Jason X (2002) New Line/Horror-Sci-Fi RT: 93 minutes Rated R (language, graphic violence and gore, nudity, sexual content) Director: James Isaac Screenplay: Todd Farmer Music: Harry Manfredini Cinematography: Derick V. Underschultz Release date: April 26, 2002 (US) Cast: Kane Hodder, Lexa Doig, Lisa Ryder, Chuck Campbell, Jonathan Potts, Peter Mensah, Melyssa Ade, Melody Johnson, Phillip Williams, Derwin Jordan, Dov Tiefenbach, Amanda Brugel, Kristi Angus, Yani Gellman, Todd Farmer, Boyd Banks, David Cronenberg, Barna Moricz, Dylan Bierk, Robert A. Silverman, Steve Lucescu, Thomas Seniuk. Box Office: $16.9 million (US) Body Count: 25
Rating: ***
It’s an unwritten rule of the horror/mad slasher genre that when a franchise sends its boogeyman into outer space, they’ve officially run out of ideas. I present as evidence Leprechaun 4: In Space and Hellraiser: Bloodline. They both suck! As such, I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of Jason Voorhees continuing his killing spree in deep space. In space, no one can hear the victims scream.
Location wasn’t my only concern about Jason X, the tenth chapter in the never-ending saga of Crystal Lake’s most famous resident. The constant shifting of release dates didn’t instill a lot of confidence in me either. New Line kept bumping it until finally launching it into multiplexes in late April ’02, the week before the big summer releases started to roll into theaters. For the record, its initial release was scheduled for Halloween ’00.
I had strong reservations about Jason X as I took my seat in a near-empty theater on a Saturday night. Consider that for a moment. It’s a horror flick, it’s opening weekend, it’s Saturday night and the joint is practically empty. What’s wrong with this picture? Everything, pretty much! Imagine my surprise when Jason X didn’t turn out to be the stink bomb I thought it would be based on the evidence before me. It’s every bit an F13 flick except that Jason’s hunting ground is a spaceship instead of the woods. His victims-to-be aren’t horny campers either. This time, his targets are crew members, gung-ho soldiers and students on a field trip. However, they’re equally as horny and low on IQ points. It’s nice to see some things remain the same.
As our story begins, Jason (Hodder) is being held by the US government at Crystal Lake Research Facility. After several unsuccessful attempts to execute him for his crimes, it’s been decided that he’s to be cryogenically frozen until they figure out what to do. However, an arrogant doctor (horror auteur Cronenberg) has other ideas. He wants to keep Jason alive and well so he can conduct research on his miraculous abilities to regenerate cellular matter. Naturally, Jason makes quick work of the doctor and a small group of soldiers. Rowan (Doig), the scientist in charge of Jason, lures him into a chamber and activates it. Unfortunate for her, she gets seriously wounded when the killer ruptures the chamber with his machete and stabs her in the abdomen. It triggers an alarm that seals the room and freezes them both.
There they stay for 455 years until Professor Lowe (Potts) brings a group of students into the long-abandoned facility on a field trip to Earth. You see, our planet has become uninhabitable in the 25th century and everybody now lives on a new planet called Earth II. Upon discovering the two bodies, they bring them back to their ship where they successfully revive Rowan. Jason is pronounced dead and sent to the morgue. If only they knew. If only they heeded Rowan’s warnings. Yes, if only. But then Jason X wouldn’t be much of a slasher flick, would it? True to form, Jason comes back to life and resumes his murderous activities.
It may be the future (the year 2455 to be exact), but murder is still murder. Jason X delivers where it counts, the kill scenes. The highlights are as follows: Jason sticks a woman’s face in liquid nitrogen, freezing it instantly, then smashes it to pieces on a counter (that’s the best one!), a man is impaled on a giant drill bit and spins slowly down it (second best!), a guy gets cut in half, a woman is sucked out a hole in the ship, a man gets hacked up by a machete and another burns up as he plummets towards Earth II.
In keeping with audiences’ notions of the future, one the crew members is actually an android. Her name is KM-14 (Ryder) and she’s hot. In one scene, her creator Tsunaron (Campbell) gives her an upgrade and turns her into a real bad ass. She proceeds to blow Jason to pieces. Unfortunately, this happens in the medical center right by a machine that regenerates lost tissue and reanimates the dead (yes, that too is possible in the 25th century). Consequently, Jason also gets an upgrade and becomes a powerful, unstoppable cyborg. I love this kind of stuff!
As you can see, Jason X is an F13 flick by way of Alien. It’s so silly and campy that you just have to shake your head and enjoy the ride. The dialogue is idiotic, but that comes standard in slasher flicks. The special effects are surprisingly good as are the gore effects. I still prefer good old fashioned stage blood and the masterful skills of Tom Savini, but what the hell.
The girls in Jason X are seriously hot. In addition to Doig and Ryder, I’m also particularly fond of Melyssa Ade who plays Janessa. A girl with a hot bod and a quick wit, I’m loving it! People in the future aren’t much smarter than they are now about how to survive in these situations. They still go off by themselves, walking through darkened corridors and calling each other’s names. They still have casual sex, a great big F13 no-no.
In short, Jason X is a great big piece of space junk. It’s complete and utter rubbish, but still enjoyable. It also stands as the exception to the rule regarding horror movie icons in outer space, the key word being exception. I sincerely hope that some genius doesn’t attempt to send Leatherface, Chucky, Michael Myers or Freddy Krueger into the dark recesses of space.
