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"Friday the 13th Part 2" : My 24th Favorite Horror Movie
I'm back with the next installment of my 25 Favorite Horror Movies countdown. I trust no further explanation is needed, so I'll get right to my choice for my 24th favorite horror movie of all time: Friday the 13th: Part 2
Although the original Friday is more often touted as a clasc slasher film, Part 2
is actually more relevant, nce it features the return of Jason Voorhees from death, and begins to establish him as the bloodthirsty force of rage that would capture the imaginations of horror fans throughout the 80s, and beyond. Mrs. Voorhees was a decent enough killer for one movie, but she's far less intimidating than her son, and doesn't have the added value of apparently being immune to death. I don't see her being able to carry the series forward into unlimited sequels the way Jason has.Visually speaking, Jason doesn't quite reach his potential to inspire terror in this film; he doesn't find his hockey mask until Part 3 and the white sack he wears on his head here is a little less memorable. Still, he quickly proves himself an efficient and unquenchable killer. His ability to score a high bodycount early on in his movies lives in infamy, and this is where he earns that infamy for the first time, wiping out the only survivor of his mom's killing spree, then a crazy old man, and then a cop, all in the first half hour or so of the movie. Soon after, he's already graduated to killing 2 people with 1 spear. His mom would be so proud. Even though I was rather young when I saw Friday the 13th Part 2
for the first time, I remember thinking that Jason was just what these movies needed. He just had that extra, vital something.The importance of what this film gave the genre with Jason Voorhees is hard to overstate, but this is a quality horror flick for other reasons, too. Ginny Field (played by Amy Steel) is still my favorite "final girl" in any Friday. The hysterical brunette from Part 3 is okay, I guess, and I admit I have a secret, guilty fondness for the girl with the telekinetic powers who was randomly and awkwardly forced into the script of Part 7 . But none of the other young women who survive Jason's wrath has quite the same dynamic with him as Ginny does. She wonders aloud about how he has returned, and exactly what he is, and even seems to have some sympathy for him when she suggests that he might just be a "scared retard" (not the most PC way to put it, I know, but it was 1981, and the dialogue does reflect how many real people speak even today).
Few characters nce Ginny have attempted to get into Jason's head and figure him out to any degree whatsoever, and the fact that Ginny makes the attempt adds a modicum of depth to a franchise that is often proudly cheap and trashy. It also foreshadows the inevitable cat-and-mouse showdown between Ginny and Jason, creating the sense that she is the only character in the film who understands this killer to even a limited degree and making it more realistic that she would be the one to survive against him the longest. The scene where Ginny stumbles upon the severed head of Mrs. Loomis on a makeshift altar and realizes that Jason's mental state is muddled enough that she can assume his mother's identity is the high point of the entire series for me. Whereas many of his other victims have tried stabbing Jason, blowing him up, shooting him or drowning him, Ginny is one of the few characters to realize how ealy he can be tricked or outsmarted. The scene is also one of a paltry few in the entire franchise to hint that Jason might actually have an occaonal thought in his head, or emotion in his heart, bedes pure, violent rage. I know that the Friday the 13th
movies don't necessarily need to be smart, but I'm glad this one has some elements that are.Most of the other camp counselors that make up the cast are likable enough characters, but they seem just a shade
undercooked, with the exception of Tom McBride as the wheelchair bound Mark, and Lauren-Marie Taylor as the flirty yet sweet Vickie, who have excellent chemistry in their scenes together. Their murders were the ones that affected me the most in the film. I knew they were gonna bite it, but I was still sad to see it happen. I didn't feel the same sense of loss with Jason's other victims. Friday the 13th Part 2 is an extremely important part of slasher history, and a heck of a lot of good, violent fun. The sequel rises high on the fact that we don't know exactly what Jason Voorhees is yet. That angle became increangly played out as later sequels refused to explain what Jason is again and again, but this was the first time it had been done, and the air of mystery surrounding him had not yet begun to grow stale. Other horror films are more sophisticated or technically proficient, but Friday the 13th Part 2
provides a great icon with an origin story done right, sometimes ring above the constraints of the slasher genre.Stay tuned for my next installment!
Although the original Friday is more often touted as a clasc slasher film, Part 2is actually more relevant, nce it features the return of Jason Voorhees from death, and begins to establish him as the bloodthirsty force of rage that would capture the imaginations of horror fans throughout the 80s, and beyond. Mrs. Voorhees was a decent enough killer for one movie, but she's far less intimidating than her son, and doesn't have the added value of apparently being immune to death. I don't see her being able to carry the series forward into unlimited sequels the way Jason has.Visually speaking, Jason doesn't quite reach his potential to inspire terror in this film; he doesn't find his hockey mask until Part 3 and the white sack he wears on his head here is a little less memorable. Still, he quickly proves himself an efficient and unquenchable killer. His ability to score a high bodycount early on in his movies lives in infamy, and this is where he earns that infamy for the first time, wiping out the only survivor of his mom's killing spree, then a crazy old man, and then a cop, all in the first half hour or so of the movie. Soon after, he's already graduated to killing 2 people with 1 spear. His mom would be so proud. Even though I was rather young when I saw Friday the 13th Part 2
for the first time, I remember thinking that Jason was just what these movies needed. He just had that extra, vital something.The importance of what this film gave the genre with Jason Voorhees is hard to overstate, but this is a quality horror flick for other reasons, too. Ginny Field (played by Amy Steel) is still my favorite "final girl" in any Friday. The hysterical brunette from Part 3 is okay, I guess, and I admit I have a secret, guilty fondness for the girl with the telekinetic powers who was randomly and awkwardly forced into the script of Part 7 . But none of the other young women who survive Jason's wrath has quite the same dynamic with him as Ginny does. She wonders aloud about how he has returned, and exactly what he is, and even seems to have some sympathy for him when she suggests that he might just be a "scared retard" (not the most PC way to put it, I know, but it was 1981, and the dialogue does reflect how many real people speak even today).
Few characters nce Ginny have attempted to get into Jason's head and figure him out to any degree whatsoever, and the fact that Ginny makes the attempt adds a modicum of depth to a franchise that is often proudly cheap and trashy. It also foreshadows the inevitable cat-and-mouse showdown between Ginny and Jason, creating the sense that she is the only character in the film who understands this killer to even a limited degree and making it more realistic that she would be the one to survive against him the longest. The scene where Ginny stumbles upon the severed head of Mrs. Loomis on a makeshift altar and realizes that Jason's mental state is muddled enough that she can assume his mother's identity is the high point of the entire series for me. Whereas many of his other victims have tried stabbing Jason, blowing him up, shooting him or drowning him, Ginny is one of the few characters to realize how ealy he can be tricked or outsmarted. The scene is also one of a paltry few in the entire franchise to hint that Jason might actually have an occaonal thought in his head, or emotion in his heart, bedes pure, violent rage. I know that the Friday the 13th
movies don't necessarily need to be smart, but I'm glad this one has some elements that are.Most of the other camp counselors that make up the cast are likable enough characters, but they seem just a shade
undercooked, with the exception of Tom McBride as the wheelchair bound Mark, and Lauren-Marie Taylor as the flirty yet sweet Vickie, who have excellent chemistry in their scenes together. Their murders were the ones that affected me the most in the film. I knew they were gonna bite it, but I was still sad to see it happen. I didn't feel the same sense of loss with Jason's other victims. Friday the 13th Part 2 is an extremely important part of slasher history, and a heck of a lot of good, violent fun. The sequel rises high on the fact that we don't know exactly what Jason Voorhees is yet. That angle became increangly played out as later sequels refused to explain what Jason is again and again, but this was the first time it had been done, and the air of mystery surrounding him had not yet begun to grow stale. Other horror films are more sophisticated or technically proficient, but Friday the 13th Part 2
provides a great icon with an origin story done right, sometimes ring above the constraints of the slasher genre.Stay tuned for my next installment!
ImmortalSidneyP
Monday 2/27/2012 at 07:10 AM | 90844
I love this count down. I'm excited to find out what made the top three. I love part 2, Ginny is the second hottest actress in the Friday series. But part 7 is my favorite. Kane Hodder is one of my favorite men who works in the genre. I remember being just blown away when my buddy showed me part 7 on a shitty vcr back in the day. The paintball scenes blew my mind, and after the triple decapitation I just had to watch the rest of the movies.
HorrorDaily
Tuesday 2/28/2012 at 06:17 PM | 90887
Hey, man, thanks for the support. I hope you keep on having as much fun reading these things as I have writing them.
ImmortalSidneyP
Wednesday 2/29/2012 at 09:44 AM | 90925
