Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th

Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th (2013)

**** (out of 4)

Honestly, what can you say about a documentary that clocks in at six hours and forty-minutes? This look at the FRIDAY THE 13TH series is without question a dream come true for fans of the horror series since, for the longest time, Paramount really didn't do too much in regards to special features for the series.

Although Paramount finally came around and delivered some extras, this here is basically all you F13 fans will need when it comes to details about the series. I eman, the first two hours are devoted to the first four films so that tells you how much detail is given to each one of them. What's so great about this series is the fact that it looked at all of the films and even the television series and thankfully most of the cast members and directors are here.

I'm not going to list all of the actors and directors that were interviewed but lets just say that Steve Miner is the only one that really stands out as being missing. Oh yeah, Kevin Bacon too but did we really expect him to talk about the film? The interviews are rather priceless because you're hearing from a lot of the actors for the very first time unless you were able to catch them at a convention. All of them are obviously happy about getting to discuss the films, their work in them and what it means to be involved in the series.

We get great stories about all aspects of the production. We learn about ideas that weren't used. We learn about the box office take as well as the various issues with MPAA. We learn about alternate endings as well as scenes that were shot but deleted or other scenes that were never shot. All of these stories are just what F13 fans have wanted and to have them in one film, all together is just wonderful.

CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES is a very long documentary but the second time I watched it I watched it in on sitting and I must admit that I loved every second of it and wished it had been twice as long. If you're not a "fan" of the series then you might just want to watch this film-by-film. In all honesty, if you are a fan I really don't see what you'd complain about here.

GREAT documentary about all the "Friday the 13th" from the 1980 original to the terrible 2001 "re-imaging". They talk to actors, writers, producers, composers...basically anyone who worked on the movies. Even better they show footage that had been cut out and explain why. Also the documentary has interviews with some of the actresses who hated their directors (for good reason) and they don't hold back. It's refreshing to see a documentary where people are telling the truth.

It's well-narrated by Corey Feldman and it is very long (6 hours and 40 minutes) but if you're a fan (like me) you'll love it.

Being a long time fan of "Friday the 13th" and, well of course, Jason Voorhees, I was thrilled to sit down to watch this documentary, although I had no idea about the length of the feature. It was a pleasant surprise that it ran for just about 400 minutes, because this was just cramped with goodies and inside information crucial and long sought by the hardcore fans of the franchise.

I am not going to go into detail here about every single installment, but you have one for each of the movies and for the TV series as well. Each is done with a lot of care, determination and touch of details. And it was a real treat to sit through the entire franchise from the very first movie up to the reboot in 2009.

We all have our own individual favorites in the franchise, being it complete movie, singular moment, kill scene, and what not. And "Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th" does get around just about everything crucial to each movie.

"Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th" is a definite MUST own and watch for everyone who enjoys the "Friday the 13th" franchise.

This is an 8 out of 10 stars from me, no questions asked.

Director Daniel Farrands surpasses His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th, with Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th. This like the 2010 film, Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy and Farrands offers again an in depth and comprehensive documentary.

It discusses each of the twelve films, from the original to the 2009 remake, as well as the television series. It's also narrated and book-ended by Corey Feldman (who is also interviewed). It features candid interviews with key individuals in the franchise's history and the expected clips and glimpses of deleted and alternative scenes. It also looks at their post release reception and impacts.

If you've done a lot of reading on the making of the Friday the 13th this will offer few surprises and at nearly 7 hours long it may be too much for the casual documentary viewer. But for Friday the 13th completists, horror film enthusiast and fans of the series this is a must see.

Crystal Lake Memories is a lengthy six and a half hour documentary on the popular Friday The 13th horror franchise. This documentary was made after the documentary on the Nightmare On Elm Street franchise and features several cast and crew members from all twelve films of the series. This is a very well made and interesting documentary, although it is hard to watch anything that's nearly seven hours long in one sitting, but this is interesting enough that is might be possible to do. The only real complaint is there is a moment when an actress from the seventh Friday film is said to have died, and it turns out she might not be dead. The people who made the doc reportedly had the obituary of the wrong woman. I'm not sure if that's true, but it's the story going around on the internet. Other than the possible misinformation, this is a great documentary for fans of horror. Those films were really entertaining and it seems like the people who worked on them had a wonderful time. It is important to note that Kevin Bacon and a few other beloved Friday stars are not present in this documentary, but that really doesn't take away from its greatness.