Jason Goes to Hell appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. Though not a dazzling image, the Dolby Vision presentation appeared to reproduce the source.
Sharpness seemed largely solid. A little softness occasionally appeared, but most of the movie showed positive clarity and accuracy.
I saw no issues with jaggies or shimmering, and edge haloes remained absent. Grain seemed appropriate, and no print flaws marred the proceedings.
The film went with a fairly natural palette and the colors delivered largely appropriate life. While not eye-popping, the hues gave us good vivacity when allowed, and HDR added some spark to these elements.
Blacks seemed pretty deep and dark, and shadows offered generally positive delineation, though they could seem a little thick at times. That appeared to be an off-shoot of the original photography, though, as all iterations of the film look that way.
When possible, HDR contributed extra punch to whites and contrast. Again, this wasn’t a visual showcase, but it worked well given the nature of the photography.
Music dominated the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundfield, as the side and surround channels offered active presentation of the score. This could be a bit too much at times – I don’t think we needed so much music from the back speakers –but I figured the imaging worked fine most of the time.
Effects didn’t have a ton to do here – at least not on a consistent basis. Occasional action scenes used the back/side speakers more actively, though, and showed fairly good localization and music. This was a more than adequate soundscape.
Audio quality seemed positive. Music offered nice range and punch, while dialogue was generally natural and concise.
Effects showed positive clarity and impact. This ended up as a solid “B” soundtrack.
How did the 4K UHD compare to the 2020 Shout Blu-ray release? Audio differed, as the UHD gave us a more aggressive soundtrack than the Shout BD did.
This appeared to give us a throwback to the mix from the 2013 Paramount Blu-ray release. Both this track and the one from the 2020 Shout disc came with pros and cons, but both still felt like “B” quality nonetheless.
On the other hand, the Dolby Vision visuals of the UHD offered decent improvements on both the 2013 and 2020 BDs. This disc came across as better defined, cleaner and more vivid than either of those two so expect a nice picture upgrade here.
This set provides both the film’s theatrical cut (1:27:53) on one disc and an unrated cut (1:30:47) on a second platter. What do you get for those extra three minutes or so?
As one might expect, we find extra gore, and a little added sex/nudity as well. None of this alters the movie in a substantial manner but fans will enjoy the changes.
Found with either cut, a Director Introduction lasts a whopping 13 seconds. In a vaguely smug and winking clip, director Adam Marcus simply thanks fans for buying Hell for “the fourth time” – which should probably be amended to fifth since this snippet appeared on the 2020 Shout Blu-ray.
Only alongside the unrated version, we find three separate audio commentaries, the first of which comes from director Adam Marcus and screenwriter Dean Lorey. Both sit together for this running, screen-specific look at how they came onto the project, MPAA issues, editing and differences between the rated and unrated cuts, gore and violence, working within the franchise, cast and performances, effects, sets and locations, and a mix of other topics.
Expect a pretty rollicking little chat here, as Marcus and Lorey know better than to take the subject matter seriously. That doesn’t mean they skimp on stories.
Indeed, they spill out a lot of good thoughts about making the film. They just manage to be loose and lively the whole time, which helps make this a brisk, delightful chat that’s substantially more entertaining than the movie itself.
Recorded for the 2020 Shout release, we get a track with director Adam Marcus and author Peter M. Bracke. Both sit together for their running, screen-specific view of how Marcus came to the project and its development, influences, cast and crew, various production areas and general thoughts.
Inevitably, Marcus repeats some of the same info from the old commentary. However, he makes this such a lively and funny track that any redundancy doesn’t matter, and he delivers enough fresh material that it doesn’t matter. This becomes another terrific chat.
New to the 2025 Arrow 4K UHD, we find an audio commentary from film historians Michael Felsher and Steve Barton. Both sit together for a running, screen-specific view of cast and crew, genre and franchise domains, some production notes and their thoughts about the movie.
Though we get sporadic remarks about those other topics, the final one dominates. Felsher and Barton usually just yak about how much they like Jason Goes to Hell.
While both men seem chatty and engaging enough, they deliver little more than a fairly glowing appreciation of Hell. Although I didn’t dislike the time I spent with the pair, I can’t claim this turned into an informative or useful discussion.
All the video extras appear on the theatrical platter, and we get a short featurette called Props that lasts a mere one minute, eight seconds. It simply offers a quick look at some of the franchise’s iconic props and mainly acts to sell a book, so don’t expect much from it.
Nine Additional TV Footage segments run a total of 12 minutes, 35 seconds. One might expect these to simply provide sanitized versions of existing sequences, and that’s true at times.
However, they often elongate different segments and given us material not found in the theatrical version. That makes them kinda sorta deleted scenes – and more interesting than I’d normally expect.
We can watch the “TV Footage” with or without commentary from Marcus and Lorey. They explain aspects of the shots and why they didn’t make the theatrical cut, so expect useful information.
The Gates of Hell spans 36 minutes, three seconds. This one provides more from Marcus.
After two commentaries, one might assume Marcus lacks much new to say, and one would assume correctly, as we get a fair amount of repetition here. Nonetheless, Marcus continues to present an energetic and engaging presence who delivers enough fresh info to make the chat worth a look.
Jason vs. Terminator runs 11 minutes, 34 seconds. Here we get even more from Marcus.
The filmmaker discusses his history with the Cunningham family and the franchise’s inspirations as well as how T2 challenged him. Inevitably, Marcus repeats some prior details, but this mostly becomes an appreciation for Sean Cunningham’s influence on his career.
Finally, Über-Jason lasts 28 minutes, 22 seconds. This piece involves actor Kane Hodder.
Here we get notes about Hodder’s life and career, with his emphasis on his Jason experiences. Hodder delivers some worthwhile insights.
The 4K UHD offers three new video programs, and Faces of Death goes for 16 minutes, 47 seconds. It brings notes from special makeup effects creator Robert Kurtzman.
Unsurprisingly, “Face” examines various practical effects. Kurtzman provides a solid view of this work.
Undercover Angel spans 11 minutes, 55 seconds. Here we find info from actor Julie Michaels.
We learn about her life and career as well as her work on Jason Goes to Hell. Michaels offers some fun insights about her time on the film.
For the final featurette, we go to Mixing It Up. This 12-minute, 26-second reel provides comments from composer Harry Manfredini.
As expected, Manfredini discusses his score for the film. He brings a good perspective, especially since he worked on the franchise ever since its start.
This platter also presents a trailer, 10 TV spots and two Galleries: “Still Gallery” (116 frames) and “Posters and Behind-the-Scenes Gallery” (40). Both deliver good photos.
After a four-year break, the Friday the 13th franchise returned with a whimper via the sub-mediocre Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday. It might not be the worst in the series, but it’s closer to the bottom than to the top, as its minor innovation doesn’t offer enough creativity to overcome its multiple weaknesses. The 4K UHD delivers generally positive picture and audio as well as a good collection of supplements. Expect a solid release for a goofy movie.
