Petition Aims for HD 'Jason Goes To Hell' Release That Never Was
Jason Goes To Hell is perhaps one of the most divisive sequels in horror history. Its release split franchise fanatics and casual fans alike right down the middle; most hated it, some loved it. However, what the film lacked in initial reception, it has since made up for in finding an audience on home-video. The film's legacy has persevered in the 20+ years since it's theatrical debut, and in fact has garnered a very large cult following in recent years. As such, it is no surprise that a very interesting online petition has surfaced on Change.org, and has been making the rounds on social media. The petition, aimed at Paramount, Warner Brothers, and acclaimed cult video distributor Scream! Factory, hopes to finally bring about the definitive Jason Goes To Hell: Director's Cut in glorious HD.
Friday the 13th and self-proclaimed horror fanatic Jared Johnson started the petition this morning, and writes, "[We] are asking for every one's help, to bring attention to having Jason Goes To Hell made into a true "Director's Cut". Adam Marcus, director and co-writer of Jason Goes To Hell, has expressed interest in this being made. Many scenes were cut and unused during filming, including key special fx scenes showcasing the incredible work of KNB FX. Sadly, they never made the final cut. These scenes are strong contributions to this film and, best of all, they were shot. The footage exists, in fact many scenes were edited properly..nearly fully finished before being cut; and now we hope to have them cut back in to a definitive Jason Goes To Hell Uncut Director's Cut the way Adam Marcus originally intended."
So, what exactly was missing from the Jason Goes To Hell theatrical cut? Well, some of that is up for speculation, but here is what we know; according to Noel Cunningham, the original work print for JGTH was 130 minutes long(just over 2 hours) and was forced by the studio to undergo extensive cuts to reduce the run time to 'under 90 minutes'. In addition, many key FX sequences were cut. These include 2(that we know of) additional new deaths, a full creature suit sequence near the end of the film, and an extended fight sequence between Jason(Kane Hodder) and Steven(John De La May). Internet sleuths can find small low quality portions of the original footage online, but the majority of it has remained unseen to this day. Even the 'unrated' release on VHS and DVD doesn't feature any of these sequences, instead only adding an additional 3 minutes of length to the final film. Not to mention, the official Blu-Ray release of the film in the recent Friday the 13th Collection Box Set completely omits the unrated cut of the film, forcing fans to hang on to their previous standard definition versions.
I know what you're saying, how is a petition going to change anything when the studios can't even agree on how to make a new film? Well, it is turning some heads. Scream! Factory co-founder Jeff Nelson has responded, saying that the decision for a potential release would ultimately be up to Warner Brothers. Additionally, writer/director Adam Marcus has publicly stated his interest and support in making it happen. With enough signatures, it wouldn't be so crazy to think that fans may actually get something new.
What do you think? Personally, seeing as any hopes for a new film release have been crushed last month, I'm just hoping for as much Jason as we can get. Love or hate JGTH, but as fans I'm sure you can agree with that.
View the petition here.
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| The Full-Sized Jason Demon, which was ultimately from the film's climax. |
Friday the 13th and self-proclaimed horror fanatic Jared Johnson started the petition this morning, and writes, "[We] are asking for every one's help, to bring attention to having Jason Goes To Hell made into a true "Director's Cut". Adam Marcus, director and co-writer of Jason Goes To Hell, has expressed interest in this being made. Many scenes were cut and unused during filming, including key special fx scenes showcasing the incredible work of KNB FX. Sadly, they never made the final cut. These scenes are strong contributions to this film and, best of all, they were shot. The footage exists, in fact many scenes were edited properly..nearly fully finished before being cut; and now we hope to have them cut back in to a definitive Jason Goes To Hell Uncut Director's Cut the way Adam Marcus originally intended."
So, what exactly was missing from the Jason Goes To Hell theatrical cut? Well, some of that is up for speculation, but here is what we know; according to Noel Cunningham, the original work print for JGTH was 130 minutes long(just over 2 hours) and was forced by the studio to undergo extensive cuts to reduce the run time to 'under 90 minutes'. In addition, many key FX sequences were cut. These include 2(that we know of) additional new deaths, a full creature suit sequence near the end of the film, and an extended fight sequence between Jason(Kane Hodder) and Steven(John De La May). Internet sleuths can find small low quality portions of the original footage online, but the majority of it has remained unseen to this day. Even the 'unrated' release on VHS and DVD doesn't feature any of these sequences, instead only adding an additional 3 minutes of length to the final film. Not to mention, the official Blu-Ray release of the film in the recent Friday the 13th Collection Box Set completely omits the unrated cut of the film, forcing fans to hang on to their previous standard definition versions.
I know what you're saying, how is a petition going to change anything when the studios can't even agree on how to make a new film? Well, it is turning some heads. Scream! Factory co-founder Jeff Nelson has responded, saying that the decision for a potential release would ultimately be up to Warner Brothers. Additionally, writer/director Adam Marcus has publicly stated his interest and support in making it happen. With enough signatures, it wouldn't be so crazy to think that fans may actually get something new.
What do you think? Personally, seeing as any hopes for a new film release have been crushed last month, I'm just hoping for as much Jason as we can get. Love or hate JGTH, but as fans I'm sure you can agree with that.
View the petition here.
