1993: Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday
The plot: A covert military force lures Jason into the open by dangling a naked, showering female agent in front of him, then blasts him to bits, bundling the remains to scientific study. But in creeping zombie-like fashion, the "Jason essence" infects the doctor assigned to examine the body parts, then passes from person to person in a manner suggested way back in Part IV. Some incredibly explicit unrated butchery ensues.
The victims: A few oversexed teenagers of course—at least the ones who don't wear condoms when they fornicate—but also scientists, law officers, and a sleazy reality TV producer played by Steven Culp.
Series motifs: For the first Friday The 13th movie made by New Line instead of Paramount, the title "Friday The 13th" disappears, and Jason continues his evolution to supernatural demon status by becoming even bulkier, and having his hockey mask turn into a metal face plate grown into his skin. This Jason also behaves more like a post-Silence Of The Lambs serial killer, torturing his victims before finishing them off. And in a fan-friendly nod that wouldn't pay off for another 10 years, the film ends with Jason's head being dragged underground by the blade-festooned hand of Freddy Krueger, New Line's other horror star.
The style: The Freddy appearance signals a shift in the series' overall tone and purpose, almost into the realm of fanfic. From here on out, the movies dismantle the slasher formula and become about exploring the mythology of the Jason character in other contexts. In Jason Goes To Hell he's treated like a celebrity. Crystal Lake capitalizes on his fame by selling "Jason burgers"—cut to look like a hockey mask—while Culp dedicates whole episodes of American Case File to hunting Jason down.
1993 signifiers: American Case File kind of says it all.
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