Hearts of Darkness: The Making of The Final Friday (Blu-ray Review)
Director
Michael FelsherRelease Date(s)
2025 (April 14, 2026)Studio(s)
Skeleton Crew/Black Heart Pictures/Lesson 1 Entertainment (Red Shirt Home Video/Synapse Films)- Film/Program Grade: B+
- Video Grade: A-
- Audio Grade: A-
- Extras Grade: A
Review
By 1989, an entry into the Friday the 13th series had been released almost once a year since its inception in 1980, and the grueling pace had finally caught up with the poorly-received Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. Four years would go by before another film was attempted, and during that time, New Line Cinema purchased the sequel rights to the character and the story from Paramount Pictures. And while the long-awaited Freddy vs. Jason was stuck in development hell, the decision was made to conclude the series with Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, directed by 23-year-old Adam Marcus who had been childhood friends with Sean S. Cunningham’s son Noel before becoming a filmmaker himself.
Similar to Halloween III: Season of the Witch and Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning, time has been very kind to Jason Goes to Hell. It once divided fans, with many hating it, others loving it, and some who grew to appreciate it over time. The body-hopping, the mixing of origins with other franchises, the misspelling of “Vorhees” on the mailbox, the score, and the general reworking of the traditional slasher formula meant that not everyone was going to rally around it. Although it was a financial success upon its initial theatrical release, it was more widely seen once it premiered on home video in its R-rated and (far superior) Unrated versions.
Over time, a negative reputation began to surround the film, primarily due to falsehoods being spread among genre fans about its creation, particularly after the internet came along. It all eclipsed sometime in the mid-2010s when a more positive wave of support began to take it back over, especially after the releases of the 2009 documentary His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th and the 2013 documentary Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th, both of which allowed director Adam Marcus to begin setting the story straight.
Despite his participation in those projects, Adam Marcus still wasn’t satisfied, wanting even more of a truthful narrative to come to light about the making of Jason Goes to Hell. Urged by fans, he, along with his wife and producing partner Debra Sullivan, launched a successful IndieGogo campaign to raise funds for a new documentary. Michael Felsher was hired to direct and new interviews were shot with the cast and crew, all to aid Marcus in his goal of getting to the more personal side of Jason Goes to Hell, rather than simply telling and re-telling behind-the-scenes stories. It would also explore his filmmaking journey, how he was perceived by his cast and crew, and the backlash that he faced once Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday was out in the world.
And the results speak for themselves. Hearts of Darkness: The Making of The Final Friday is a solid and entertaining documentary that provides a very human perspective behind the genesis, production, and eventual release of Jason Goes to Hell with those who were there. It also manages to interview participants who weren’t originally included in His Name Was Jason or Crystal Lake Memories, including cinematographer Bill Dill, and actors Steven Williams, Kathryn Atwood, Michelle Clunie, Richard Gant, Andrew Bloch, and Kipp Marcus. We’re given access to some key screenings of the film in which Adam Marcus was present for a Q&A, as well as a few fan testimonials sprinkled in for additional emphasis. It’s a far more personal account than your atypical making of, utilizing behind-the-scenes footage and photos to chronicle the film’s creation. It also doesn’t shy away from exploring the haters of Jason Goes to Hell, or Adam Marcus’ and Sean S. Cunningham’s difficult relationship and subsequent falling out years later.
At 107 minutes, Hearts of Darkness does The Final Friday fans proud, becoming a valuable companion to all of the previous bonus materials and documentary features about the film and the Friday franchise, while also carving out a place of its own. Funny, gripping, and even touching, it’s a lovely tribute to young filmmakers and familial film sets (it’s also dedicated to actor Leslie Jordan and Adam Marcus’ close friend Scott Burkett, both of whom passed away prior to the documentary).
Hearts of Darkness: The Making of The Final Friday was captured digitally on a variety of Red Digital Cinema, Canon, and Panasonic cameras, and completed at the aspect ratio of 1.78:1. Red Shirt Home Video and Synapse Films debut the film on Blu-ray for the first time. Encoded to a dual-layered BD-50 disc, it offers a fine presentation. Its mixture of high definition (or possibly higher) interviews and photos with lower resolution behind-the-scenes footage melds together reasonably well, despite the varying qualities. The bitrate sits in the 35-40Mbps range with plenty of detail and good lighting for the interviews, many of which were shot by Jim Kunz. Saturation provides a nice variety of hues with deep blacks and excellent contrast, helping to supply a clean and stable image. Though slightly imperfect due to the mixed media, it’s nonetheless satisfying.
Audio is included in English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. Sonically, these tracks are virtually identical, outside of the additional speaker space. All of the interview audio is prioritized well while the score blends mostly into the background for texture and mood. These are clean, problem-free tracks that work well, whether you’re viewing the film with a surround sound system or a basic sound bar.
The Red Shirt Home Video and Synapse Films Limited Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release of Hearts of Darkness: The Making of The Final Friday is a 2-Disc Blu-ray set containing a set of art cards, a 2025 Synapse Films Product Catalog, and a double-sided insert featuring the original poster artwork by Rod Lane on one side and new artwork by Marc Schoenbach on the other, which is also used for the slipcover. This edition was limited to 1,500 units and unfortunately, as of this writing, it has sold out everywhere. It’s likely that a standard version without a slipcover and art cards will be made available at some point, which we will provide a link for when the time comes. The following extras are included in HD, mixed with upscaled low resolution footage:
DISC ONE (FILM)
- Audio Commentary with Michael Felsher and Adam Marcus
- Audio Commentary with Adam Marcus, Allie Rivera Quiñonez, Debra Sullivan, Eric Beetner, and Peter M. Bracke
- Original Trailer (2:41)
DISC TWO (EXTRAS)
- Featurettes:
- Secrets & Lies (12:25)
- Hellish Melodies (11:19)
- Almost Steven (5:04)
- Cut to the Bone (10:30)
- Never Say Dead (31:01)
- Ward’s Big Break (6:14)
- Perfect for the Part (7:16)
- Extra Bits:
- Baby Stephanie (4:01)
- Creighton Duke (3:59)
- Getting the Credit (3:31)
- The Missing Creature (2:52)
- On-Set Stories (5:59)
- Set Design & Locations (4:33)
- Additional Features:
- Artwork Gallery (114 in all – 6:39)
- Alternate Titles (1:29)
- Fan Testimonials (35:15)
- Highlights from the Gardena Cinema Premiere (15:22)
In the first commentary, Michael Felsher and Adam Marcus give a very humorous but informative account of how the project came together, while also discussing the ins and outs of filmmaking. The second commentary featuring producers Adam Marcus, Allie Rivera Quiñonez, Debra Sullivan, editor Eric Beetner, and writer Peter M. Bracke is also a fun but enlightening track that delves more into the individual contributors, at least as much as time allows. Both commentaries demonstrate this group’s mentality of getting together and putting on a show, and that they’re essentially a tightly-knit family that enjoys working together, making for some enjoyable listening.
Following that is a series of Featurettes, tackling different subjects that didn’t fit into the main documentary. In Secrets & Lies, Sean S. Cunningham’s tumultuous relationship with the Friday the 13th franchise, Jason Goes to Hell, and Adam Marcus is more closely examined. In Hellish Melodies, composer Harry Manfredini delves into his work for the score in comparison to the previous films. In Almost Steven, actor Jonathan Penner speaks on almost being cast in the lead as Steven, later portraying Vickie’s boyfriend in a deleted scene. Cut to the Bone talks to editor David Handman and assistant editor Patrick Don Vito about their memories of the production. Never Say Dead offers a stage-bound conversation between Adam Marcus and editor Eric Beetner, later joined by producer Debra Sullivan, who discuss their histories together. Ward’s Big Break speaks to actor Adam Cranner about his role in the film as Ward. Perfect for the Part talks to casting director David Giella about his process of casting a film.
Extra Bits also offers additional, shorter interviews that didn’t make the final cut. Baby Stephanie speaks to Brooke Scher, who portrays the titular baby in the film, as well as her mother Brooke, who interestingly was on the set of I Spit on Your Grave. Creighton Duke talks about the casting of Steven Williams and how he became an actor. Getting the Credit discusses giving Jay Huguely screenwriting credit. The Missing Creature goes into the form of the Jason demon that was cut out of the film. On-Set Stories is a mix of various production recollections from the cast and crew. Set Design & Locations delves into the film’s production design.
Additional Features contains an extensive Artwork Gallery made up of 114 images of fan art; Alternate Titles, which presents the original opening titles for the documentary before they were changed; Fan Testimonials, which is an assortment of fans speaking about their love of the Friday franchise; and Highlights from the Gardena Cinema Premiere, which took place in Los Angeles in 2025 and features a documentary post-screening Q&A with Eric Beetner, Adam Marcus, Michael Felsher (via smartphone), Peter M. Bracke, Debra Sullivan, Allie Rivera Quiñonez, and moderator Bill DeFrance. Last is the documentary’s trailer.
Unsurprisingly, Michael Felsher’s and Adam Marcus’ Hearts of Darkness: The Making of The Final Friday is a winner, as is its Blu-ray release which offers a satisfying presentation and a healthy extras package that dutifully supplements the film. Friday fans will not want to miss this one. Highly recommended.
- Tim Salmons
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