In the early 1980s, 3D flicks enjoyed a minor resurgence. They didn’t stick, but we got a smattering of them, some of which inevitably connected to the third movie in a series. 1983’s Jaws 3 and Amityville 3 tied to this trend, as did one of the earliest of that era’s bunch, 1982’s Friday the 13th Part 3.

As occurred with Part 2, Part 3 opens with a recap of the prior chapter’s conclusion. The film then picks up the day after that flick’s events, as we see Jason (Richard Brooker) continue on his vicious path when he slaughters a local couple.

From there we meet some college students who plan on a weekend in the country. Where’re they headed? Crystal Lake, of course, the site of the first two movies’ slaughters.

They go to a farm owned by the family of Chris (Dana Kimmell), a babe who barely survived an encounter with Jason a couple of years earlier. Our favorite indestructible psycho shows up again and wreaks havoc on the campers and others.

It doesn’t take long for us to see the 3D roots of Part 3>. The opening credits zoom out at us, and we quickly witness silly gimmicks like poles, snakes and yo-yos that pop out of the screen. These look dopey enough when viewed in the proper 3D presentation, but they become totally absurd if you check out the 2D version also included here.

While the 3D of Part 3 never rises above Dr. Tongue levels, at least that element gave the theatrical release something unusual compared to its predecessors. Without the gimmick, Part 3 turns into just another rehash of the first two movies.

This makes it a disappointment after the relatively strong Part 2. Yeah, that flick also told the same basic story as the first, but it tightened the general model and provided some decent thrills. In Part 3, the filmmakers totally rely on the 3D gimmicks to entertain the audience, as everything else about the movie lacks creativity.

They needed to try harder. Many of the fake-outs and false endings of Part 3 come as genre staples, so I can’t really criticize them because they’re expected and appropriate parts of this sort of film.

However, it’d be nice to see more imagination in them, as none of those elements stands out as memorable or vivid. Instead, the “twists” are predictable and add no life to the movie.

Once again, the majority of the characters are bland beyond belief. Most of them fall into the category of “generic, attractive teen” - couldn’t they find any actresses who didn’t look almost identical?

A couple of the males almost rise to the level of two-dimensionality, as we get fat nerd Shelly and pot-smoking hippie Chuck. They never turn into anything more than very basic stereotypes, though they still come across as better developed than the other totally forgettable characters.

If not for the fact that Jason obtained his signature hockey mask here, absolutely nothing memorable would come from Friday the 13th Part 3. It relied on its wince inducing 3D effects to involve the audience. Those didn’t work theatrically, and when seen in 2D form, the movie becomes even more boring.

Friday the 13th Part 3 appears in a 2.35:1 ratio on this Blu-ray disc. Presumably due to the 3D cameras it used, the image seemed erratic.

Sharpness came across as spotty. Though some shots looked just fine, many felt soft and undefined.

I noticed no jagged edges or shimmering, and edge haloes remained absent. The film showed natural – albeit often heavy – grain but occasional print flaws materialized.

Most came from gate hairs or dirt on the lens, though a few small specks appeared as well. These never became major but they created some distractions.

Colors varied. The tones occasionally appeared moderately drab and dull, but the majority of the movie presented reasonably vivid hues. The outdoors shots looked best, as these could present nicely distinctive colors.

Blacks were generally solid, though they could be somewhat inky, while shadows tended to come across as a bit dense. They weren’t terrible opaque, but they lacked great clarity. The image of Part 3 fell to “C+” levels, as it always seemed mediocre.

At least the DTS-HD MA 5.1 remix of Part 3 proved to be more satisfying. The soundfield tended toward environmental elements. Unique surround information remained rare. I noticed a car that zipped to the right rear at one point, and a spear flew to the back channels as well.

Otherwise, I felt the mix stayed with general atmosphere, and that aspect of track was pleasing. The effects seemed fairly believable, and the nice stereo music adds pizzazz to the package.

Audio quality worked fine, and Part 3 offered the best sound of the first three films. Speech was generally natural and clear, without edginess or other issues. Effects didn’t show great vivacity, but they seemed acceptably concise and accurate.

Music fared nicely, as the score was bright and dynamic. The track wasn’t great but it worked well.

How did the 2021 Blu-ray compare to the 2009 BD? Though the 2021 disc went with DTS-HD MA versus the old release’s Dolby TrueHD, both felt similar, if not identical.

Visuals didn’t show much of an upgrade either, largely due to the limitations of the source. Overall, the 2021 disc looked a little cleaner than its predecessor, but both seemed unattractive enough to warrant the same “C+”, even if the 2021 version offered a minor upgrade.

Note that Shout! Factory put out a series-spanning Friday boxed set in 2020. From what I understand, this 2021 BD offers a transfer taken from the same scan.

In terms of extras, we get the same materials from the 2009 Blu-ray. Fresh Cuts: 3D Terror runs 12 minutes, 52 seconds and presents remarks from Crystal Lake Memories author Peter Bracke, 3D supervisor Martin Jay Sadoff, costume supervisor Sandi Love, special effects makeup designer Douglas White, and actors Larry Zerner and Richard J. Brooker.

“Terror” looks at alternate ideas for the movie’s story, the use of 3D and technical elements, the design of Jason, some thoughts about the shoot, multiple endings, and the film’s reception and legacy.

The brevity of “Terror” acts as its main weakness; it’s just too short to be particularly deep. However, it includes a good mix of notes from the production. We learn a fair amount of interesting facts in this short but sweet program.

For the next featurette, we get the nine-minute, 33-second Legacy of the Mask. It includes Bracke, Sadoff, Brooker, Zerner and White.

“Legacy” examines the visual evolution of Jason through the first few movies, the choice of the hockey mask and it development over the series. The show adds to the subjects touched on in “Terror” and fleshes out the Jason-related material well.

Slasher Films: Going for the Jugular runs seven minutes, nine seconds and features Brooker, Zerner, make-up effects designer Tom Savini, composer Harry Manfredini, Dark Delicacies Book Store owner Del Howison, and actors Tony Todd, Tony Moran, Ari Lehman, and Robbi Morgan.

The participants reflect on what makes horror flicks work. The show has its moments but it’s a bit too general to really satisfy.

A continuation of a series started on the releases for the first two movies, Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part 3 goes for four minutes, 49 seconds. Neither of the first two became terribly interesting, and that trend continues here. Don’t expect much from this forgettable piece of horror piffle.

The film’s trailer finishes the set.

Note that the 2009 Blu-ray included a 3D version of the film, albeit one that used anaglyph glasses and didn’t look very good. The 2020 Shout! release came with a 3D version that worked on properly equipped TVs but it doesn’t appear here.

Possibly the most witless and inane movie in the series, Friday the 13th Part 3 suffers from many problems. The film uses 3D effects to entertain rather than any form of storytelling or characters, so the flick never turns into anything positive. The Blu-ray offers pretty blah picture plus good audio and a few interesting supplements. The 3D version would make this release more interesting, but as a 2D affair, it’s nearly unwatchable due to the poor quality of the film.

Note that as of fall 2021, this remasttered Friday the 13th Part 3 disc can only be purchased as part of a new “8 Movie Collection”. Unsurprisingly, this provides the series’ first eight movies, the first four of which get new transfers – well, new to Paramount releases, as these seem to duplicate the presentations found on the 2020 Shout! Factory boxed set.

To rate this film visit original review of FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3