The countdown to Crystal Lake continues on The Rotten Horror Picture Show Podcast! As Clay and Amanda prepare to cover the new series, they’re bringing another installment of their Friday the 13th Patreon series to the main feed. This week, it’s Friday the 13th Part 3 from 1982, the glorious third chapter in the slasher franchise that finally gave Jason Voorhees his iconic hockey mask. So before we return to Camp Crystal Lake for the new show, join Clay and Amanda for a look back at the movie that helped turn Jason into the horror icon we know today!
Now, I know what you're thinking. Why are we bothering with Friday the 13th Part 3? Isn't it just another dumb slasher sequel? Isn't it basically the same movie as the first two, except now Jason has a hockey mask?
And to that I say: have you ever listened to Van Halen III?
Because I understand what it's like to love something that the rest of the world considers an embarrassing mistake. I know what it's like to stand alone in a room full of people who insist that the earlier entries were better. People tell me 1984 is a classic. They tell me 5150 is a great record. They tell me Gary Cherone sounds like a man who wandered into the wrong recording session and nobody had the heart to ask him to leave.
And I tell them they're missing the point.
Is Van Halen III a terrible album? Yes. Is Friday the 13th Part 3 a ridiculous movie? Absolutely. Both are bloated, weirdly paced, and full of decisions that make you wonder whether anyone involved was paying attention. But both also have something their critics refuse to acknowledge: they're the third installment, and sometimes the third time really is the charm.
Friday the 13th Part 3 gives us the hockey mask. Van Halen III gives us... well, a lot of keyboards and a nearly seventy-minute cry for help. But I love them both, and I refuse to apologize.
So join Clay and Amanda for Friday the 13th Part 3 as we gear up for Crystal Lake. And remember: if you can accept Jason wearing a hockey mask, you can accept Eddie Van Halen making an album with Gary Cherone.
Actually, no. That's asking too much. But I'll keep trying.
