My History With the Film:
When preparing for my trip to Paris earlier this year, I hit up Amazon Prime and just downloaded a handful of titles for me to watch on my flight over the Atlantic. While downloading films, I ran across the familiar face of Kane Hodder on a film called To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story. I read the synopsis and discovered that it was a documentary about the life of the most famous man to ever put on a hockey mask. It sounded like something I’d enjoy so I downloaded it and gave it a watch during my travels.
What The Film Is About (Non-Spoiler):
To Hell and Back is an intimate look inside the life of Kane Hodder, a man made famous for playing Jason in seven Friday the 13th films.
What I Liked About It:
-As a horror fan, I know the name Kane Hodder. Also as a horror fan, I realized that I knew nothing about Kane Hodder other than he took his role way more serious than most actors behind a mask and he was known for being great with his fans. This documentary helped fill me in on all the gaps about the stuntman who overcame some difficulties in his life to embody the spirit of Jason and really redefine the role for years to come.
-This isn’t a documentary about Jason, nor even behind the scene stories about what went on during the filming of Friday the 13th. Instead it’s a real look at Kane’s life from childhood to current day. It goes into detail of the bullying he dealt with growing up, the stunt accident that almost cost him life, the pain of not being offered the role of Jason in Freddy vs Jason, and how he was able to bounce back and redefine his career as Victor Crawley along with various other roles he took on where he didn’t hide behind a mask.
-There is a great cast of interviewees that discuss Kane such as: Elvira, Bruce Campbell, Sean S. Cunningham, Robert Englund, Zach Galligan, Adam Green, Danielle Harris, Felissa Rose, Adam Rifkin, Bill Moseley, Ted White, John Carl Buechler, and Sid Haig.
What I Didn’t Like About It:
-N/A
Additional Notes:
-It was inspired by the book, Unmasked: The Story of the World’s Most Cinematic Killer by Michael Aloisi and Kane Hodder.
-Was funded by an Indiegogo campaign.
Rating:
I love a good documentary, especially one horror related. Kane Hodder has a great story and he sounds like an incredible guy. You can see his passion for the horror industry in everything he does from conventions to the roles he picks. It was nice to spend a couple hours learning about the man who took an iconic character and turned it up to an eleven.
To Hell and Back is a solid four out of five and a rental.
