Friday the 13th [raymix]

Ray Danger has done a very good job here, although I feel like it's a little too restrained for its own good. Amazingly, while 20 minutes have been cut, the entire set-up still lags significantly. I also feel that some scenes that add to the atmosphere/foreboding (snake scene/storm story) have been needlessly trimmed, while other bits of character banter that just pull everything down have been retained (such as the very lengthy swimming scene). There are times, such as Pamela's exposition, which just feel a touch rushed. The climax is probably where this shines the best and moves along at a nice pace, though I would say the decapitation slo-mo still feels egregious. Cutting the "it's all a dream" scene is understandable and makes the ending hit a bit harder.

Ray Danger has high technical standards, which I always appreciate. It's clear that effort has been put in to retain a consistent editing style, although a handful of shots cut too quickly (eg. 1:07:37 - shot of the moon is pretty abrupt). This is fairly nitpicky though, as 99% of the time, even if the pacing isn't to my liking, everything flows seamlessly.

Audio editing was flawless as far as cuts go. One comment I have though is on the audio mix, which is largely a fault with the original surround track, but I think the issue has potentially been accentuated by Ray mixing it down to stereo. The surround audio track is a bad mix IMO, with the music very loud and upfront, and the main audio being too quiet. Mixed down to stereo, some of the dialogue is just inaudible. I think it would have been beneficial either to keep the original channel layout, or boost the centre channel (or bring down the others) to compensate for it all being smudged together.

Overall, an enjoyable watch and a solid alternative. More can be done, but this still makes for a more streamlined viewing experience. Probably a good go-to if you're already familiar with the film and are doing a marathon. The technical standard is very high.