To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story

To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story (2017)

**** (out of 4)

This here is an excellent documentary that has Kane Hodder talking about his career in front of the movie camera as well as the various tragic events that led to him getting roles in films like the FRIDAY THE 13TH series as well as the HATCHET series.

If you're a fan of slasher movies then you'll known who Hodder is but I'm not too sure how much of his story you'll actually know. I'll admit that I really didn't know too much about him outside of what I knew about the making of various films he appeared in and that's why TO HELL AND BACK: THE KANE HODDER STORY was so great. Not only do we get to know about his stunt work, which led to him getting to play characters like Jason Voorhees but we also get to know what happened before that.

A great portion of the running time is devoted to an event that happened to Hodder when he was twenty-two years old. I'm not going to ruin what happened for those who don't know but there's no question that the stuff dealing with this event is the highlight of the film. Not only do you learn about these things but it helps make more sense of how he handles his work on movies as well as how he deals with his fans.

There are a lot of familiar faces who show up for interviews including Adam Green, Robert Englund, Danielle Harris, Bruce Campbell, John Carl Buechler, Sean S. Cunningham, Sid Haig as well as others including some of Hodder's family members. All of the interviews are extremely good and entertaining but a the same time there's no doubt that the highlight are the interview clips with Hodder who gets to tell his own story.

Throughout the story there are countless clips from his movies and this here is a major plus. There's no doubt that horror fans are going to love this documentary but I think Hodder's story is strong enough to where even outsiders will be entertained by this film.

This was a documentary that I heard about for some time and was intrigued in that I'm a fan of the person it focuses on, Kane Hodder. He is the Jason Voorhees that I know from the Friday the 13th films that came out when I was growing up or the ones that always seemed to be on television when I would seek them out. I didn't really know his life story, but heard some interesting stories in regards to him. I was quite interested to learn more. The official synopsis is the emotional story of Kane Hodder who survived a harrowing childhood and near-death accident to become one of films biggest and most beloved horror icons.

As the synopsis states, we start off learning about Kane's childhood. I knew that he was bullied and that it was something that really took a toll on him. It is kind of crazy to think about, because of how such a physically opposing guy he is. He did grow up on a military base in the pacific, which makes it also quite interesting. He does reveal that he was a daredevil, even in his youth. Listening to him as he dealt with bullying was good and I think it is a solid message for those that have to deal with it. It also has a message for those that think they are helping when they might not be.

What really got to me in this though was the accident that Kane survived. He attempted to do a fire stunt and it ended up going wrong. This left him burnt and trying to get over the damage he did to his body. The physical and mental toll was quite emotional for me as a viewer. It was really touching for him to open up, allowing the viewer to get to know the person behind the man on the screen.

This documentary also does a solid job in that it interviews his friends in the industry and outside of it, fans, those he works with and things to this effect. I do find it interesting to hear things from the person themselves, but also to get the other perspectives. Now I don't expect to hear people talking about bad about him in that it's a documentary about him, but the people that were interviewed all seem to generally like him. I find it interesting that I've never heard anyone I've interacted with who have met him say anything bad and that he truly loves his fans. It is good to hear despite some of the bad things that have happened to him in Hollywood that he has become such an icon of the genre.

Despite the film's almost 2 hour running time, it really doesn't feel like it. The film goes through many of his major roles, giving some stories from the sets of them. It also goes through the major disappointments of his life in the industry and outside of it. Regardless though, I was captivated from beginning to end and this really did move quite fast. I will say that I don't necessarily know if I believe 100% everything that is stated, but there isn't much I questioned either.

This is going to be another shorter review as it is hard to talk about documentaries. This is the man that I think of as Jason even though he's some of the worst films in the Friday the 13th franchise. His life is quite interesting and listening to the stories he tells really had me feeling emotional and in awe of him. If you like to learn more behind the scenes of films or about actors in general, I would give this film a viewing. I think it is definitely worth it for fans of Kane, Friday the 13th or other films he has appeared in. It is one of the best documentaries I've seen in the genre for sure.

Now, I'm REALLY sad I pissed off Jason. I mean, Kane.

What this man has been through...I can't even begin to imagine. Before seeing this, I knew he was a burn victim, but not to any extent as what he describes in this incredible documentary. How ANYONE could survive what he went through is a miracle. I even had to double back and listen to his ordeal a second time to get it all in.

(Side Note: I do, however, know of the twitching. I've had very bad back pains, sun burns, chicken pox, Valley Fever and stomach aches all while never being able to rest comfortably enough to sleep. He describes this, amongst many more painful experiences, and because I've also had the "FINALLY! Drifting off to sleep..." mode violently and immediately interrupted by "the twitch" or jerk, it was a connection I could make with his story to know how true it all was.)

When I say now that I haven't given you a tenth of his story above so you can experience his words and testimony for yourself, know I am being truthful. I do want you to hear from him in this great documentary.

I seriously thought the title of this movie was just a snappy, quick and recognizable phrase associated with Kane Hodder's career path. No. It's one of the most accurate titles I've ever heard. Bravo.

And bravo to this film as well. I learned so much and appreciated so much more about this man. The man behind the infamous mask. I even have his (and mine as well) favorite look/mask of Jason, the one from his Part VII: The New Blood, hanging at the end of my bed. Seriously.

This film's not so much his roles, though that does take a good percentage of screen time. You can learn more about those, but mostly Jason Voorhees, in the other awesome documentary: Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th. This would be a great companion to that film, though it's already a hefty 7 hours and adding another almost 2-hours here...yeah, I guess it's worth it.

Totally recommend this heartfelt story of a man who's made mistakes, lived to tell others about them and come out a much better person who can, and does, inspire others. And others did come; there were numerous clip conversations with so many more horror icons and welcomed faces and voices.

Despite all I've said above, I couldn't get past one "choice" made by the director: Kane's Cutaways. Mostly in the first half you'll witness the scenes quickly transitioning from people telling their stories/testimonials to Kane wandering around a hospital that's supposed to be sterile and in the desert. And not just wandering, he looks pretty much senile and not sure where he's at or how he got there. Sadly, these scenes were distracting and unintentionally hilarious right smack dab in the middle of a heartful speech or remembrance. After the, no joke, 15th time, I knew this would be a regular and I best get used to it. I wasn't wrong.

With that, and no real "other side of the story" - probably because Kane also executive produced this, I'd still highly recommend this movie.

***

Final thoughts: I said in the beginning that I pissed off Kane Hodder. Well, that did happen way back in 2014 when I first met him, sadly. Also previously stated, I was having a little issue with my back and I was in line to purchase Kane's book at the very first Mad Monster convention in Phoenix, Arizona. It was also my first convention, horror or any sort. Anyways, the Elvira: Mistress of the Dark Photo Op/signing I pre-purchased was coming near, the line was getting long for that, my back was acting up and Kane was entertaining fans in front of me, telling this what seemed like to me: a very long story and it tried my patience. Unfortunately, and despite me telling myself, he's not doing anything wrong, I still showed my discomforts. And Kane did not miss any of my body language.

I still purchased his (expensive to me) autobiography and autograph within, but he never seemed to recover his annoyance with my impatience. I did feel bad that's the one interaction with the man who would play one of my all-time favorite characters on screen.

And now, years later, after seeing this documentary and what he suffered in life, I feel even worse. Kane, if you do read this, please accept my apology. Though, hopefully, you won't remember this even happening.

I'm not a horror movie fan at all. Just don't like that genre of movies. But I sat down and watched this documentary and really enjoyed it. Kane loves his fans and loves what he does no question about it. His story is pretty amazing.

Learning about this man took me on an emotional roller coaster, didnt know if I should be sad, scared, happy, or all together. It's amazing what he went through and I recomend anyone watch it even if you dont like the friday the 13th movies