His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th is a documentary that chronicles one of the most enduring horror villains of all time, Jason Voorhees. The reason slasher movies get such a bad rap involves how easy they are to make. It's so simple just to slap some guy in a creepy costume and have him wade through buckets of blood, which makes it hard to separate the imitators from those who actually put forth some effort. Not only does His Name Was Jason detail how the iconic Mr. Voorhees has managed to stand out in the pack, it also does a convincing job of showing that quite a bit of love went into making a franchise as indestructible as its lead character.

His Name Was Jason takes viewers on a tour of the entire Friday the 13th series and beyond. Our guide is Tom Savini, a fitting host considering he helped create the first film's notorious special effects. After a brief rundown of all eleven (!) chapters of Jason's saga, director Daniel Farrands sets his sights on covering all the bases that made these movies a hit with horror fans for going on three decades. Various cast members, from original heroine Adrienne King to latter-day leads like Lisa Ryder, recollect their time spent going up against the unstoppable Jason. Ken Kirzinger, Kane Hodder, and others who played Jason himself dish about how they gave the character their own twists when it came time to don the infamous hockey mask. Also discussed are the challenging effects work and often taxing shoots, not to mention a global fan frenzy that none of the original filmmakers ever saw coming.

Don't expect any hard critical analysis from His Name Was Jason, even though it's a documentary. Of the big three slasher franchises (alongside A Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween), Friday the 13th arguably had the least amount of thematic frills; "kill or be killed" was this series' motto. Above all, His Name Was Jason comes across as a love letter to the titular monolith, an opportunity for fans and those who worked on the films to unite and talk shop. Although objectivity is not the order of the day, it's not a real bother. The idea here is for the many members of the Friday the 13th brood to reminisce about the good ol' days, not to talk smack about what's the most everlasting part of their careers. There are a few such moments, including a few criticisms tossed at Jason Goes to Hell and a sizable chunk dedicated to the franchise's overall lack of continuity. For the most part, though, it's a filmed family reunion, albeit one that breezily informs viewers of a cinematic realm rarely given even pseudo-serious attention.

As an overall film, His Name Was Jason seems pretty modest and low-key. Though clips from the various movies are scattered throughout, there aren't as many as you'd think; Farrands mostly uses talking heads and snapshots to relay his points. This wouldn't be such a problem if some of the interviewees didn't go over the same information again and again. Most of the stories are interesting (including the numerous figures who take credit for Jason's mask), but some feel like the subjects are just reading from IMDB trivia pages. A  few topics, including the franchise's legendary battle with the ratings board, are skimmed by all too fast. Plus, as much of a horror icon as he is, Savini shouldn't quit his day job; his host segments appear a  little stilted and hokey. But as a collection of anecdotes and fun little tales about working on one or more of the movies, the movie involves you and  moves briskly enough to avoid many flaws from settling in.

His Name Was Jason may not be the most compelling of documentaries, but it doesn't pretent to be. It's an  entertaining treat for gorehounds, a greatest hits compilation for one of cinema's most legendary slayers -- and considering I'm more of a Halloween fan, that's saying a lot.

MY RATING: *** (out of ****)

(Released by Starz/Anchor Bay; not rated by MPAA.)