How Did This Get Made? — “Jason X LIVE! w/ Rob Huebel & Jenny Slate (HDTGM Matinee)”

Date: October 14, 2025
Recorded live at: Largo at the Coronet, Los Angeles
Guests: Rob Huebel, Jenny Slate

Episode Overview

The HDTGM crew takes on the cult classic/horror oddity Jason X for their Halloween episode, joined by returning favorites Rob Huebel and Jenny Slate. As always, Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas gleefully dissect this 2001 entry in the Friday the 13th franchise, notorious for sending Jason Voorhees into outer space—resulting in a film that's equal parts baffling, hilarious, and cheesy. The panel cracks wise about the production, the bewildering plot, and (as always) the endless list of franchise inconsistencies, plus field questions from the live audience.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. First Impressions & Jason Lore Confusion

• Zero Jason Expertise: None of the hosts or guests (except partial credit to Rob) claim deep knowledge of the Friday the 13th franchise. As Jason Mantzoukas puts it:

  “A lot of my notes are reminders to ask you guys or the nerds what the myth... It took me until the very end... oh, right. No, Jason is the main character.” [06:39]

• Alien Redux: The panel repeatedly points out the movie feels like a cheap knock-off of Alien, swapping the Xenomorph for Jason. June:

  “The person watched Alien, rewrote it, and instead of an alien, it was Jason. And they were like, that's the movie.” [07:16]

2. “Space” as the Ultimate Horror Franchise Gimmick

• Joking about horror franchises fleeing to space for new ideas, the hosts compare Jason X to "Leprechaun in Space" and speculate that their own podcast may have inspired "Fast & Furious in space":

  “Space heightening. That's just heightening. Where else do we go?” [08:05] “I'll take it... I believe we mentioned that it should be in space in our podcast.” [08:28]

3. Guest Stories & Franchise Trivia

• Rob Huebel’s Jason Prank (and injury): Rob shares a story of attempting to scare his friends at a summer camp with a mask and hatchet—but instead runs, full-speed, into a rusty clothesline:

  “I ran into a clothesline. Like, an old rusty wire. Full speed… I can run like 60, 70 miles an hour.” [13:44]

• Jason Franchise Recap: June attempts to clarify the mythology—revealing many inconsistencies, including:

  • Jason's mom as the killer in the original
  • Jason in a sack mask before the iconic hockey mask
  • Resurrection via lightning and telekinesis
  • The non-canonical status of “Freddy vs Jason”

4. Film’s Logic and Bizarre Details

• Jason’s Powers & "Motivation":

  • Panel struggles to define what Jason even is (ghost? mutant? monster?), making existential jokes throughout:

    “Does Jason. What is Jason? Which for me is an existential note.” [22:29] “It's as if Jason Voorhees is Wolverine.” [22:11] “Is he a ghost? Is he dead? Does he have a soul?” [22:23]

  • They highlight the illogical jump to freezing Jason due to his supposed regenerative abilities.

• Dialog & Plot Absurdities:

  • The infamous “I want him soft” line from the scientist:

    “The scientist goes, this is the grossest thing I’ve ever heard. I want him soft.” (19:48)

  • Complete lack of communication among ship’s crew; inconsistent logic in handling Jason as a threat.

• Overt Sexuality & Nipple Gags:

  • Both the robot’s detachable nipples and horny crewmates get lengthy comedic analysis:

    “Her nipples fall off like your refrigerator lost magnetism.” [45:40]

  • Panel jokes that Jason is awakened and targets people mid-coitus:

    “Apparently this man climaxing is what awakes Jason. He doesn’t like horniness.” [39:50] “He doesn’t hate fucking. He hates teens. That fuck.” [40:04]

5. Design, Costumes, and 2001 Futurism

• Everyone riffs endlessly on the costuming, noting how a supposed 2455 spaceship crew sports belly shirts, velour, and “current-day negligees”:

  “You would assume everyone in 400 years in the future would dress like people in 2002.” [89:11]

• Jason's mask is discussed as a relic, with jokes about hockey being outlawed—and the crew's inability to recognize a “hockey mask” after several centuries.

6. Production Quality & Special Effects

• CGI and practical effects are mercilessly roasted, especially “digital blood” and “ant/robot/nanotech” scenes:

  “It’s not just nanotechnology. It’s just ants… They cut to an extreme closeup, and it’s just bugs.” [58:58]

• On VR/holodeck scenes:

  “Jason is able, without his own set, without anything, to participate in the game.” [53:12]

7. Franchise Fatigue and “Second Opinions”

• During the “Second Opinions” segment (77:04), they read Amazon user reviews full of misplaced fandom and odd priorities, including:
  • Five-star reviews solely for body count and nudity.
  • One reviewer correcting others about Jason's mask and his "big dick."
  • A reviewer celebrating a character finally picking up a dead guy’s gun.

8. Audience Q&A Highlights

• Fans grill the panel about the (illogical) science of freezing Jason, the mechanics of his reanimation, and Jason’s ability to silently sneak up on people—prompting a “JFK conspiracy” joke about multiple Jasons:

  “There has to be another Jason on the grassy knoll.” [72:10]

9. Classic HDTGM Tangents

• Numerous ad breaks, improv riffs about Alexa and fake names, and callback references to other bad movies (Virtuosity, Miami Connection, Troll 2).
• Jason Mantzoukas jokes about all their listeners’ Alexas being triggered by their references:

  “Alexa, play Steely Dan… Alexa, let the bodies hit the floor.” [73:21–73:40]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|----------|-------| | 06:39 | Jason Mantzoukas | “A lot of my notes are reminders to ask you guys or the nerds what the myth... It took me until the very end... oh, right. No, Jason is the main character.” | | 07:16 | Jason Mantzoukas | “The person watched Alien, rewrote it, and instead of an alien, it was Jason. And they were like, that's the movie.” | | 13:44 | Rob Huebel | “I ran into a clothesline. Like, an old rusty wire. Full speed… I can run like 60, 70 miles an hour.” | | 19:48 | Jason Mantzoukas | “The scientist goes, this is the grossest thing I’ve ever heard. I want him soft.” | | 22:11 | June Diane Raphael | “It's as if Jason Voorhees is Wolverine.” | | 22:29 | June Diane Raphael | “Does Jason. What is Jason? Which for me is an existential note.” | | 39:50 | June Diane Raphael | “Apparently this man climaxing is what awakes Jason. He doesn’t like horniness.” | | 40:04 | Rob Huebel | “He hates fucking teens. He doesn’t hate fucking. He hates teens. That fuck.” | | 45:40 | June Diane Raphael | “Her nipples fall off like your refrigerator lost magnetism.” | | 89:11 | Jason Mantzoukas | “You would assume everyone in 400 years in the future would dress like people in 2002.” | | 72:10 | Shirley (Jason Mantzoukas) | “There has to be another Jason on the grassy knoll.” |

Audience Questions — Selected Moments

• On Repeated Jason Executions:
  Audience points out Jason is said to have been executed by electricity, firing squad, and hanging, before jumping to cryofreezing—sparking general disbelief (65:08).

• On Jason's Teleporting:
  Audience notices Jason appears to teleport, showing up in rooms with zero explanation (69:59–71:24).

• On “Celery Regeneration”:
  A fan swears a nurse robot says “celery regeneration” instead of “cellular regeneration,” to much laughter (66:32).

Final Verdict: Is Jason X a Fun Bad Movie?

• Most panelists agree that while Jason X has some self-aware, goofy moments, there are “better” bad horror movies (Season of the Witch, Leprechaun in the Hood, Miami Connection).
• Costume design and sheer absurdity recommended, but not “must see”:

  “It's fine. There are better… If you don't watch it, I think you're fine.” [88:25, Shirley]

• Rob recommends not watching it while sleep training your baby (“very niche angle”).
• General consensus: fun for fans of the absurd, but not gold-standard so-bad-it’s-good cinema.

Other Highlights

• Kane Hodder Anecdote: Rob shares a story of Jason actor Kane Hodder charging a toddler $20 for an autograph, with commentary on the actor’s “sour disposition” due to being replaced in Freddy vs Jason (51:10–76:09).
• Alexa and Tech Tangents: The crowd and panel continually riff on triggering Alexa devices with jokes, alongside lampooning the film’s nonexistent tech logic.
• Jason’s Machete Obsession: Ample jokes about potential spin-offs: Jason in the Hood, Jason on Safari, Jason at NASCAR, etc. (59:16).

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 06:00 — What is Jason X? Initial thoughts & confusion
• 13:44 — Rob Huebel’s camp story and Jason mask injury
• 24:01 — Detailed rundown of Jason franchise/canon by June
• 39:50 — "Climax awakens Jason" + teen horniness kills
• 45:40 — Robot nipple gag; practical vs CGI effects debate
• 53:12 — Jason in VR/Holodeck segment
• 59:16 — Rejected ideas: Jason in the Hood, Arctic, etc.
• 77:04 — “Second Opinions” dramatic Amazon reviews
• 87:03 — Would you recommend Jason X? Panel final opinions

The HDTGM Language & Tone

Unabashedly silly, quick-witted, and irreverent. The panel swings from plot dissection to absurd tangents, never shying from crude humor or poking fun at themselves as much as the film.

In summary:
This Jason X episode of HDTGM is a wild ride through sci-fi/horror nonsense, gleefully shredded by a panel of comedians and their live audience. The episode is bursting with gags about nipples, franchise fatigue, future fashion, and the eternal mystery: “What is Jason?” Watch the movie only if you’re ready for a lot of laughs (from the podcast), some cringing (from the movie), and a spaceship crew with questionable taste in both technology and crop tops.