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Friday the 13th In 1980 director, Sean Cunningham brought us a slasher film that would spawn a huge series of maniacal, relentless bloodletting. Friday the 13th takes us to Camp Crystal Lake, a property that has become cursed by local folklore and bad history. Story goes, years ago there was a tragedy. A young boy drowned in the nearby lake due to the councellor's negliegence. Soon, the ones responsible for letting the poor kid drown get mysteriously killed. Now, years later, a new group of kids and councellors are staying at Camp Crystal Lake. Not heeding the rumours of the local people, the councellors are one by one picked off by an unknown, vicious killer. This first of the huge Friday the 13th series offers good suspense and plenty of good gore, courtesy of horror makeup effects guru Tom Savini. Through the movie we know about the death curse and we see the killings but not the killer. Everybody is a suspect, until a frightening climax where the killer is revealed and the last councellor's fate is sealed. |
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Friday the 13th Part II This first sequel begins with the survivor of the last film getting her just deserts! Many specualated that Jason witnessed his mother's murder. This spawned revenge that has since been unparalelled and insatiable. Another group of campers come to Camp Crystal Lake to have a good time. Again, in a violent way, they each meet their maker by the woods dweller. This unseen assailant has targetted anyone old enough to have been a councellor. Although Tom Savini did not do the effects, they are still pretty gross. The slasher fans were proud to see another film come out of this story. As victims die the killer drags them away (only to be discovered by the last victims at the end). No bodies are found so nobody thinks there is any trouble. But the audience gets to chuckle! We get to see the councellors hacked up and dragged away. One by one (or maybe two at a time) we get to see dismal ends for the cast. And their ignorance is to blame. They all know of the death curse. But their refusal of the truth will ultimately be their undoing. But if Jason died as a boy, why is he alive as a man, killing? Is there something supernatural to this fiend? Watch the movie, and after the horrifying conclusion you make your own conclusions. It's funner that way. |
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Friday the 13th Part III This movie was released in the theatres in 3-D. I was too young to have seen it in that format (Damn Canadian film restrictions!! Not even a parent's presence gets you in here. Oh well, it's been a while since I had that problem). Many years ago when THIS CHICK was a young girl she was attacked by this thing out by the camp. She survived but no one was ever found. Now she's older (and cuter), and she's foolishly going back there. But hey!! Why not bring a bunch of friends along for the gore filled ride? That's a good idea. Sure enough, one by one each of HER friends are dispatched by means of some cruel instrument. Historically, this is the first film that introduced the classic hockey mask. The characterised icon that is probably more renowned than even Freddy's glove. The feminists must of loved watching a third heroine confront the killer for the climax. Only this time it's dejavu for the frightened girl. She's met Jason before. This film is amusing. I enjoyed most of the cast. The only thing that made me roll my eyes are the blatant shots aimed at a 3-D screening. They are most cheesy and ineffective. But it's still great horror!!! |
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Friday the 13th IV: The Final Chapter (my ass...) Jason's body count rises further in this so called last Friday the 13th. Mr. Savini was brought back to the Friday the 13th set to kill off the monster that he created with his phenomenal effects. Thought dead and shipped to a morgue, Jason revives and kills all he encounters on his way back to Camp Blood. This film has two sets of cast. There are a bunch of adolescence in one cabin (gore fodder) and a boy, his sister and his mother in another. This boy, Tommy (played by a young Corey Feldman) has a gift for making masks. Unbeknownst to him and the others, Jason has come back to clean house. This is a particularly gorey film (which means I love it), especially the climax. I can see why they would of called it The Final Chapter at that time. Nobody could survive the beating Jason takes. This film was targetted at letting the prey get their shot. Here's a guy who's been hacking up campers for years. Now, it's his turn. I won't completely spoil it for you but Tommy has a plan for Jason. Watch the movie, feel the pain and ask yourself; How could Jason survive? |
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Friday the 13th V: A New Beginning When someone says Friday the 13th, I immediately think Jason. So when they make a Friday the 13th film and not even have Jason in it, there's a problem. I'm not one for stepping on toes here, but a Friday without Jason is like a nightmare without Freddy. Anyway, the story goes that after Jason's demise Tommy is a little neurotic. Now that he's a young man, he is transfered to a small, secluded home for the slightly disturbed but mainly harmless cases around his age. Tommy still has a hard time dealing with that night of terror when he and his sister faced that vile thing with the mask. Mostly a recluse, Tommy slowly comes out of his personal confinement. Everything goes well until... A patient named Joey (one of the undesirable characters) mouths off to the wrong peer and gets hacked up with an axe. Just so happens one of the paramedics that comes to get the badly mutilated corpse is his father. No one knows this fact except him. And he's not saying much now that he's snapped, using the Jason legend to get revenge. That's right. There's a guy in a hockey mask alright, but it's not who you think it is. Tommy starts to see this character around the site and begins to trip, thinking he's losing it. But he's not. It's another battle with the masked figure for him. The only thing that makes this movie good is the huge body count. I'm sure at least 20 people bite it in this savage film. Even though it isn't really Jason, I think 20 deaths with his M.O. will satisfy a fan. I know I enjoyed every drip. Will this movie push Tommy over the edge of sanity? or will he triumph over his fears and save himself again? Maybe it's both. Watch the film and find out. |
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Friday the 13th VI: Jason Lives A good Jason flick! This begins a new era where Jason is indeed, more than man. An older Tommy is a little more rational but still freaked about Jason. We begin with him and his unfortunate friend, Hawes. Their mission, to dig up Jason, witness first hand his rotting corpse, and burn it to nothing. Only then will Tommy's nightmares cease. Sure enough, he's in there. A big pile of maggots. Something that's been dead and buried for years. That is until Tommy goes into a rage, breaks off a pole from the fence and starts running the corpse through repeatedly. Still kinda nutty, eh? Lightning strikes the pole and we get a Frankenstein comeback for our masked fiend. Jason lives again. Tommy gets away but Haus is fodder for the beginning. He's nicely done, I might add. Trying to warn the local sherriff of Jason's return, Tommy gets thrown in the slammer for being a nut. Meanwhile we get to see decapitations and other assorted maiming along Jason's trail to Camp Blood. As the story unfolds, and bodies are discovered, the sherriff believes Tommy is responsible. With some help from the sherriff's daughter he escapes and plans a way to kill Jason for good. But he better do it quick, cause there are a whole lot of campers at Camp Blood. Overall, this movie is great. Jason is brutal and powerful. Makes for some gruesome deaths. Check it out! |
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Friday the 13th VII: The New Blood This is my favourite Jason flick. Not only does it introduce Kane Hodder as Jason (and would be cast for Jason in 8, 9 and upcoming films), it also has an interesting twist with one of the other characters. A young woman named Tina has telekenetic capabilities. Although she can't control them, they can still become deadly. After witnessing her father beat her mother when she was a little girl, Tina accidently kills her father through her rage and uncontrollable telekenesis. She becomes psuedo-nuts with guilt and is now (in young adulthood) being studied by a doctor who only wishes to test her psychic ability. This testing brings them back to the cabin where Tina's father was drowned in the lake. Tina, Dr. Kruse and her mother settle into the old cabin, right next to a surprise party filled with Jason fodder. As Tina tries to bring her father back with her powers, she unwittingly breaks Jason free from his previous confinement. His only thanks is sparing her... for the moment. It's back to the hack and slash for the unholy monster. We get the usual gore that is expected from a Friday the 13th film. As the plot unfolds, we find the doctor can't be trusted, Tina's mother meets Jason (the hard way) and everyone but a select few are dead. Tina will be forced to throw every bit of psychic energy she has at him if she's to survive. Will Jason succumb to the force she posesses? Or will he shrug off the attack and add her to the body count? If you want to see the best Friday the 13th yet, check this film out. |
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Friday the 13th VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan I had such high hopes for this film. I was so happy with the sixth sequel I was sure part VIII would be a smash. But I was wrong. Jason Takes Manhattan had a story that could of been good but, unfortunately, through bad film making, it was not. Some of the death scenes are interesting enough but there is absolutely no reality to this film. A bunch of graduates are heading for Manhattan from the Crystal Lake area. After Jason is freed from his watery prison he boards the ship and starts picking students off. No one finds a problem until the ship is in the middle of a storm and sinking quick. Some survivors make it to the shore of New York. Jason either swims or tags a ride to the Big Apple. To make my point; Jason somehow keeps meeting up with these shipwrecked folk, who have already split up to look for help. Not even a populace with millions of people can stop this maniac from getting his prey. Cops can't help, local junkies can't help. Even the biggest bouncers get bounced. The only interesting aspect of part VIII is the definitive conclusion. Watch the ultimate urban fate be brought upon an ignorant, rural killer. |
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Friday the 13th IX: Jason Goes To Hell After years of killing and killing and killing, the government finally steps in to the bush to flush out this serial killer, who is probably the most wanted criminal in history. Successfully ambushing Jason in the forest, they use the artillery on him, and blow him to shit. This is in the first five minutes!! But don't worry, that's not all. Jason becomes a spirit, travelling through person to person via a wet kiss, this killer slashes his way to his kin. A long lost sister has the power to give him re-birth. Only Jason and one other fellow knows this to be true. There is typical Jason malice through the whole movie. It's funny to watch ordinary folk be just as vicious as the masked figure. After the sister is dispatched, Jason's neice and her baby girl become the last targets. You will notice buddy that played in the Friday the 13th Series joins the cast (not that he's the same character, just in the cast). It's a supernatural gore fest as Jason tries for rejuvenation and sets out to kill the rest of his family; the only people who have the power to kill him, for good. This film takes a wild spiritual turn. I suppose it was an idea that they tried, and thankfully it worked. Look for the foreshadowing of the up and coming Freddy vs. Jason. |
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