There are a number of rules, always with exceptions (of course), that most horror franchises seem to abide by. One to note is that a franchise is in trouble if it heads out to space. Witness Leprechaun 4. Or don’t. Witness Hellraiser IV: Bloodline. Or don’t. Critters 4 manages to get by but it’s far from the best in the series. Thankfully, Jason X proves to be a major exception to the rule.
Because it’s Jason in space. That’s all there really is to this movie. You don’t even have to have seen the previous movie as it’s pretty much ignored and the continuity amounts to the presence of Jason, the mention of Crystal Lake and the fact that a lot of people have died at the hands of this hockey-mask wearer. After being cryogenically frozen, alongside his last potential victim, Jason eventually thaws out over four centuries later on a spaceship chock full of, wouldn’t you know it, disposable teens and bad actors. Before you can say “ki-ki-ki” he’s grabbing his trusty machete and creating the carnage that he always does. In fact, he comes back to full consciousness, quite brilliantly, as some young couple nearby engage in some pre-marital sex.
There really isn’t anything here to interest you if you’re not a fan of the series but there’s a hell of a lot to enjoy for those who have endured the numerous sequels and attempts to keep breathing life into our infamous killer up to this point. The sets and FX show signs of people working with a limited budget but also show that budget being put to pretty good use.
James Isaac directs with plenty of energy and wit, helped by Todd Farmer’s script, and while the actual scares may have long ago evaporated from the series this outing shows that there’s still plenty of entertainment value left in the old dog yet.
The cast are unremarkable but they do a better job than most of the other folks assembled to be threatened with machete-related death. Lexa Doig is cute, Lisa Ryder gets many of the best moments as a kick-ass fembot, Boyd Banks is always fun to watch onscreen and the rest of the boys and girls all look pretty/handsome/nervous enough until their fates are decided.
Fun moments for fans will include the David Cronenberg cameo, a face-off with a cyborg that lacks any real tension but proves to be immensely entertaining, some decent death scenes spread throughout the movie and an artificial representation of Crystal Lake that will make you laugh as you see how Jason is momentarily distracted by some “80s” babes. And, of course, the presence of Kane Hodder playing Jason once again.
The body count is fairly high and there’s a sly wit and intelligence running through everything that remains well-hidden underneath the growing pile of corpses but is there to enjoy for those who look.
DIRECTOR: JAMES ISAAC
WRITER: TODD FARMER
STARS: LEXA DOIG, LISA RYDER, CHUCK CAMPBELL, JONATHAN POTTS, PETER MENSAH, KANE HODDER, MELYSSA ADE, MELODY JOHNSON
RUNTIME: 91 MINS APPROX
COUNTRY: USA
Film Rating: 
