Jason has slashed his way into pop culture.

Whether or not they’ve seen the films, pretty much everyone knows about the hockey mask wearing serial killer and the fanbase for the Friday the 13th franchise is massive. Many of us find ourselves debating which film is our favorite. However, there’s one Jason movie that is derided by most of fans. No, I’m not talking about the Platinum Dunes remake that came in 2009, I’m talking about Jason X!

Director James Isaac and writer Todd Farmer wanted to do a different Jason movie. They were tired of the usual camp setting, and wanted to take our favorite slasher to new places. That new locale was SPACE. After its release in the states, many fans were disappointed. However, in recent years it has developed a cult following, and I consider myself to be a part of that. Isaac and Farmer both knew what kind of movie they were making. They didn’t want to take the source material to seriously this time around, so we got a tongue-in-cheek horror comedy with some pretty cool set-pieces as well. In lieu of camp goers, we have students and a professor who are on an archaeological expedition. They find Jason frozen and bring him onto their ship, and I’m pretty sure you can figure out what happens form there.

The jokes in this movie work for me. Where most fans scoff at them, I find myself laughing out loud. They’re fun nods to the franchise, and I can appreciate that. Not only that, but this movie has a pretty solid cast of victims. The dialogue among them is cheesy, but fun. There’s even an android. In addition to our scholars, we’ve got a team of space marines who go after Jason when he starts killing everyone on the ship. I think that added a really cool element, since we’ve never seen a tactical force try to take him on before. On top of all this, we have my favorite Jason kill of all time. I know that sounds like blasphemy, but you might find yourself agreeing with me after you watch it. This is also the last time Kane Hodder would don the iconic hockey mask, and I think he really gave a solid final performance. The special effects are well done too, especially considering when this came out. The CGI still holds up surprisingly well. This movie was never meant to be serious, but I guess most fans weren’t ready to embrace this new take on Mr. Vorhees. I say gave it another chance though, and don’t take it too seriously. Everyone involved just wanted to make a fun movie, and I think they succeeded. Though there were planned sequels, due to the initial reception, they would never come to fruition. There’s been a comic book continuation though, and it’s definitely worth checking out. Oh, and be on the look out for David Cronenberg.

Jason X is available on DVD and on Blu-Ray in the now out of print Friday the 13th: The Complete Collection