Check out all of the pics below. I would love to get this just for the packaging alone. I am sure some collectors already have themselves a copy of this. Thanks to daizab for sending this in.

Yes, we’re a FRIDAY THE 13TH site, but HIS NAME WAS JASON was all kinds of rock, so now that the same creative team are back to conquer Freddy-land, I felt I had to chime in with a show of support. Besides, you just know it’ll be touching on FREDDY VS JASON, though it’ll be from the rarer vantage point of Jason guesting in a NIGHTMARE ON ELM ST instead of the oft-discussed other way around. Read on!

Members of the creative team behind His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th have joined forces once again to bring horror fans the ultimate tribute to yet another landmark slasher series, A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy officially began lensing on August 22, 2009, in and around Los Angeles. Starring and narrated by Heather Langenkamp, star of the 1984 classic A Nightmare on Elm Street and two of its sequels (1986’s Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and 1994’s Wes Craven’s New Nightmare), this thrilling 90-minute retrospective promises to be the definitive look at the making of the iconic horror series and the enduring legacy of its wise-cracking, razor-gloved villain: the indefatigable “bastard son of a hundred maniacs” known as Freddy Krueger.

For a quarter century Freddy has slashed his way through the nightmares of two generations of movie-goers in one of the most artful, spectacular, and terrifying film franchises in motion picture history. To characterize the Nightmare on Elm Street series as a modern cultural phenomenon would be a gross understatement. To date, the eight (soon to be nine) Elm Street films have scared up well over half a billion dollars in box office receipts in the U.S. alone, launching the careers of such Hollywood luminaries as Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption), Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2), Patricia Arquette (”Medium”), Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential), and even Johnny Depp.

Little did Freddy’s “father“, veteran writer/director Wes Craven, know that his terrifying, child-killing creation would go on to become a cult hero and spawn his very own cottage industry. Today Freddy is practically a household name, with his burned visage, trademark fedora, and red and green sweater appearing on everything from T-shirts to video games to action figures to comic books (Freddy was even the star of his own weekly television series!). It’s safe to say that Freddy Krueger may never rest in peace – nor should he – since his fans keep clamoring for more. Even Newsweek called him “The most popular cinematic maniac since Darth Vader.”

“Freddy is like the ‘unholy spirit’ in the trinity of modern monsters alongside Jason from Friday the 13th and Michael Myers from Halloween,” says co-director and producer Daniel Farrands, who previously helmed the documentary His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th and produced the 2009 Deluxe Editions of the Friday the 13th films for Paramount Home Entertainment. A veteran of the horror genre, Farrands most recently served as a producer of the hit supernatural thriller The Haunting in Connecticut, which has grossed nearly $80 million worldwide. “Freddy and the Nightmare films are icons of our generation, and our documentary will revisit the franchise in an exciting new way that will be respectful to the fans and to the films themselves,” assures Farrands.

Co-director and editor Andrew Kasch (Thirsty) concurs, “The Nightmare series has long been regarded as the most high-brow and creative of the mega horror franchises, so our goal is to make a film that reflects those qualities. While His Name Was Jason was campy and off-the-wall, this documentary will offer a serious chronological account of the creative process – the hardships and triumphs behind one of Hollywood’s most iconic characters. Above all else, this is not a fluff or promotional piece for the upcoming remake but rather will focus on the original series of films that began with Wes Craven’s 1984 classic.”

“The Nightmare franchise has had such a huge impact on the genre and its fans and is truly an important piece of horror history,” adds producer/co-writer Thommy Hutson (His Name Was Jason, Prank). “These films proved that horror could be both terrifying and dramatic, thrilling and groundbreaking. And that’s why we’re so thrilled to bring fans an extensive behind-the-scenes look into Freddy Krueger’s hallucinogenic world like never before. It’s a way of paying tribute to Wes Craven’s original vision which has inspired so many of us … and given us a few really good nightmares, too.”

In addition to the exhaustive feature-length documentary, the two-disc DVD release of Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy will feature over four hours of nightmare-inducing extras, including the original documentary I Am Nancy, written, produced and directed by star Heather Langenkamp, which looks back at the last 25 years since her debut as heroine Nancy Thompson and examines the impact of the Elm Street films on young people’s lives.

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy will be released in the spring of 2010.

Update – Trailer Added!

Source: Dread Central

Thanks again to Daizab for emailing in the information.

Jason Voorhees has carved his place into American pop culture and is one of the most recognizable cinematic killer in horror history. Now nearly, 30 years later, see how it all happened! With over 100 interviews with cast and crew, behind the scenes footage and dozen of film clips spanning the entire Friday the 13th series leading up to the 2/13/09 remake, there is no better way to get up close and personal with one of the most feared icons of our generation.

BD: What made you decide to do the documentary?

Farrands: I was the editor and, I guess you could call me the co-publisher of “Crystal Lake Memories” with Peter and Geoff Garrett. We had pooled a lot of resources and money into creating “Memories” and it was a big success with the fans, everyone seemed to love it. And it wasn’t long after that that we approached Tony Masi who had done the Halloween documentary, and talked about how it would be an interesting time to do a documentary [on Friday]. But nothing happened for a while, and then the anniversary was coming up, and the remake was announced, and we kind of just put our heads together and said “This is the time, there’s going to be a lot of interest because of the remake.” So the timing was right.

BD: Can you take us through the process of setting up an interview? Many of these people must be hard to find since they are no longer involved in filmmaking…

Farrands: Well the good thing was that we had the contacts because of the book. So all of those people were reachable, so it wasn’t like we had to start from scratch and contact agents and introduce ourselves. And Peter was kind enough to make introductions for all of the people I hadn’t met during the process of making the book. So it was a nice synergy, it worked out really well. And since we had a limited timeframe, it was good to deal with a subject that was so familiar. It was a lot of just calling people, dealing with scheduling. Thommy Hutson, one of our producers, did a fantastic job of getting people lined up. We pulled it off.

BD: Was there anyone you simply could not FIND?

Farrands: A couple people. Some people had sort of chosen to stay away from it… like Melanie Kinnaman from part 5. Certainly Kevin Bacon was someone we really tried for, and Thommy had a couple conversations with Kevin’s people, and they were actually really nice, and even sort of enthusiastic about it, but at the end of the day they just said “no”. One I really tried to reach out to was Marta Kober, Sandra from part 2. She has literally just gone missing, and her family is really concerned for her. I guess she had some issues. I found some relatives that I was able to reach out to, and they said “We don’t even know where she is and we’re very concerned.” It’s pretty sad. So she’s certainly the most difficult one to track down. And a guy named Alan Hayes from part 4 (Paul), we’ve been chasing him for a while and it turns out his name isn’t Alan Hayes at all! His name is Clyde Hayes, and we got in touch with a manager who used to rep him and he didn’t know how to reach him either. People have gotten out of the business and moved on, it’s a challenge to find people who have moved on with their lives.

BD: One thing that people are going to be curious about is why the New Line films don’t have any clips…

Farrands: That’s a situation of studio politics. What happened there was we had been reaching out for months to New Line, and we were doing the show right after Warner Bros. had sort of absorbed New Line. So the people who we had worked with at New Line (when we were doing the book) had been laid off. And New Line couldn’t have been MORE supportive when we were doing the book, and I’m sure they would have felt the same about this. But unfortunately, it had become a Warner Bros. clearance issue; we ended up having to go through the standard channels of Warner Bros., and we’re working with a limited budget on a show like this, and we’re trying to explain that to everyone from the legal people to the producers of the remake to the people who handle these library titles, and trying to explain that this is only going to help promote their titles, their films. But it all kind of fell on deaf ears and they just kept quoting us their standard rates for clips, and at the end of the day we just couldn’t afford to pay the rates that they were charging us. Paramount was very different, they were very generous. We still had to pay money to show clips from 1-8, but they gave us a deal where we could show them aggregate for a lower rate. Warner Bros. wasn’t willing to do that, and I think it’s unfortunate; I think the show would have been a lot better if they had been more cooperative and helping us get something that would have helped promote their franchise. Believe me, it was extremely frustrating to all of us.

BD: And I understand Paramount is going to release special editions of a few more of the films now?

Farrands: Yeah, after we finished His Name Was Jason, I was contacted by a guy who produces the special features for many of the Paramount DVDs, and he had been searching for a guy who really understands the franchise. And I think they had run into some issues on the reissues of Parts 1-3, and Paramount wanted to do new things, new material for 4-6, and consequently we’ll be doing 7 and 8. They wanted somebody with a lot of knowledge to bring something new to the table. And after the things we didn’t get on our show, it was a great opportunity for me to come in and work with the people who actually own this material and be able to give fans more of what they want. I can’t promise that it will have everything that everybody has always wanted to see, but we’re getting there. We’re making progress. We’ve found some amazing things that nobody has ever taken the time to look for. My editor Andrew Kasch and I have just been scavenging the lowest dregs of the Paramount vaults to find the things that fans want to see. We’ve have limited success with some things, but we’re working on it and believe me, there’s so much passion behind it. We’re doing our best to put something out that will hopefully make the fans more satisfied than they were with the previous versions that Paramount put out.

BD: Anything specific you can tell us that we might see?

Farrands: It’s still being worked out, I can’t say a lot. There will be some scenes, especially in part 4, that fans will be VERY interested in seeing. That’s all I can say right now. But there are quite a few clips that have been recently uncovered thanks to our work. And it was a lot of work!

BD: And when will those be in stores?

Farrands: 4-6 will be coming out in June, I’ve been told. And 7 and 8 will come out after that, and I am hearing there will be a new boxed set before the end of the year, but I don’t know if that is official yet.

BD: Will there be Blu-ray editions for any more of them?

Farrands: There’s some talk, I don’t know what they are specifically planning.

BD: OK, so now that we have the Friday documentary to compliment the Friday book, when are we gonna see the Halloween book to compliment the Halloween documentary?

Farrands: (Laughs) That’s been talked about for a while! The difficulty with Halloween is that the rights to the various films are owned by so many different people. You have Universal Studios involved, you got Dimension/Miramax involved, and now you got Disney involved because all of the Dimension movies that were made before they split up with Disney remained at Disney, so that’s another avenue you have to deal with when you’re trying to license photo rights. So it gets complicated and expensive, but it’s something that has been talked about for a long time. If we could do it, we’d love to do it. It was a weird thing when we did “Crystal Lake Memories”, it was two studios and the stars just aligned. We did it at a time when there wasn’t a lot of activity in Friday the 13th. And Peter saw the value of doing it, and I think it was after the fact that the studio people were like “Oh, THAT’s what you were doing!” I don’t think anyone saw it coming. Now that people see the value in something like this, they’re all going to want their share of the coin, and make it more difficult to do stuff like this. I’m just proud that we got that book done. But again, if we could do Halloween, and someone came along to make that deal with the photos and things like that, of course we’d jump on it.

Source: Bloody-Disgusting

REVIEW: Christian Sellers

Thanks to Michael Moore, Metal: A Headbangers Journey and Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film, the documentary is no longer something that is reduced to a DVD featurette and has now become a movie in its own right. The one movie that gorehounds have been counting down the days for is His Name Was Jason: Thirty Years of Friday the 13th, a retrospective of the most successful horror franchise of all time. It seems that the filmmakers got everyone in on the act – writers, producers, directors, stars, FX artists, extras and even fans – to reminisce on their memories and thoughts of Jason’s three decade-long killing spree, which would take him from the legendary Crystal Lake to New York, Hell, space and back again.

Let’s cut to the chase – this is a fanboy’s wet dream. Viewers are not only treated to interviews with the cast and crew of each movie, but the filmmakers also treat us to location visits, achieve footage, uncut death scenes (despite the MPAA refusing to release the Paramount sequels as they were intended) and much more. So those who have never seen Jason’s face slide down the machete at the end of The Final Chapter or Tina’s empty eye sockets in A New Beginning will finally get to see Jason handiwork in all its blood-soaked glory. It’s basically a visual companion to Peter Bracke’s excellent book Crystal Lake Memories, which of course is no bad thing.

The structure of His Name Was Jason helps to make the feature more digestible, with the first ten or so minutes giving a brief overview of the franchise and each movie before literally being split into chapters of sorts – first they explore the character of Jason, before discussing what makes a Friday the 13th movie, the inventive kills, the make-up itself, the victims, Jason’s place in popular culture and the future of the franchise. So after fans are given a brief reminder of the events of the previous eleven movies, we are then taken on a ninety minute journey through Camp Crystal Lake’s bloody legacy.

As with anything, there are a flew flaws, though these are minor. As many of the filmmakers had already discussed this series in various documentaries and books they have almost created a script that they recite each time (the best example of this is Sean S. Cunningham, whose recollections are reused almost word for word each time he is asked to discuss the series), though for those who have never read up on the franchise before then they will find what he has to say very interesting. Unfortunately, due to copyright issues, there are a few elements that do not make it into the film, most notably Alice Cooper’s hit single He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask), which was released to coincide with the success of Jason Lives. It would have been a nice little extra for the fans but, again, this is only a minor criticism.

But what is right with the documentary more than makes up for it, as director Dan Farrands (whose previous slasher experience was scripting the 1994 movie Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers) and writers Anthony Masi and Thommy Hutson’s love for the project clearly shows with the level of detail that each interviewee gives when recounting their memories of their involvement in the series. And the list of horror celebrities that appear in the film is also impressive. So not only are fans treated to the likes of Kane Hodder, Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Larry Zerner, John Carl Buechler and Todd Farmer, but the feature itself is narrated by none other than Tom Savini, the man responsible for Jason’s original look in the first movie. Others on hand to show their love include directors Adam (Hatchet) Green, Joe (Wrong Turn 2: Dead End) Lynch and Bloody Disgusting editor Brad Miska. Though it is a shame that Corey (The Final Chapter) Feldman and Robert (Freddy vs. Jason) Englund are absent as it would have been fun to have heard their thoughts as well.

What makes this little package even more exciting is that it comes in a well presented ‘2 Disc Splatter Edition,’ with a bonus disc full of juicy goodies. There are additional interviews with the writers and directors, a Men Behind the Mask featurette that focuses on the actors who have played Jason, The Camp Crystal Lake Survival Guide and loads more. Unfortunately it doesn’t come with a booklet but there is a nice fold-out poster of the front cover (it would have been nice to have seen Jason Craig and Thomas Mason’s poster that they had drawn for the release – now used as our profile picture – but the artwork is still impressive). That said, His Name was Jason is the ultimate retrospective of this ground breaking series and a must for Jason fans everywhere. Order your copy now from the likes of Amazon, as the DVD will be receiving a region 1 release on the 3rd of February.

For further reading check out our interviews with Anthony Masi and Thommy Hutson.

Throughout the long history of Friday the 13th, there have been many men to put on the makeup and the mask and call themselves Jason Voorhees. Some have embraced the role often show how proud they are to have been Jason. Some dismiss the mask. Regardless of how accepting they are about playing Jason, one thing is for sure, it become a big part of their life whether they want it to or now! Friday the 13th holds a legacy in the hearts of both fans and those involved in making it happen much larger than most horror series. The fans constantly beg for more from the minute the closing credits roll across the screen. So if you’re going to relaunch Friday the 13th, and Jason Voorhees, who better to have behind the iconic mask than a hardcore fan of the series!? That man is Derek Mears!

With that, we present you the fridaythe13thfilms.com exclusive interview with Jason Voorhees 2009 himself, Derek Mears, where fans will learn that if anybody is going to make an effort to make Jason special again,it’s him!

Q: Tell us a bit about your background. Where did you grow up and what did you do growing up?

I grew up in Bakersfield CA. I loved comic books and playing RPG games. I had/have a disorder called alopecia. The definition in a nutshell is my body rejects my hair so it would fall out. I guess you would say I stuck out as the “different” kid at school. I took theater in high school and at the age of 17 I joined a local comedy improv company called Comedy Sportz.

Q: How long have you been a fan of the horror genre? Outside of the Friday the 13th world, what would you say are some of your favorite horror films?

I’ve been a fan of horror since I was a child. I remember looking forward to Sunday afternoons because that’s when Channel 13 would air a weekly creature feature program that I loved.

My fav’s are the F13th series, Evil Dead series, & Aliens.

Q: How did you get your start in the business and how long have you been working in the industry?

Good question. How long has it been? Hmm I think it’s been about 11 or 12 years now. I got hired at Universal Studios Wild,Wild,Wild West live stunt show when I first moved to Los Angeles. I was hired as an actor and I was trained to do stunts for the show. I became friends with the stunt guys from the show and in our free time and they would teach me various stunt skills. Now I bounce between acting and stunts.
My first big feature was The Wild Wild West with Will Smith. …Ya know, technically the first movie I ever did was when I was still living in Bakersfield. I did a movie with Robert Kurtzman called the Demolitionist. I got to rob a bank with Richard Grieco. I remember being crazy nervous. Ha!

Q: What was your first work in the horror genre?

I played a werewolf in the movie Cursed directed by Wes Craven.

Q: How were you approached to play the role of Jason Voorhees?

The short version of they story is the producers were asking different industry professionals who they thought would make a good Jason and my name kept popping up. I was then called in to audition and incredibly enough I got the part.

Q: You were obviously a fan before taking on the role. What was it like to first put on the costume of such an iconic character?

UGH! What a rush. I got this tingly feeling like when I hear the opening of the orchestral music in the beginning of Star Wars. It was very unreal. I kept waiting for some to tell me that it was a joke. It really is an honor to put on the costume of my favorite horror icon that gave me so many nightmares growing up.

Q: How demanding was the makeup chair and how long did it take to apply the entire Jason costume?

Scott Stoddard who designed and applied the new make up was amazing. He got the application time down to about an hour and a half when wearing the hockey mask. When we shot the scenes that reveal what Jason looks like under the mask the application time was around 4 hrs.

Q: The Friday the 13th fans are some of the most passionate horror fans in film history. Naturally there were some concerns when it was announced that the series would be re-launched. But recently, with the trailer hitting and such, some of those preconceived issues have begun to dwindle. Re-launching such a classic series, do you have any concerns or fears?

Yeah. Don’t screw it up was my biggest concern. I am a fan of the series, so I really want this film to be great. This wasn’t just another acting job to me, it’s a passion project. I want it to be good so they will continue to make more F13th movies whether I am included or not.

Q: How well did the cast gel on the set and how did they react when you came out in full Jason gear?

The cast gelled together incredibly well. I have never been so close to a cast before. Everyone genuinely likes each other. I really think that connection is going to come off on camera.

The cast’s reaction was a mixture of excitement and fear when they first saw me in full Voorhees garb.

Q: One ill-conceived notion that a lot of non-Friday fans have about the character of Jason is that anyone can play the role. How far from the truth would you say that statement is and how demanding was it to play this character?

I compare that line of thinking to eating. Food is food right? Steaks, salads, apples, sushi, it’s all food. So I guess it means all food tastes the same, right?

I get asked a lot about what the difference is to me between “regular” acting and acting with a mask. Acting is acting to me. It doesn’t matter if you have a mask on or not. If you are fully committed to your character and to what you are doing in a scene it will translate to film.

How demanding was it? Very. Ha! How’s that for an answer. I think that may have been the worst answer I have ever given in an interview. No, wait I am going to own it. Yes, very. Final answer. No elaboration.

Q: How have your family and friends reacted to your newfound fame as Jason Voorhees?

My friends and family have been very supportive. They all have been very happy for me.

Q: Would you be willing to come back as Jason in a follow up to this movie?
Yes.

Q: You have done numerous convention appearances since taking this role. It seems that the Friday the 13th fans have already embraced you. How have they been treating you?

All of the Friday fans have been absolutely wonderful. I am amazed how kind and supportive people have been. I love going to conventions and talking Sci-Fi, horror and comic books with everyone. I feel extremely comfortable there.

Q: Are you familiar with any of the other Friday the 13th alumni. If so, have they welcomed you with open arms?

I met C.J Graham and Kane Hodder at a convention last year. They were both really cool and welcoming. I was really excited to meet them.

Q: You have joined a good sized line of awesome guys who have strapped on the mask. Other than yourself, who is your favorite actor to wear the iconic hockey mask?

I like all of them, but my favorite would be Ted White.

Q: With that said, which entry into the series other than the 2009 film is your favorite?

Part 4.

Q: You’ve also done a lot of work in the television industry. What shows have you appeared on and what have been your favorite television jobs?

I shot an episode of Masters of Horror in Canada called Pro-Life, directed by John Carpenter. I played a demon called The Father. It was an honor to be able to work with Carpenter. I enjoyed sitting around talking to him about his work and video games. I nerded out big time.

Q: When you aren’t on the set butchering campers, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time? Any hobbies?

Ha! In my free time I like to read comic books, watch movies, play video games, and train MMA.

Q: Other than the upcoming Friday the 13th, what projects do you currently have brewing in and out of the horror genre?

Nothing I can officially talk about yet.

I did though, just read all of the TPB’s of the comic book Hack/Slash; and man, let me tell you, I am hooked. I hear they are going to make it into a feature film over at Rouge Pictures. Hmmm?

Q: Here’s your chance. Tell the fans of Friday the 13th anything you want to tell them. What can they expect from a Jason Voorhees with Derek Mears behind the mask? Anything else you would like to say to anyone who may read this interview?

Hello everyone. First, I want to say it is a privilege to be able to don the hockey mask of Jason Voorhees. I never thought while growing up watching the F13th series that one day I would be a part of it. It still to this day doesn’t seem real that I am in the position that I am in.
I want to sincerely thank you guys for all of your positive comments and support. Come February, Jason Voorhees will be returning to the big screen. With his return you will see everything you loved about the original series updated in a new and intensely terrifying way. Being a fan myself, I feel in a way, that I am representing you in the film. I hope I do you guys proud.

Burbank’s famed gothic book retailer Dark Delicacies will host a thirty guest DVD signing that night – including the first Los Angeles appearance of the actors who have portrayed the legendary masked serial killer Jason Voorhees in the FRIDAY THE 13TH films! In addition, DD’s sister store, Emerald Knights, will handle some of the guests – all of whom appear on camera in HIS NAME WAS JASON – including the stars of the new 2009 theatrical remake coming out on Friday, February 13th!

WHAT: Actors and filmmakers from the Friday the 13th films, with the first Los Angeles gathering of all the JASON VOORHEES actors – including the new 2009 remake!

WHEN: Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009, 7:00pm

WHERE: Dark Delicacies Bookstore
4213 W. Burbank Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505
818-556-6660 Contact: Sue Howison

Emerald Knights
4116 W. Burbank Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505
818-588-3631 Contact: Jason Weymouth

The JASON VOORHEES Reunion (at Dark Delicacies) features the following actors who have brought the hockey mask-clad maniac to life:
Warrington Gillette (F13 Part 2);
Richard Brooker (F13 Part 3);
Ted White (F13 Part 4);
Dick Weiand (F13 Part 5);
CJ Graham (F13 Part 6);
Kane Hodder (F13 Part 7 -10);
Derek Mears (F13 2009 Remake)

Guests confirmed to participate in the HIS NAME WAS JASON (HNWJ) signing include such notables as:
Daniel Farrands, Director HNWJ;
Anthony Masi, Producer, HNWJ;
Actors, writers and directors from the ten “Friday the 13th” films;
Stars from the new 2009 remake including Derek Mears (Jason), actors Arlen Escarpeta, Travis Van Winkle, Shavar Ross and Amanda Righette.

THERE WILL BE A PHOTO OP OF THE “JASON VOORHEES REUNION” ACTORS AT DARK DELICACIES SHORTLY BEFORE THE DVD SIGNING!

It costs $10 at the door, but if you don’t live in the area, then you won’t have to wait long!

Fangoria has reviewed His Name Was Jason and the review goes quite in depth about what is included and which gold nuggets to keep an eye out for. Sadly it does confirm that Steve Miner, who directed parts 2 and 3, is absent from the disc. This is a shame as well all know the various changes that took place during part 3’s development. Hit the link below to check it out!

http://www.fangoria.com/reviews/3-dvd-a-blu-ray/960-his-name-was-jason-dvd-review.html

Peace!

Shock Til’ you drop

On February 3rd at 7 p.m. at Dark Delicacies in Burbank, signing session for His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th. It’s released the same day, but many places online you pre-order tend to ship DVDs out a few days early. You can also pre-order it from Dark Del for $19.95 fully auto’d! Check the site for more.

Who’s Showing Up:

Kane Hodder (”Jason” in Fridays 7, 8, 9 and 10)
Ted White (”Jason” in Friday 4)
Tom Morga (”Jason” in Friday 5)
Dick Weiand (”Jason” in Friday 5)
Russell Todd (”Scott” in Friday 2)
Peter Bracke (Author of “Crystal Lake Memories”)
Mark Swift & Damian Shannon (Screenwriters of “Freddy vs. Jason” and the forthcoming “Friday the 13th” re-make)
John Carl Buechler (Director of Friday 7)
Diane Almedia (”Kate” in Friday 7)
Peter Mark Richman (”Charles” in Friday
Barney Cohen (Screenwriter of Friday 4)
Larry Zerner (”Shelly” in Friday 3)
Anthony Masi (Producer/Writer of “His Name Was Jason”)
Thommy Hutson (Producer/Writer of “His Name Was Jason”)
Derek Mears (Jason – Friday the 13th remake)
Scott Stoddard (Special effects – Friday the 13th remake);
Arlen Escarpeta (Lawrence – Friday the 13th remake)
Richard Brooker (Jason – Friday the 13th 3)
Monica Daniel – (editor)
Blake Reigle – (co-producer)
Travis Van Winkle – (Trent – remake)
Daniel Farrands (Director of “His Name Was Jason”)

Fangoria have the first review of the jam-packed His Name Was Jason DVD and you can read it right here.

The first disc offers the docu, plus a collection of bonus interviews called The Men Behind the Mask. Here, fans get brief chats with every gent who ever played you-know-who (yes, the Steve Daskawisz/Warrington Gillette and FREDDY VS. JASON controversies are addressed). Disc two…whoa boy. Final Cuts are bonus interviews with all the directors (except Miner and Yu)—very cool for providing quite a few frank, earnest, weird and remorseful confessions. From Script to Screen offers more additional chats with writers including the first film’s Victor Miller, FINAL CHAPTER’s Barney Cohen, JASON X’s Todd Farmer and FVJ/remake scribes Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. Listening to the latter two try to explain what the upcoming FRIDAY flick “is” is fascinating: not a remake, not a reimagining, not a reboot, could be a sequel…whew. Dragged from the Lake includes random thoughts, memories and stories from all involved—the most harrowing of which is original heroine Adrienne King’s tale of a stalker that caused serious problems for her for many years. Fan Films is a series of just that—some of which are really cute, some of which are damn funny. Fans of on-line weirdness such as the Angry Nintendo Nerd and the 30-Seconds Bunnies are in for a pleasant surprise.

Raise your hand if you’re just as interested in this documentary as the remake. *Raises hand* Here’s the official promo for His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th, due to street on DVD on Feb. 3rd, followed by a world-premiere broadcast on the Starz network on Friday, February 13th.

HIS NAME WAS JASON: THIRTY YEARS OF FRIDAY THE 13TH (2-Disc Splatter Edition DVD Cover)

ADRIENNE KING showcases her artwork

ANTHONY MASI, ROBBI MORGAN and DANIEL FERRANDS

RUSSELL TODD

PETER BRACKE

FX Shot from FRIDAY THE 13TH PART II

GLORIA CHARLES (Fox; Friday the 13th Part 3)

DARCY DEMOSS (Nikki; Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives)

Just in from Fango:

Anchor Bay Entertainment gave Fango the word that it will release the documentary HIS NAME WAS JASON: 30 YEARS OF FRIDAY THE 13TH on DVD February 3, 2009. The exhaustive saga of Voorhees cinema will then have its broadcast premiere on Starz Friday, Feb. 13.

Directed by Dan Farrands (screenwriter of THE GIRL NEXT DOOR and HALLOWEEN: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS) and produced by Anthony (HALLOWEEN: 25 YEARS OF TERROR) Masi and Thommy Hutson, HIS NAME WAS JASON is hosted by Tom Savini (pictured, who created the trendsetting gore FX of the 1980 original FRIDAY and returned to the series for 1984’s THE FINAL CHAPTER. The docu showcases interviews with dozens of contributors to the FRIDAY saga, including actors Betsy Palmer (the original), Adrienne King (the first and second films), Larry Zerner (PART III), Bonnie Hellman, Judie Aronson, Lawrence Monoson and Camilla More (THE FINAL CHAPTER), Shavar Ross and Debbisue Voorhees (PART V), Darcy DeMoss and Vincent Gustaferro (PART VI), Lar Park Lincoln, Elizabeth Kaitan and Diana Barrows (PART VII), Peter Mark Richman and Jensen Daggett (PART VIII), Lisa Ryder (JASON X), Seth Green and Travis Van Winkle (the upcoming remake)—not to mention Jason performers Ari Lehman (original), Warrington Gillette (PART 2), Richard Brooker (PART III), Ted White (FINAL CHAPTER), C.J. Graham (PART VI), and Kane Hodder (Part VII through JASON X).

Also going before the HIS NAME IS JASON cameras are original director Sean S. Cunningham and scripter Victor Miller, directors Joseph Zito (THE FINAL CHAPTER), Danny Steinmann (PART V), Tom McLoughlin (PART VI), John Carl Buechler (PART VII, also FX creator) and Marcus Nispel (FRIDAY 2009), plus JASON GOES TO HELL FX artist Greg Nicotero and franchise composer Harry Manfredini. There are also testimonials on the series by everyone from filmmakers Joe (WRONG TURN 2) Lynch and Adam (HATCHET) Green to Fango’s own Tony Timpone. In addition to the 90-minute documentary, the DVD is slated to include over four hours of bonus features, including additional interview material, behind-the-scenes footage and more. A retail price has not been announced—but this one’ll be a must-have at any cost for Jason fans.

Makeup FX legend Tom (DAWN OF THE DEAD) Savini has joined the entire 2009 FANGORIA’s Weekend of Horrors tour and will be appearing in all three cities. Savini will first hit Chicago on March 6-8 at the Wyndham Chicago O’Hare Hotel (6810 North Mannheim Road, Rosemont, IL).
Tom Savini

Next stop will be LA April 17-19 at the Los Angeles Convention Center (1201 South Figueroa), and Savini will wrap up his Fango run in New York City June 5-7 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center (11th Avenue between 34th and 39th Streets).

Fan favorite Savini revolutionized special makeup FX on such films as MARTIN, CREEPSHOW, FRIDAY THE 13TH, MANIAC, DAY OF THE DEAD, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2, FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER and many more. He is also a director (1990’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE) and actor (KNIGHTRIDERS, FROM DUSK TILL DAWN, GRINDHOUSE).

Harry Manfredini
Steve Daskawicz
Richard Brooker
Ted White
Dick Wieand
Tom Morga
Ken Kirzinger
Derek Mears
Amanda Righetti
Travis Van Winkle
Nick Mennell
Marcus Nispel
Brad Fuller
Greg Nicotero
Tom Savini

One of the giddy tidbits you’ll discover about His Name Was Jason is that not only is Tom Savini hosting it, but that they’ve been filming linking vignettes for the FX legend to star in, which recreate key scenes from the Friday The 13th series.

You’ll be sure to write me off as a minutia-obsessed moron after I tell you this, but my absolute favorite part of the most excellent making-of documentary on the Jason X disc was how they had some actors recreate one of the early murders from the first film. Was likely due to rights issue with the footage, but the way they re-staged it and grained it up real good, almost Zapruder-like, tickled me to no end. Now these boys puting together the landmark doco on the so-far 12 lives of Jason, they don’t have any such roadblocks in regards to usage of footage. Yet they’ve gone the extra millage and mocked up memorable scenes for the camera and for Savini to interact with. It’s fascinating, frankly.

You can check out a Set Visit and Photo Gallery from the good ol’ boys at Shock Till You Drop.