Movie Review: Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th (2013)

They’re not really exaggerating with the word “Complete” coming in the title here. This documentary is a whopping 400 minutes long, and it covers everything from the series’s origins up to the 2009 remake. It’s narrated by the original Tommy Jarvis, Corey Feldman, and features interviews with what must be hundreds of people — directors, actors, producers, screenwriters, stunt performers, composers, and makeup effects artists.

It’s very educational, and if you’re a fan of these movies, you’ll definitely enjoy it. I know I learned a lot really about all of the movies, and even the television show, which a lot of people probably don’t know even existed. It of course goes into all the behind the scenes stuff in terms of writing and shooting these movies, and covers a bit of what the actors and filmmakers did before and after. Notably absent from the interviews, though, are Crispin Glover and Kevin Bacon, which is a shame, but not a surprise. I’d certainly love to hear someone like Kevin Bacon talk about his experience on this little movie that became a huge phenomenon, given that he became such a big star in his own right.

It’s an interesting movie. It’s absurdly long, which means it should take you a few sittings. Or perhaps you could skip some of the parts on the movies in the series you don’t like. Whatever works for you. If you like the series, you’ll probably enjoy this.

There’s kind of a lame framing device with Corey Feldman, the narrator, at a campsite.

It’s really only there in the beginning, and it’s not even in the version that’s on YouTube (but included in the Shudder version), so it shouldn’t be too much of a bother.

Rating: 6/10