Friday the 13th Part 3 - The Memoriam Documentary: A Heartfelt Tribute to Richard Brooker
Friday the 13th conjures images of hockey mask clad Jason Voorhees chasing teenage counselors through the woods surrounding Camp Crystal Lake (Camp Blood) and killing them in increasingly brutal ways; however, those iconic reflections would have been absent from the minds of fans after only the first two films - then came part three and horror movies would never be the same. There are few films that one can point to and say, ‘there, that’s where it all changed,’ but as we see in Friday the 13th Part 3 - The Memoriam Documentary, that’s exactly the case.
The Memoriam Documentary is part history of the third installment of the Friday the 13th franchise, as well as a tribute to the man who first put on the hockey mask, Richard Brooker. Brooker’s life was a series of exiting incidents, and as Caroline Williams describes, that he has all these “ridiculous and outrageous stories…and [they] were true!”
The film stars Adrienne King, Tracie Savage, Larry Zerner, David Katims, Caroline Williams, CJ Graham, Harry Manfredini, Dick Wieand , Eileen Dietz and is hosted by Paul Kratka. Former cast members, friends, and family share their stories about Brooker, a man who ran away from the circus to go to Hollywood and became one of the most iconic characters in horror movie history.
Writer and executive producer Sean Richards befriended Brooker later in his life and then with Brooker’s sudden passing in April of 2013 Richards started his quest to make a documentary about his friend. Richards has puts a lot of passion into his filmmaking debut project and while short, with a runtime of less than 40 minutes, it’s full of heart. Also, if you look closely he makes a few appearances throughout the film.
The Memoriam Documentary is directed by Kevin Phipps, whose previous credits include Thicker Than Water (2014) and the upcoming Grief (2018)
The editing, by Joseph R. Davis and Brian Gerson is well done and keeps the narrative rolling.
The music is classic scores from the Friday the 13th films, by Harry Manfedini. The sound track alone will put a smile across the face of any Voorhees’ fan, especially disco sound of the part three theme.
Now we come to the documentary itself, I for one, rather enjoyed it, but nothing is free from issues. There are obvious problems when shooting a documentary, as there will be times when shooting locations, time or distance aren’t in the filmmaker’s favor and because of that, the audio suffers and that occasionally happens here. But, these few moments are saved by the speaker’s story about Brooker and his impact on them.
There are going to be obvious comparisons to the comprehensive documentary Crystal Lake Memoirs (2013) and when it comes to the facts that surround the series, Memoirs is thorough, going through the entire franchise. However, The Memoriam Documentary has never before seen footage and delves further into Richard Brooker’s life after donning the iconic hockey mask that the former documentary does not. The latter film also shows more of the impact Brooker had on the people around him, his colleagues, costars and fans; which makes The Memoriam Documentary a must watch for any Voorhees Fan.
If I had to pick one thing that I wasn’t fond of, it would have been the tongue-in-cheek final reenactment, which, to me, put a comic spin on an otherwise meaningful tribute.
Overall, I highly recommend Friday the 13th Part 3 - The Memoriam Documentary. This is a Documentary that is made by fans of the film for the fans. There are truly touching moments, as the stars relay their memories of Richard Brooker. I can’t wait to see more from The Memoriam team.
Friday the 13th Part 3 - The Memoriam Documentary
Hosted by Paul Kratka
Starring: Adrienne King, Paul Kratka, Tracie Savage, Larry Zerner, David Katims, Caroline Williams, CJ Graham, Harry Manfredini, Dick Wieand & Eileen Dietz
Directed by: Kevin R. Phipps
Written by: Sean Richards
Music: Harry Manfredini
Edited: Joseph R Davis and Brian Gerson
Runtime: 38 minutes
