EARLY ACCESS ~ JASON GOES TO HELL

Friday the 13th Part IX: Jason Goes to Hell – The Final Friday (1993) is the franchise’s equivalent of jumping a dirt bike over a shark while chugging gasoline and shouting, “Screw it, we’re doing something new!” And apparently? Tara thought it was incredible. Her new favorite in the series. She’s fully on board for the demonic body-hopping, the evil worm slug, and the soap opera-grade Voorhees family tree. And you know what? I respect that. But also? This movie is completely bananas.

From my side of the couch, this is where Jason officially leaves Crystal Lake, leaves all sense of continuity, and apparently leaves his own body behind, because Jason Voorhees is barely in his own movie. The hockey mask is gone for most of the runtime, replaced with a parade of possessed randos carrying Jason’s soul like the worst Airbnb guest ever. The plot? Some fever dream about magical bloodlines, sacred daggers, Jason’s long-lost sister (because of course he has one), and the idea that Jason can only truly die if killed by a Voorhees. Where was this rule for the last eight movies? Who cares. We’re making it up as we go now.

But let’s be real: the kills go ridiculously hard. The tent scene? Pure, uncut carnage. Jason literally folds someone like a lawn chair mid–intimate moment. People melt, explode, and get body-hopped into puddles of goo in ways that would make The Thing proud. And I’ll admit—even through the madness, those kills are chef’s kiss levels of satisfying.

Tara’s not wrong about the energy though—it’s chaotic, it’s faster-paced, and it genuinely feels different from every entry before it. It’s like the franchise got bored and said, "Let’s turn Jason into an evil parasitic slug. People will LOVE this." And apparently, Tara did.

Meanwhile, I’m sitting there wondering how we got from "campers in the woods" to Creighton Duke, the coolest bounty hunter to never get a spin-off. This guy breaks people’s fingers for information, knows all the secret Jason lore no one else has ever heard of...
I mean, come on. How do you not love this lunatic?

And the ending? The Freddy Krueger glove dragging Jason’s mask into the ground is one of the all-time great crossover teases. That one moment alone probably kept this movie alive in fan circles for years.

So yeah, Tara’s favorite? I get it. It’s bold, it’s loud, and it’s a total break from the formula. Me? I think it’s bonkers, messy, and absolutely drunk on its own mythology—but it’s also pretty damn entertaining if you just let it steamroll you.

We agree on one thing though—you don’t forget this one. Whether you love it, hate it, or sit somewhere in between (where I live), Jason Goes to Hell definitely goes somewhere.