Revisiting FRIDAY THE 13TH, PART 2 in 4K...with a Couple of Nagging Questions

FRIDAY THE 13TH, PART 2 45th Anniversary Edition (4K UHD)

1981 / 86 min

Paramount

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

Being totally transparent here, this guy’s never been a huge fan of the Friday the 13th franchise, though a couple of the early ones certainly impacted my teenage years. Simply plotted and loaded with jump scares, gore and pre-marital sex, catching one of these with a gaggle of friends was a great social activity. They also made great date movies, especially first date movies. Nothing prompted a girl to grip your hand more than an relentless killer stalking camp counselors. 

Even back then, I had no illusions over the actual quality of these movies. Good? Hardly…even the original’s director, Sean Cunningham, acknowledged he was just ripping off Halloween. Fun? On the big screen in a packed theater, surrounded by the right people…absolutely. And it didn’t really matter which one you were watching because the plots were interchangeable. Roger Ebert once said his negative review of Friday the 13th Part 2 could apply to any other film in the franchise, and he wasn’t entirely wrong. Of course, he wrote that before anyone made the creative decision to launch Jason into space.

Big fans of ‘80s slasher horror might argue differently...that each film is a distinct and important chapter in the continuing adventures of Jason Voorhees (or his mom, or whoever assumed the stabbing duties in Part V). And actually, Part 2 is generally held in really high regard among a lot of Friday the 13th fans, mainly because it’s the first one where Jason does the killing. Other than that, it’s business as usual, with even fewer plot twists than the original (though admittedly, it's a bit more skillfully directed). 

"Fine...I won't stay where I'm not wanted."

This 4K UHD release is for the die hards who can differentiate Amy Steel from Adrienne King. But despite being touted as the 45th Anniversary edition, this is the exact same disc that was part of the Paramount Scares Volume 2 boxed set from 2024, right down to the bonus features and cover art. So while it’s technically not a “new” release, at least it’s now available separately and fans should be more than pleased with upgraded image quality. The 5.1 Dolby TrueHD audio track, while still really good, is the same as the original Blu-ray.

Revisiting this film 45 years after getting a bruised forearm from my date squeezing it too hard, I do have a couple of nagging questions that perhaps only superfans could answer. Friday the 13th Part 2 opens with Jason killing Alice (Adrienne King), the only survivor from the first film, in her own home. How exactly does he figure out where she lives? And if he’s been dwelling in the woods around Crystal Lake since he was a child, how the hell does he get to that house years later, do his dirty work, then head back to Crystal Lake in time to kill more counselors? Did he drive?

Since Michael Myers managed a similar feat in Halloween, I’d like to know who thought teaching these psychos how to drive was a good idea.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - Inside “Crystal Lake Memories” (the book's author discusses putting it together); Friday's Legacy: Horror Conventions; Lost Tales from Camp Blood Part II is a horror short inspired by the franchise (others are available on other F13 titles); Jason Forever is a Q&A featuring four guys who’ve previously played Jason Voorhees.

10 RILLINGTON PLACE: No, Grandpa, No!

10 RILLINGTON PLACE (Blu-ray)

1971 / 108 min

Alliance Entertainment

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Butcher🙀

I should probably preface this review by admitting I haven’t seen a lot of the films in Richard Attenborough’s lengthy career. I’m mostly familiar with the more iconic ones, including The Great Escape, The Sand Pebbles and The Flight of the Phoenix. But hey, at least I know his legacy extends beyond sharing the screen with dinosaurs. 

Still, Attenborough’s unnerving performance in 10 Rillington Place threw me for a loop. He plays outwardly congenial landlord John Christie, and in the opening scene, offers to cure a neighbor’s bronchitis with a gaseous medicine he’s concocted. Instead, she’s rendered unconscious. Afterwards, Christie rapes and strangles her (and maybe not in that order!), then buries the corpse in the building’s community garden. 

Jesus Christ!

Christie is immediately revealed to be a serial killer and 10 Rillington Place is based on a true story. His next victims are the financially struggling Evans family, who move into one of the flats in his building. Timothy (John Hurt) and Beryl (Judy Geeson) have a baby daughter and are continuously fighting, compounded when she announces she’s pregnant again. That’s when Christie, feigning expertise, offers his surfaces to abort the pregnancy. Instead, he murders her, but tells Timothy that she died during the procedure.

"What happened to the Twinkies I stashed here?"

Timothy wants to go to the police, but Christie argues that both of them are complicit and would go to jail. Not being too bright to begin with (and unable to read or write), Timothy agrees to remain silent and go away for awhile to avoid questions over Beryl’s whereabouts. And while he’s away, Christie kills their baby. Making matters worse, Timothy is suspected of both murders, which Christie exacerbates when testifying as a witness in the subsequent trial.

Though tastefully handled, this is a grim, disturbing film, largely due to Attenborough. Not only are Christie’s methods horrifying, the actor depicts him as perverted, quietly psychotic, remorseless and indifferent to the suffering he inflicts. Like Henry Fonda playing a sadistic hired gun in Once Upon a Time in the West and Denzel Washington’s turn as murderously corrupt cop Alonzo Harris in Training Day, Attenborough’s performance is a revelation. Who knew he had it in him?

It’s amusing to imagine viewers who only know him as kindly grandpa John Hammond in Jurassic Park or Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34th Street getting an eyeful of this one. Narratively and aesthetically, 10 Rillington Place is bleak enough as it is, but Attenborough makes the film a memorably horrifying experience you won’t be able to unsee.

PULSE: Straight from the Video Shelf to Your Home

PULSE (Blu-ray)

1988 / 92 min

Alliance Entertainment

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

There’s kind of a sad story behind this one. Upon completion, 1988's Pulse was slated for a wide theatrical release. But after a changing of the guard at Columbia Pictures, it was dumped into a couple of theaters before going straight to video. Kind of a shame, really. This largely forgotten film was nothing groundbreaking, but certainly deserved a more dignified fate than fighting for shelf space with low budget Friday the 13th rip-offs.

If nothing else, the movie boasts a pretty cool antagonist…some kind of entity or creature made of pure electricity that infiltrates peoples homes and tries to kill them. It’s nicely rendered, too. Perhaps taking a cue from The Thing, it appears as pulsating pieces of goo that collectively take over the home’s electronics, outlets and wiring. But best of all, writer-director Paul Golding doesn’t feel compelled to provide any explanation. It’s enough that the house suddenly has it in for its occupants.

Shoulda paid your cable bill, Bill.

Those occupants are the Rockland family, Bill (Cliff De Young), his wife Ellen (Roxanne Hart), and son from a previous marriage, David (Joey Lawrence), who’s visiting from Colorado. However, he’d rather be back home, partially because Dad’s too busy to spend time with him, but mostly because he’s afraid that the same unseen presence that recently killed a neighbor has found its way into their house. He’s right, of course, otherwise no movie. Dad, however, needs more convincing. But don’t all horror movie dads?

The only exposition regarding the presence is provided by Old Man Holger (Charles Tyner), but all he actually tells David is how it moves from house to house through power lines. And really, that's all David (and the audience) needs to know. This sets up some pretty neat sequences with the family being terrorized and attacked by the stuff in their house, rendered through interesting special effects. None of this is particularly scary, but there’s some genuine suspense here and there.

Featuring a cast of faces you know but whose names you probably don’t (save for little Joey, who’d later become a teen idol that some of you may have had on your bedroom wall), Pulse is a quaint but entertaining little curio from the horror section of the ‘80s mom & pop video stores we used to haunt.

This is a re-issue of a Blu-ray first released by Mill Creek Entertainment in 2017.

Forgotten SUSPECT

SUSPECT (Blu-ray)

1987 / 121 min

Alliance Entertainment

Review by Princess Pepper😼

To be honest, I almost forgot Cher even did movies. A lot of ‘em, actually. In fact, she had quite a streak of really good ones back in the ‘80s, around the same time as one of her many musical comebacks. Yep…that was a pretty good decade for the ol’ girl. I guess I just forgot because she hasn’t since appeared in much that held any interest for me.

Wedged among all those memorable ones is Suspect, a courtroom thriller where she plays public defender Kathleen Riley, tasked with handling the case of deaf & mute derelict Carl Anderson (Liam Neeson), who’s been charged with the brutal murder of a young law clerk. Though all the evidence points to his guilt, she does her best to defend him, including trying to get a continuance in order to find a missing witness. However, Judge Helms (John Mahoney) doesn’t grant one.

Meanwhile, juror Eddie Sanger (Dennis Quaid) is convinced Carl is innocent and does some investigating on his own. Though lawyers and jurors are forbidden to interact during a trial, he continuously reaches out to Kathleen with clues he’s discovered. She’s reluctant at first, but when the evidence connects the girl’s murder to some politically power people, the two begin working together (and, of course, getting smoochy).

"If I could turn back time...I'd kick your ass."

As legal thrillers go, Suspect isn’t bad, though it’s hardly Anatomy of a Murder. In addition to some serious implausibilities, we have to endure a superfluous sideplot involving Sanger’s job as a politician. One could take out all those scenes - trimming the already lengthy running time - and the story wouldn’t be the worse for wear. And speaking of story, the big reveal at the conclusion pretty much comes out of the blue, with absolutely no foreshadowing. Without going into specifics, it ends up being kind of a suckerpunch.

Still, the primary story has its share of interesting moments, and overall, the performances are decent. Nobody involved knocks it out of the park or anything, though Cher makes her character engaging enough for us to care about the outcome (Quaid does his best with Sanger, who’s kind of an irritant). Certainly no lost classic, Suspect is one of the Cher movies I’d wager most people forgot existed.

This is a re-issue of a Blu-ray first released by Mill Creek Entertainment in 2017.

THE POOP SCOOP: Comets & Critters Edition

UPCOMING KIBBLES THAT MAKE US PURR!

ZOOTOPIA 2 on digital Now and 4K, Blu-ray & DVD March 3 from Disney. In Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Zootopia 2, rookie cops Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) find themselves on the twisting trail of a great mystery when Gary De’Snake (voiced by Academy Award winner Ke Huy Quan) arrives in Zootopia and turns the animal metropolis upside down. To crack the case, Judy and Nick must go undercover to unexpected new parts of town, where their growing partnership is tested like never before. Both the digital and physical releases include several featurettes and deleted scenes.

The Late Diane Keaton's Directorial Debut, HEAVEN, Digitally Restored in HD, Arrives in Limited Edition Blu-ray, VOD & Digital on 2/17 from Lightyear. Though Diane Keaton appeared in over 60 movies and produced nearly a dozen, for her debut as a feature film director, the iconic actress, long preoccupied with the afterlife, chose to investigate what people really think about the great beyond. HEAVEN, the result of her inquiry, is a free-wheeling and off-beat pastiche of interviews, clips from films such as Metropolis, Green Pastures and Stairway to Heaven and songs that explore different ideas of what paradise may have to offer.

Disaster Movies Rule! GREENLAND 2: MIGRATION on Premium Digital Now from Lionsgate. In the aftermath of a comet strike that devastates most of the Earth, GREENLAND 2: MIGRATION follows devoted family man John Garrity (Gerard Butler) and his wife and son (Morena Baccarin, Roman Griffin Davis) after they’re forced to leave the safety of their bunker in Greenland to search for a new home in a shattered world. John leads the family on a dangerous journey, guided by his burning hope in a rumored safe haven. It’s a journey against the odds that will test the family’s deepest sense of love, sacrifice, and instinct to survive.

The New ANACONDA on 4K and Blu-ray March 17 from Sony. Doug (Jack Black) and Griff (Paul Rudd) have been best friends since they were kids, and have always dreamed of remaking their all-time favorite movie: the cinematic "classic" Anaconda. When a midlife crisis pushes them to finally go for it, they head deep into the Amazon to start filming. But things get real when an actual giant anaconda appears, turning their comically chaotic movie set into a deadly situation. The movie they're dying to make? It might just get them killed.

The Original WESTWORLD on 4K February 24 from Arrow Video. The Limited Edition release features a brand new 4K restoration from the original negative by Arrow Films, hours of special features, and newly commissioned extras. There is also a Blu-ray release.

EXCALIBUR on 4K February 24 from Arrow Video. The Limited Edition release features a brand new 4K restoration from the original 35mm negative by Arrow Films presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1 for the first time on home video,and hours of special features, and newly commissioned extras. There is also a Blu-ray release.

Dave’s a little pissed…POINT BLANK Coming to 4K and Blu-ray April 21 from Criterion Collection. Free Kittens’ CEO bought himself an older Blu-ray copy of this action classic, then literally the next day, Criterion announces this release! In addition to a 4K restoration, this disc comes with a bunch of bonus features.

MONTY PYTHON’S LIFE OF BRIAN on 4K and Blu-ray April 14 from Criterion Collection. The anarchic irreverence of British comedy legends Monty Python is at its most inspired in this brilliant send-up of the blockbuster biblical epic. Featuring ribald Roman puns, sharp political commentary, and an audacious crucifixion-themed musical number, the Pythons’ most ambitious film is a hilarious satire of dogma and blind faith in which nothing is sacred.

BEN-HUR Coming to 4K on February 17 from Warner Bros. The winner of 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor, Ben-Hur stands as one of the greatest Hollywood epics ever filmed. Includes new and vintage bonus features.

THE RUNNING MAN on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on March 3 from Paramount. From the novel by Stephen King and directed by Edgar Wright, The Running Man is a fun, unhinged deadly game show where contestants must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins. 

The Late, Great Udo Kier in MY NEIGHBOR ADOLF on Blu-ray February 10 from Cohen Media Group. When a mysterious old German man (played by Udo Kier) moves in next-door, Polsky suspects that his new neighbor is... Adolf Hitler. 

PREDATOR: BADLANDS on Digital Now and Blu-ray, 4K and DVD February 17 from 20th Century Studios. Director Dan Trachtenberg steers the Predator franchise into bold new territory, with audiences enthusiastically embracing his vision. 

ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN on 4K February 16 from Warner Bros. Academy Award winners Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman star in this true story as Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, whose investigation leads to the downfall of President Richard Nixon. In addition to a 4K restoration of the film, this release includes new and vintage bonus features.

It’s about damn time! Martin Scorsese’s KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON on Blu-ray, 4K and DVD March 24, 2026 from Criterion Collection. An epic elegy of greed, betrayal, and murder, Scorsese brings a dark chapter of American history to the screen with gripping narrative power and a profound feeling for the weight of systemic injustice.

The Sobering Nuclear War Classic, TESTAMENT, on Blu-ray March 17 from Criterion Collection Taking a hauntingly intimate approach to an often sensationalized subject, the singular Testament depicts one family’s daily life in the wake of nuclear devastation. 

NETWORK on 4K and Blu-ray February 24 from Criterion Collection. This media satire, directed by Sidney Lumet from a brilliantly incisive script by Paddy Chayefsky, is a no-holds-barred New Hollywood classic remains as fearlessly funny as it is unnervingly relevant.

VAMPIRE ZOMBIES…FROM SPACE!: More Homage Than Parody

VAMPIRE ZOMBIES…FROM SPACE! (Blu-ray)

2024 / 98 min

Cleopatra Entertainment

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

Don’t be fooled by the deliberately silly title, which suggests yet-another “outrageous” zom-com thrown together by would-be auteurs operating under the conceit that being intentionally stupid qualifies as parody. Great parody has always been more than just making fun of stuff. It also displays genuine affection for the genre, which Vampire Zombies…from Space! does, sometimes quite brilliantly.

The title is indeed accurate, with a basic story that features Dracula (Greg Closter), who hails from a planet of vampires, returning to Earth in 1957 to take over the small town of Marlow by turning everyone into a legion of undead. Of course, the plot is just a vessel for the film’s collection of oddball characters, some truly funny dialogue and, of course, plenty of gory ‘splatstick’ action.

But really, this is more of a clever homage to horror-sci-fi films of the 1950s than pure parody, especially regarding the overall aesthetic. It’s shot in black & white, with deliberately hokey special effects. Yet at the same time, these effects are extremely well done, as is the production design. If it weren’t for the pristine image quality (probably because it was shot digitally), this could pass for a relic from the decade when the story takes place.

"Come-oooon Yahtzee!"

Though teen couple Wayne and Mary emerge as the main protagonists, the movie is stolen by Andrew Bee as police chief Ed Clarke, who’s hilarious without ever looking like he’s trying to be. Elsewhere, Closter makes an amusing Dracula, and look quick for none other than Night of the Living Dead’s Judith O’Dea as a Vampira-like alien.

Unlike similar films that quickly run out of gas and wear out their welcome, the cast, dialogue and special effects keep this one fun throughout its running time. And once the invaders’ inevitable weakness is discovered, the climax is similar to that in Mars Attacks!, only funnier. Vampire Zombies…from Space! is an entertaining (and great looking) horror comedy that’s worth seeking out. Despite the obviously limited budget, there’s a lot of creativity up there on the screen, as well as an obvious love for the old movies it pays homage to. I think Ed Wood would be proud.

EXTRA KIBBLES

AUDIO COMMENTARY

PROMOTIONAL CLIPS

DELETED SCENES

TRAILERS