Initially, I hated this movie more than any other film in the series except for part 8. I don't really know why (well, I do, because it's really pretty lame and stupid) but now when I watch it, I notice that it's grown on me more than I ever thought possible. Opening the way the second film did, with 10 minutes of footage from the other movies telling you how we got to this point in case you missed the first 2 movies, this movie then heads into a story that's much more original than the second entry, and for that, I'm grateful. What you need to know about this movie is that it was made to cash in on three separate crazes. First, the studio wanted another Friday the 13th movie, second, they wanted to fill seats with general fans of the slasher craze that was still going strong, and third, the movie wanted to cash in on some brand new technology: the movie was filmed and originally shown theatrically in 3D. That's right, folks.

Second, there's another big, spectacular rainstorm in the conclusion which adds to the creepiness. There are also some cool kills here. When the movie isn't trying to show harpoons and other things flying at the screen which isn't helpful to those of us seeing the movie now, removed from its original 3D context, there are some cool deaths. Third, this movie does a much better job of introducing Jason Voorhees as a figure of local legend than the second movie did. One of the girls here had a freaky encounter with Jason in the past which made her terrified of the woods, and since Jason has supposedly been hanging out in the woods for years now, it follows that people would have seen him over the years. I go back ad forth about this sub plot, since it does look kind of hokey when it happens onscreen, but in the end, I think it's cool that the filmmakers at least paid lip service to credibility by trying to give their characters some connection to the Friday the 13th mythos and they began to build up the idea of Jason as a sort of urban legend around the Crystal Lake area. Even with its flaws, I find myself liking this movie more and more every time I see it. For me, it's becoming the kind of good, spooky fun that I look for in my favorite horror movies.

Hoo boy. This installment has one of the most annoying characters in horror movie history. Yes folks, I'm talking about Shelly. I know lots of horror fans like him because he's interested in horror movies so maybe they see themselves in him, but I see an annoying failed attempt at comic relief in him, and I don't appreciate it. He's loud, stupid, and he serves no purpose since the people he's hanging out with don't seem to like him, so one wonders why they brought him to the camping trip with them. Plus he has stupid hair. I don't like him. The only good thing he contributes to this movie is bringing the titular hockey mask into play, as Jason steals it off Shelly's face after finally killing the annoying little creep. The acting isn't great here, and the character Cindy, who's supposed to be carrying the whole movie, delivers her lines like a malfunctioning robot. Good LORD woman, learn to speak like a real person! Hoe did you get this part? There's a disturbing lack of gore in this movie. I'm told that there are uncut versions floating around out there and I simply got one of the bad ones, since that's all Paramount will release, but I don't care...when someone gets a harpoon through the eye, I want that person to bleed, dammit. It looks stupid when they don't. Bah. Humbug. The lack of gore, annoying characters, bad comic relief, and bad acting from the lead all conspire to make this film far less fun than it could have been, not to mention the annoying habit of chucking things at the screen that is absolutely no fun without the 3D technology (and I bet it wasn't much fun, even in 3D).

Far from the best movie in the series, this has some cool elements mixed in, and it's better than part 2, but I'd say this is one of those movies you should watch with a group of friends so you can all mock it to your heart's content. You'll get much more enjoyment out of it that way.