New Friday the 13th Blu Ray Set is Here-But Will It Really Compare to Previous Releases? Here’s the Breakdown-Fitz of Horror Investigates

Written by Bryan Fitzgerald (Fitz of Horror) January 13th, 2018

With the announcement that Paramount Pictures was releasing a Blu ray counterpart to the Friday the 13th 8 film DVD set they released last October, eBay was all of the sudden flooded with the hard to find and long out of print 12 film tin blu ray sets and also the overpriced yet hard to complete Warner Bros. double feature sets.

With prices on the OOP tin set reaching as high as $800 and selling for no less than $300, it is the undisputed king of horror box sets past or present. Then you have the Warner Bros. double feature sets that are admittedly overpriced for what the are and what is included features-wise but nonetheless hard to find for a reasonable price.

Now enter the new Paramount 8 movie Blu ray set. With no new features and missing at least 2 movies from the franchise to make it “complete”, it still sent shock waves through the collecting world. Now the mighty tin set is becoming readily available on eBay and Facebook collector groups and the price is plummeting. Still very high for most but a far cry from where it was just a few short months ago, the set is selling for $150-$200 on eBay and as low as $100-$150 (depending on condition and how complete) in collector groups. The “Double Feature” sets, depending on the set where going for as much as $170 each and trying to complete a set became in some cases more expensive than just biting the bullet and just buying the tin set. These sets are now selling for $25-$50 each but still don’t surface as much as the tin set. The one major issue with these sets is that you can only get Jason Goes to Hell/Jason X on a region free German release set that still goes for between $60-$100 on eBay.

For “Completists” like myself, the only way to go is the complete blu ray tin set which includes all 12 Friday the 13th movies (includes F13 reboot and Freddy vs Jason) and tons of extras. For “Collectors” the double feature sets are a fun but expensive way to go. Rarely do they all come up in complete sets and they are all available at different times but it’s just a question of how much you are willing to pay for each set you need, as I stated before, buying these individually can easily put you in the $500 range when it’s all said and done. For the “Thrifty Collectors” This new Paramount set is a huge blessing. You will get the first 8 films in one set for a great price (MSRP $29.99) but that still leaves the final 4 films to acquire. The problem with this is that Jason Goes to Hell and Jason X have no official single blu ray releases (besides in the tin set), so if you want these you will have to get the expensive German double feature whereas the reboot and Freddy vs Jason are readily available for cheap.

The way you choose to go is entirely up to you and there is really no wrong way when you’re talking about the Friday the 13th franchise. I feel like when the dust settles and the Paramount set is released on February 13, 2018, everyone will continue to complain about the fact that the features are slim and it is still an “incomplete” set. The tin set will return to it’s overpriced glory and continue to be the king of horror box sets until Scream Factory, Well-Go or Arrow Video finally nut up and release the ultimate Friday the 13th blu ray collection similar to the amazing Halloween box set that Scream Factory released a few years back.

Until then here is a road map through the special features of each Friday the 13th blu ray set up to this point…..

The Friday the 13th Complete Collection (Tin Set)-September 13th, 2013

To say this set is “packed” with special features would be a gross understatement. This is probably the most comprehensive franchise box set ever released. The “Killer Bonus Disc” is a direct rehash of the same name from the “From Crystal Lake to Manhattan” DVD set but still cool on it’s own stand alone blu ray. Each disc has tons of special features that relate to each film on the disc. They really pressed the storage limit on these discs.

The 10-disc collection includes the twelve films on nine Blu-ray discs, as well as a killer DVD bonus disc full of special features on the making of the famous franchise. The must-own set will be presented in a collectible tin case with 11 hours of previously released special features and a 40-page soft cover book. The book is excerpted from Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday The 13th, a fan-favorite volume that’s viewed as the ultimate memoir of the series, and highlights some of the 200 interviews, 600 photos, storyboards, concept art and more. Also included is a brand new, official Camp Crystal Lake embroidered Counselor Patch. Films in the Collection include:

• Disc 1 – Friday the 13th (1980)
• Disc 2 – Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
• Disc 3 – Friday the 13th Part 3 in 3D (1982)
• Disc 4 – Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) NEW TO BLU-RAY
• Disc 5 – Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1985) / Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) NEW TO BLU-RAY
• Disc 6 – Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) / Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) NEW TO BLU- RAY
• Disc 7 – Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) / Jason X (2002) NEW TO BLU-RAY
• Disc 8 – Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
• Disc 9 – Friday the 13th (2009) (Theatrical Version and “Killer Cut” Extended Version)
• Disc 10 – Killer Bonus DVD Disc

• The “Friday the 13^th” Chronicles (1:43:22) – Here is all of the segments from this documentary put together.  In the Crystal Lake To Manhattan set, there were no bonus features on each disc with movies.  So, you have them all twice in one set.  How nice.
• Secrets Galore Behind The Gore (23:01) – Once again, these 3 segments have been on previous discs in this very set.
• Crystal Lake Victims Tell All (15:37) – The cast and some crew of all the movies discuss stories behind their casting and on set stories.
• Tales From The Cutting Room Floor (17:31) – Deleted, alternate scenes and uncut death sequences from the first one, The Final Chapter, Jason Lives & The New Blood.
• Friday Artifacts And Collectibles (7:01) – Cast and crew discuss props they have kept and collectibles they have.  Also some NECA figurines are discussed.

Original Trailers – In case you missed them on their respective discs, here they are again.

•  Part I – Theatrical Trailer (2:32)
• Part II – Theatrical Trailer (2:11)
• Part III – Theatrical Trailer (2:13)
• Part IV – Theatrical Trailer (1:52)
• Part V – Theatrical Trailer (1:57)
• Part VI – Teaser Trailer (1:40)
• Part VII – Theatrical Trailer (1:36)
• Part VIII – Theatrical Trailer (1:16)

Friday the 13th Double Feature sets from Warner Bros- September 8th, 2015

• Trailers: – Theatrical Trailer
• Commentary: “- Commentary by director Joe Zito, screenwriter Barney Cohen and editor Joel Goodman
• Commentary: – Commentary by director/co-screenwriter Danny Steinmann with cast and crew
• Commentary: – Commentary by director Tom McLoughlin with cast and crew
• Commentary: – Commentary by Director Sean S. Cunningham with Cast and Crew
• Commentary: – Fan Commentary by Adam Green and Joe Lynch
• Other: – Inside “Crystal Lake Memories”
• Other: – Fresh Cuts: New Tales from Friday the 13th
• Other: – Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part 5
• Other: – Lost Tales From Camp Blood – Part 6
• Other: – Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part 4
• Other: – The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited Part II
• Other: – The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited Part III
• Other: – Friday’s Legacy: Horror Conventions
• Other: – The Man Behind the Legacy: Sean S. Cunningham
• Other: – Friday the 13th Reunion
• Other: – Jason Lives: The Making of Friday the 13th: Part VI
• Other: – Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part 2
• Other: – New Beginnings: The Making of Friday the 13th: Part V A New Beginning
• Other: – Slashed Scenes
• Trailers: – Original Theatrical Trailer
• Other: – Jason Forever
• Other: – Jason’s Unlucky Day: 25 Years After Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
• Other: – Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part 1
• Other: – Meeting Mr. Voorhees
• Other: – Slashed Scenes
• Other: – The Lost Ending
• Other: Includes 2 pairs of 3D Glasses
• Trailers: – Theatrical Trailer
• Trailers: – Original Theatrical Teaser Trailer
• Other: – The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited Part I
• Other: – Jimmy’s Dead Dance Moves
• Trailers: – Original Theatrical Trailer

These are all essentially the same as the complete tin set releases as far as individual film special feature go so if yo go this route it’s best to compliment it with the Crystal Lake Memories: Complete Friday the 13th History blu ray for a more complete set.

Paramount Friday the 13th 8 Movie Ultimate Collection- February 13th, 2018

• Trailers: – Theatrical Trailer
• Commentary: “- Commentary by director Joe Zito, screenwriter Barney Cohen and editor Joel Goodman
• Commentary: – Commentary by director/co-screenwriter Danny Steinmann with cast and crew
• Commentary: – Commentary by director Tom McLoughlin with cast and crew
• Commentary: – Commentary by Director Sean S. Cunningham with Cast and Crew
• Commentary: – Fan Commentary by Adam Green and Joe Lynch
• Other: – Inside “Crystal Lake Memories”
• Other: – Fresh Cuts: New Tales from Friday the 13th
• Other: – Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part 5
• Other: – Lost Tales From Camp Blood – Part 6
• Other: – Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part 4
• Other: – The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited Part II
• Other: – The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited Part III
• Other: – Friday’s Legacy: Horror Conventions
• Other: – The Man Behind the Legacy: Sean S. Cunningham
• Other: – Friday the 13th Reunion
• Other: – Jason Lives: The Making of Friday the 13th: Part VI
• Other: – Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part 2
• Other: – New Beginnings: The Making of Friday the 13th: Part V A New Beginning
• Other: – Slashed Scenes
• Trailers: – Original Theatrical Trailer
• Other: – Jason Forever
• Other: – Jason’s Unlucky Day: 25 Years After Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
• Other: – Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part 1
• Other: – Meeting Mr. Voorhees
• Other: – Slashed Scenes
• Other: – The Lost Ending
• Other: Includes 2 pairs of 3D Glasses
• Trailers: – Theatrical Trailer
• Trailers: – Original Theatrical Teaser Trailer
• Other: – The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited Part I
• Other: – Jimmy’s Dead Dance Moves
• Trailers: – Original Theatrical Trailer

A direct duplicate of special features from previous releases but now in a very affordable initial package. If yo want to complete your set you will need the German blu ray double feature set with Jason Goes to Hell/Jason X, Freddy vs Jason, Friday the 13th reboot and Crystal Lake memories (an additional $100 approx.)

Decisions, decisions…….

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