Friday the 13th Part III

"A new dimension in terror…"

1982 1h 35m EN

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 1,672

Horror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An idyllic summer turns into a nightmare of unspeakable terror for yet another group of naïve friends. Ignoring Camp Crystal Lake's bloody legacy, one by one they fall victim to the maniacal Jason, who stalks them at every turn...

“A new dimension in terror…”

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Cast

Dana Kimmell
Chris
Paul Kratka
Rick
Richard Brooker
Jason
Catherine Parks
Vera
Tracie Savage
Debbie
David Wiley
Abel
Rachel Howard
Chili
Anne Gaybis
Cashier

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Steve Miner
Writers: Carol Watson, Martin Kitrosser
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $37M — a 16.0× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

44 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Friday the 13th Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Directed by Steve Miner, shot by Gerald Feil. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michael Zager. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor George B. Hively shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Dana Kimmell and Paul Kratka and Richard Brooker carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Steve Miner directs. Gerald Feil behind the camera. Michael Zager scores. George B. Hively cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Grossed $37M — a 16.0× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
344 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Part of the "Friday the 13th Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Steve Miner, shot by Gerald Feil. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Michael Zager. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor George B. Hively shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Dana Kimmell and Paul Kratka and Richard Brooker carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "A new dimension in terror…".
10IMDB entry: tt0083972 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 18 themes, including "lake", "summer camp", "sadism", "psychopath".
12Released under 28 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Gerald Feil
Original score: Michael Zager
Editing: George B. Hively
Makeup / hair: Frank Carrisosa
Sound: Terry Porter
Stunt coordinator: John Sherrod
Runtime: 95 min · 1h 35m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,300,000
Box office: $36,697,702
Return: 1596% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Friday the 13th Part III (1982)

Part of

Friday the 13th Collection

An American slasher series set largely around the fictional town of Crystal Lake, New Jersey, which tells the story of serial murderer Jason Voorhees, and others who would kill on his behalf and in his name.

Also by

Steve Miner

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Gimly2018-09-13
★ 5/10
Still to this day, the entry with the creepiest looking Jason. Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole.
Wuchak2019-07-12
★ 5/10
Somewhat fun and entertaining, but adds campiness and bad writing The first two films from 1980-1981 are serious in nature with the expected antics of youths at a remote camp, but the franchise introduced a campy element with this third installment, which pretty much plagued the rest of the series until the reboot in 2009. Not that I'm complaining much, as these films are only quasi-believable anyway. Still, this is the main detriment of "Part III,” released in 1982. The opening credits song tips the viewer off that this isn't a wholly serious horror film (like the first two), which is compounded when a couple of the protagonists meet some sinister bikers at a convenience store in the boonies, which takes place about 25 minutes into the story. These hoodlums are too cartoonish to take serious and so it's hard to take the horror seriously either. This doesn't mean it's not entertaining in some ways, just that it's my least favorite installment. The dubious writing doesn’t help. For instance, why does Fox go into the barn? Speaking of that dang barn, why on earth are so many characters preoccupied with it? It’s like the writer wanted to come up with any possible excuse to use the barn as a focal point. Also, why does Vera leave Shelly to go outside and hangout by herself? I realize she probably wanted to get away from the pathetic guy, but she informs him that she’s going to go outside with a sense of purpose and come back in, but she really doesn’t do much outside. Sequences like this reflect lame writing. Another noticeable difference between Part III and the two previous films is that, although the story takes place in the area of Crystal Lake, the film was shot in Southern Cal instead of the East Coast, specifically Santa Clarita, CA, and nearby Melody Ranch (where the barn is located). The geography is obviously dryer and the contrast in setting is too glaring. While it could be argued that the different environment provides a nice change of tone, the setting seems too one-dimensional. As usual with the series, the film thankfully features a nice assortment of females: three white girls, a Hispanic and a black woman, the latter being the biker chick, Fox. It's hard to pick a favorite, but the main protagonist, Chris, played by Dana Kimmell, is probably it, followed by the stoner chick, Chili; not to mention Debbie and Vera (Debbie has a quality bikini scene). BOTTOM LINE: Part III is entertaining in some ways and is notable for switching the filming locations to dry Southern California, not to mention Jason is bigger and more imposing than in Part II and he finally acquires his iconic hockey mask. Yet it’s my least favorite of the franchise due to the goofy elements, the subpar writing and the limited setting with too much focus on a freakin’ barn. The film runs 95 minutes. GRADE: C
JPV8522020-11-14
★ 6/10
Decided to get in one more Friday the 13th movie and this one reminded me why it's not high on my list in the series, though I liked portions of it, just nothing involving Shelly and watching it in 2D, the shots made for 3D are pretty annoying. I will say, I did like the lead actress and I'm a fan of the hockey mask Jason. 3.0/5