This was in fact a remake. Sorry to burst your bubble. I know someone that worked on this movie, hence I got the DVD when it hadn't even come out in theaters yet. But according to the director, producer, and editors. This movie is a remake of the first three Friday films. Allow me to explain. Here are the events in the classic films.
WARNING: "Friday the 13th" spoilers below
F13 #1: Jason's mom is the killer, but is beheaded at the end.
F13 #2: Jason is the killer but wears a potato sack on his head.
F13 #4: Jason Dawns the famous Hockey Mask and kills more people.
Here is how the new film goes, and why it is considered to be a remake of the original films by the creators.
First 5 minutes- Jasons mom is beheaded.
Next 40 minutes- Jason murders the kids with his potato sack mask.
Rest of The Film- He finds the hockey mask and goes on a rampage of killing.
F13 #1: Jason's mom is the killer, but is beheaded at the end.
F13 #2: Jason is the killer but wears a potato sack on his head.
F13 #4: Jason Dawns the famous Hockey Mask and kills more people.
Here is how the new film goes, and why it is considered to be a remake of the original films by the creators.
First 5 minutes- Jasons mom is beheaded.
Next 40 minutes- Jason murders the kids with his potato sack mask.
Rest of The Film- He finds the hockey mask and goes on a rampage of killing.
The remade the fiurst three films in this film, and this is so the next movie can be totally original and won't have to follow any guidlines. They have established Jason as a character by remaking the classic trilogy and now they can totally redo the other films.
Wrong, wrong, and...wrong.
So, you burst my bubble because you know someone that worked on the film? That's cool, man, my Dad is a TV repairman, and he has a huge set of tools. Now let's talk about the actual movie.
It's not a remake. Let's talk about the hockey mask. In the original films, we never actually see him put the mask on. That's right, the most iconic part of Jason doesn't even have an origin scene in the original films. The actor put the mask on as a lark during production of part III, which was to be last film in the series at the time. They state this in the documentary "His name was Jason", or perhaps on the extras on the DVD release of part III, I forget which bit it's in. For a remake to be a remake, they need to have at least some of the content from the original be recognizable on some level. None of the stuff in the new film appeared in any of the previous films, except of course the opening sequence which is meant to catch new viewers up on the myth surrounding Jason.
Again, I ask - If this is a remake, why do characters in the film talk about events from the film this is supposedly remaking? Is this some fever dream they all shared while puffing on some of that purple haze they found in the woods? Why is it 30 years later? Why is Jason in his 60s? Why would they sit down and plan to do a remake, then cram all the relevant material into a 4 minute montage, while tacking on 90 minutes of brand new material about secret hideouts and bong hits, with the characters talking about the remade montage while partaking in said bong hits?
None of the material after the opening credits (you know, the whole movie) has anything to do with any of the events that take place in the first three films. Even the "putting on the mask" scene is entirely new.
I just realized I can watch Friday the 13th Part III in my living room in 3d.
Oh goody.