31 Days of Horror: Friday the 13th

Posted by Robert Fure (robert@filmschoolrejects.com) on October 28, 2008

31 Days of Horror

Friday the 13th (1980), Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981), Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982), Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984), Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985), Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986), Friday the 13th Part VII: New Blood (1988), Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989), Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993), Jason X (2002), Freddy vs Jason (2003)

Synopsis: Jason Voorhees, a young, physically disfigured boy, is taunted at Camp Crystal Lake and eventually dies due to counselor negligence.  His mother famously seeks revenge against camp goers in the first installment, before the undead beast himself starts hacking his way through teenagers throughout most of the following films.

Killer Scene: A young Kevin Bacon tries to enjoy a joint while chilling on his bed – bad idea as soon an arrow is forced through his throat.

KILLSHEET

Violence: I’m not entirely sure there is a way of dying that hasn’t been covered in a Friday the 13th film.  From the immortal machete to arrows, spears, and the strength to literally crack a person in half, Jason Voorhees brings the pain.  I’m personally a fan of the time he punched a boxer so hard (Friday the 13th Part VIII) that his head flew off and landed in a dumpster.

Sex: As counselors and their lustful ways were blamed for the negligence that resulted in young Jason’s death, sex has always played a pretty big part in many of the installments.  Freddy vs Jason impressed with several pair of great boobies, the first appearing within 8 minutes or so.

Scares: While the first installment had some good scares and following sequels included jump scares, Jason quickly took the turn of just being a giant, lumbering, killing machine, blatantly cutting his way across swaths of teenagers.  Gone are the days of a scary Jason, but long live someone who cuts heads off with such regularity.

Final Thoughts: Suffering the common problems with such longevity, the series has many misses, though once you’re hooked you’ll forgive a lot of the stupidity just to see a big dude hack some heads off.  Freddy vs Jason does a great job of celebrating the character without coming off as silly while some of the earliest installments are perfect examples of “Teens at a Camp” slasher fun.  Non-fans won’t find much to like in the middle to later installments, but there is no denying that Jason Voorhees is a cultural icon.  An upcoming reimagining/combination of the first three films will be released by Platinum Dunes and has my hopes elevated for a strong relaunch of a great character.  If you haven’t seen a Friday the 13th film, you owe it to yourself to see at least two or three, for bloody good (or bad!) fun.  Definitely required watching for any slasher fan.


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  • There is something fascinating about Friday 13th, as a younger man we would have drinking games, we had to take a shot each time someone was killed and 2 each time someone was having sex in the movie.

    Jason is like Michael Meyers scary because it is this faceless monster that has absolutely no compassion and if they set their eye on you, you are DEAD.
  • Part 2 is still the scariest, but Part VII with the telekinetic girl was the most entertaining.

    And has it ever been answered as to why he wears the mask in the first place? It's not to conceal his identity. It's not a mask with meaning (like a Halloween mask for Michael Myers.) Who is he hiding his disfigured face from? He kills everyone he comes across anyway, so what would it matter if they saw his mug?
  • Probably wears the mask because, dying at such a young age, he never got to play hockey.

    I think though, in semi-seriousness, you can glean from a few of the times his mask has been off, or when he's shown as a child, he does feel a sense of embarrassment over his disfigurement and is probably attempting to hide that, as if to stop the taunting.
  • I love Friday the 13th bcacuse that is the movie I will watch
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