Crystal Lake Memories, Friday's Legacy: Horror Conventions, Lost Tales From Camp Blood - Part 2, Jason Forever, Theatrical Trailer

Friday the 13th Part 3:
Directed by: Steve Miner
Starring: Dana Kimmell, Paul Kratka, Richard Brooker
Extras: Fresh Cuts: 3D Horror, Legacy of the Mask, Slasher Films: Going for the Jugular, Lost Tales from Camp Blood: Part 3, Theatrical Trailer

Specifications: Widescreen 1080p High Definition (2.4:1); English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 6/16/2009
MPAA Rating: R
http://www.paramount.com/homeentertainment

We'll give Friday the 13th: Parts 2&3 (Blu-ray) both a B-.