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Although "Friday the 13th Part 2" wasn't the monster success of it's predecessor, it was successful enough to put another sequel into production, which was released theatrically in 3-D. Picking up the same day as "Part 2" with returning director Steve Miner, Jason Voorhees (Richard Brooker) is still on the loose and after dispatching a couple in their small grocery store, he sets his sights on Higgens Haven, a private cottage on the lake where Chris Higgens (Dana Kimmell) and several friends arrive to enjoy the weekend. Chris is a bit apprehensive as she previously survived an attack by Jason, not to mention an earlier encounter that morning with a grizzled old man warning them of impending doom - and then showing them a human eyeball. Chris tries to join in the fun and reconnect with boyfriend Rick (Paul Kratka) and they go out for a drive while her friends skinny-dip, get stoned, have sex, and play practical jokes. After a mishap with some bikers, Higgens Haven becomes a slaughterhouse and Chris and Rick return to an apparently abandoned cottage...

Filmed from March to June 1982 in California and New Jersey on a budget of $4,000,000 and released on Friday, August 13th, it grossed $9,406,522 it's opening weekend with a final total of $36,700,000, nearly double the box office receipts of the first sequel. It rejuvenated the 3-D craze of the early 1950s and the following year saw the release of "Jaws 3-D", "Amityville 3-D", and the embarrassing "Treasure of the Four Crowns". Besides good notices received on the excellent 3-D effects, the film is also notable as the first film in the series where Jason wears his now trademark hockey mask, which of course was taken from a victim. The movie did undergo some cuts to receive an "R" rating and two alternate endings were shot, and some fans were disgruntled at it not being included in the 2004 "Friday the 13th - From Crystal Lake to Manhattan " DVD box set. In February 2009, the movie was re-released on DVD in a 3-D deluxe edition, newly mastered in high definition with a new Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound mix. While the picture and sound upgrade is terrific; unfortunately, the 3-D is not. A pair of 1950s red and blue 3-D glasses are included and the results are moderately successful; though headache-inducing, and after checking it out most viewers will probably stay with the included 2-D version. In all fairness, 3-D effects on a digital television cannot compete with 3-D effects in a movie theatre where two projectors are utilized. (Try watching it in the dark about eight feet from the set). Unfortunately, no deleted footage or alternate endings are included. The only other extra is the the theatrical trailer, unusual as the other "Friday the 13th" deluxe editions are loaded with new special features.

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