One Of Jason Voorhees’ Iconic Kills In Infamous Friday The 13th Sequel Gets Glowing Review From VFX Artists

This article contains descriptions of graphic onscreen violence.

Corridor Crew VFX artists break down Jason Voorhees’ iconic liquid nitrogen kill in the infamous 2002 sequel, Jason X. The 10th installment in the Friday the 13th franchise pictures Jason in a futuristic world. Having been frozen in 2008, he is later discovered in the year 2455 and taken to space. Directed by Jim Isaac and written by Todd Farmer, the infamous sci-fi slasher film stars Kane Hodder reprising the role of hockey mask-wearing serial killer Jason Voorhees for the fourth and final time along with Lexa Doig, Lisa Ryder, and Chuck Campbell.

Sam Gorski, Niko Pueringer, and Wren Weichmano of The Corridor Crew were blown away by the special effects used in Jason’s liquid nitrogen kill, where he pushes a girl’s face into liquid nitrogen, it freezes, then he smashes it on a counter. They suspect that the film either utilized “a morph” or “a frame blend” combined with motion-tracking and “a lot of great details,” especially the bubbles, because it’s “very simple” but very “effective.” They explained the face smash has “the perfect composition” with two separate clips. Read their full comments below:

Yeah, I think that’s just a morph or like a frame blend, so yeah, cuz you watch it and you’re like, wait, what the heck, how the heck did you do that? Cuz they dip her face in there, and that’s her, and then, oh, that’s a good effect. Right there, it’s very good. Top left her curl of hair, you can kind of see there like it’s been very groomed. It’s still from her element, transition here, whoop, to the dummy.

There’s a lot of great details, so I’m watching the bubbles, and first off, they’re pushing bubbles out of the dummy’s nose, which is a good touch, cuz the character is screaming, and you’re seeing bubbles coming out of her nose and mouth as she’s doing it.

So they are coming out of her mouth as a morph to the dummy’s face in front of her, and she’s still breathing out bubbles, so now they’re coming out from beneath the picture of the dummy’s face.

Isn’t that clever though? It’s like it’s very simple, and it is very effective. They obviously filmed the plate of her face going into the water, and then they probably just got a separate video plate of the dummy that’s frozen over, but they had to frame that up so closely and then still have the morph go through. I think it’s motion track to her still frame of the dummy is still motion track to her face, and you kinda feel like it’s masked out a little bit too. It’s really well done shot, really well done.

What they fill that head with do you think? Is that candy? Yeah, it could be like red beads and candy glass or something like that, but it’s like the perfect composition. It’s either two separate clips with the hair mush and then a scatter of red and white jelly things, or it’s already there, and he smacks it and it breaks. It would be tough to have all that stuff in the hand, so to speak, and have it slammed on and perfectly spill out, so I can definitely imagine you putting something there ahead of time. You got to play it perfectly, spilling out and then smashing the dummy into it, having it combined, it’s so intense.

It May Not Be As Bad As It Sounds

Jason X isn’t the best offering from Friday the 13th franchise. With mixed reviews and disappointing box office results, the film is generally considered one of the weaker entries in the franchise with one of the more outlandish ideas. While it may not live up to the same expectations as some of its predecessors, some scenes nevertheless may strike viewers as surprisingly good. The Corridor Crew’s comments shed light on the excellent visual effect in the liquid nitrogen scene, which is widely regarded as one of the best Jason kills in the franchise.

On
Screen Rant
‘s own list of the best Jason Voorhees kills, the liquid nitrogen kill is listed as the fifth best, behind kills including a teenager’s head being punched off in
Jason Takes Manhattan
and a character being ripped in half in
Jason Goes to Hell
.

It seems that even though the sci-fi slasher film is considered mediocre, some elements still hold up more than 20 years later. This has been proven by the Corridor Crew revealing how unexpectedly effective the visual effects in the liquid nitrogen scene are. While the exact technique that made it happen may be simple, the transition is so seamless that it even proved somewhat difficult for the crew to break down, showcasing how immersive and effective the moment truly was.

Jason X’s Negative Reception Explained

The Movie Helped End The Franchise’s Original Run

Although only one of the Friday the 13th movies has ever received a Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, Jason X is still the fifth worst-rated of the 12 movies with a dismal 20% Rotten Tomatoes score. The movie also earned just $17.1 million at the box office, the third-worst in the series behind the previous two installments. Additionally, at the time, its $14 million budget made it the most expensive entry in the series. This prevented it from turning a profit in theaters, as it likely would have had to earn more than $35 million just to break even.

Ultimately, Jason X would prove to be the final “proper” installment in the franchise. Despite having one of the best-regarded Friday the 13th kills, its overall reception proved that the IP had hit diminishing returns, though Freddy vs. Jason, the 2003 crossover with the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, proved to be a box office hit, earning $116.6 million against a $30 million budget. Nevertheless, the franchise went dormant afterward until it was rebooted in 2009 with a refreshed Jason backstory and Derek Mears behind the hockey mask.

Our Take on Jason X

It Has Surprises

Jason X won’t be for everyone. Those who enjoy the more traditional flavor of Friday the 13th might not enjoy the sci-fi elements of the film. On the other hand, many do find the film a delightful and entertaining exploration of the iconic slasher. The last film in the main series before the Freddy vs. Jason crossover and the 2009 remake broke new ground, taking Jason far outside his home territory of Crystal Lake. After going to Manhattan and Hell in the past two movies, space was about the only new place Jason could go.

Jason X thrives on the element of surprise. Just like the liquid nitrogen scene, other elements are likely to surprise viewers, including a meta moment where Jason is distracted by a hologram of his former stomping grounds and set up perfectly to execute a double sleeping bag kill that is reminiscent of another fan-favorite moment, from Part VII: The New Blood. However, it also a film with uneven performances. While certain places can be exceedingly good without effort, other places might be less engaging, resulting in the movie being an acquired taste, though still a fun watch for some.

Source: Corridor Crew