Now, I'm REALLY sad I pissed off Jason. I mean, Kane.
What this man has been through...I can't even begin to imagine. Before seeing this, I knew he was a burn victim, but not to any extent as what he describes in this incredible documentary. How ANYONE could survive what he went through is a miracle. I even had to double back and listen to his ordeal a second time to get it all in.
(Side Note: I do, however, know of the twitching. I've had very bad back pains, sun burns, chicken pox, Valley Fever and stomach aches all while never being able to rest comfortably enough to sleep. He describes this, amongst many more painful experiences, and because I've also had the "FINALLY! Drifting off to sleep..." mode violently and immediately interrupted by "the twitch" or jerk, it was a connection I could make with his story to know how true it all was.)
When I say now that I haven't given you a tenth of his story above so you can experience his words and testimony for yourself, know I am being truthful. I do want you to hear from him in this great documentary.
I seriously thought the title of this movie was just a snappy, quick and recognizable phrase associated with Kane Hodder's career path. No. It's one of the most accurate titles I've ever heard. Bravo.
And bravo to this film as well. I learned so much and appreciated so much more about this man. The man behind the infamous mask. I even have his (and mine as well) favorite look/mask of Jason, the one from his Part VII: The New Blood, hanging at the end of my bed. Seriously.
This film's not so much his roles, though that does take a good percentage of screen time. You can learn more about those, but mostly Jason Voorhees, in the other awesome documentary: Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th. This would be a great companion to that film, though it's already a hefty 7 hours and adding another almost 2-hours here...yeah, I guess it's worth it.
Totally recommend this heartfelt story of a man who's made mistakes, lived to tell others about them and come out a much better person who can, and does, inspire others. And others did come; there were numerous clip conversations with so many more horror icons and welcomed faces and voices.
Despite all I've said above, I couldn't get past one "choice" made by the director: Kane's Cutaways. Mostly in the first half you'll witness the scenes quickly transitioning from people telling their stories/testimonials to Kane wandering around a hospital that's supposed to be sterile and in the desert. And not just wandering, he looks pretty much senile and not sure where he's at or how he got there. Sadly, these scenes were distracting and unintentionally hilarious right smack dab in the middle of a heartful speech or remembrance. After the, no joke, 15th time, I knew this would be a regular and I best get used to it. I wasn't wrong.
With that, and no real "other side of the story" - probably because Kane also executive produced this, I'd still highly recommend this movie.
***
Final thoughts: I said in the beginning that I pissed off Kane Hodder. Well, that did happen way back in 2014 when I first met him, sadly. Also previously stated, I was having a little issue with my back and I was in line to purchase Kane's book at the very first Mad Monster convention in Phoenix, Arizona. It was also my first convention, horror or any sort. Anyways, the Elvira: Mistress of the Dark Photo Op/signing I pre-purchased was coming near, the line was getting long for that, my back was acting up and Kane was entertaining fans in front of me, telling this what seemed like to me: a very long story and it tried my patience. Unfortunately, and despite me telling myself, he's not doing anything wrong, I still showed my discomforts. And Kane did not miss any of my body language.
I still purchased his (expensive to me) autobiography and autograph within, but he never seemed to recover his annoyance with my impatience. I did feel bad that's the one interaction with the man who would play one of my all-time favorite characters on screen.
And now, years later, after seeing this documentary and what he suffered in life, I feel even worse. Kane, if you do read this, please accept my apology. Though, hopefully, you won't remember this even happening.
