Last month, I discussed how the 2009 Friday the 13th remake was the best entry in the franchise, and this is something I still stand by. I also noted only one other film in the series actually feels memorable as a movie and not just scenes and that is Jason X. Jason X may be one of my all-time favourite horror films, and it is for the simple reason that the filmmakers realized how much the series had jumped the shark and decided to go all in on that.
Jason X is a self parody of the Friday the 13th series, and a pretty clever one at that. Multiple callbacks to earlier films were made and there was commentary both subtle and overt, about how the series kept being made for profit even when it did not make sense. The sad thing about Jason X is that most at the time just saw the film as an example of a series having its jump the shark moment and losing what made it work, rather than intentionally parodying itself.
Once you realize or are made aware that Jason X is a self-parody, you cannot stop noticing all the ways the film pokes fun at Friday the 13th. Jason’s immortality is discussed, and there are several jokes about how he goes after teens doing drugs or having sex, and one of the funniest jokes combines that with a throwback to the famous sleeping bag kill. More than that though, Jason X parodies a lot of sci-fi and movies plus the industry of the time in general and is a great snapshot of that era.
It should be noted that when the film was patched, Jason in Space was the pitch because the writers felt there was nowhere else to go. This could have been the worst film in the series if done wrong, but by leaning into the comedic aspects, Jason X became one of the best. The more I watch Jason X, the more I realize how much it was inspired by the growing parody trend regarding horror films that Scary Movie restarted at the time, and that helped it stand out more for its self-parody nature.
Jason himself is played again by the great Kane Hodder, in his last turn as the character outside of the video game, and is at his best as an unstoppable killing machine. His cyborg form, or Uber-Jason as he is referred to, is one of the most iconic versions of Jason despite only appearing in this one film, and fans have wanted this version of Jason to make more appearances in other films and media. This may have been Kane Hodder’s last time playing Jason in a movie, but what a great way it was for him to go out on a high note.
Jason X to me is one of the best instances of a horror franchise realizing a good way to go after essentially running the franchise into the ground with previous entries. That said, I am happy it was a one and done, and that the next film (not counting Freddy vs. Jason) which was the 2009 remake managed to do justice to the series and make the best film so far. With more Jason related media coming, perhaps we will be in a new golden age for the franchise.