Back at it with our man Jason at center stage:
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to camp…here’s even more heart pounding terror. Five years after the horrible bloodbath at Camp Crystal lake, all that remains is the legend of Jason Voorhees and his demented mother, who had murdered seven camp counselors. At a nearby summer camp, the new counselors are unconcerned about the warnings to stay away from the infamous site. Carefree, the young people roam the area, not sensing the ominous lurking presence. One by one, they are attacked and brutally slaughtered. Suspense and screams abound in this compelling chiller.
This one starts with us knowing what we’re getting into, unless we’re too dumb to remember previous movies we’ve seen. So from the outset we know there’s going to be a killer, and that dampens some of the suspense. Also, the formula of who lives and dies has become a little more established so the movie holds a little less back when it comes to that.
This movie really felt like a lot of what they went for in Part One came together, in my opinion. Although there is still a lot missing from this: we don’t have the superhuman Jason from future movies, nor does he yet have the iconic mask. Instead, we have a dialed in thriller with several interesting kills (which, admittedly, is a huge draw in the genre). Some gore, some nudity, some humor — a lot of ticks on the formula.
I’m not calling it formulaic in a bad way, either. People go to these movies expecting certain things, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with delivering what an adoring public wants. And we’re all agreed: we want annoying young people to shut up, by ANY. MEANS. NECESSARY.
Someone needs to make one of these about a slasher hunting aging, whining baby-boomers and they’ll end up with all the avocado toast money they can spend.
Of course, the movies aren’t actually all that frightening — more’s the pity — but some of that is just genre savvy callouses. That said, looking at this movie for what it is: I like this one. It’s not my favorite Friday the 13th (I’ll have to figure out what that one is), but it is a pretty decent movie — I’d certainly choose it over a vast swath of crappy movies I’ve seen — and I don’t mind that I own it on DVD.
If you’re into the genre, yes, you should see it. It has some great moments and establishes Jason to some extent. But does it do as well as his reboot almost thirty years later? We’ll find out next week.
Report Card:
Running Time: An hour and twenty-six minutes of dying, annoying teenagers.
Acting: As with a lot of these movies, it varies.
Effects: For the year they went all out.
Violence: Doesn’t that go without saying in a slasher?
Gun Use: I don’t recall any.
Gore: As required, it’s a slasher.
Creepy? Kind of.
Monster Type? A murderer human-type.
Funny? I found parts of this one funnier than the last.
Nudity: Gratuitous female nearly full frontal.
Pacing: A little better than the last.
