Movie Review: Friday the 13th Part 2

 

Hey everyone, my name is Anthony and welcome to my first Movie Review in 2023.

Yes, its the year again, but I haven’t starting watching movies of this year, until next month, we’ll get there for which film il pick.

Anyway, last year, I reviewed the very first Friday the 13th film that I posted in the actual Friday the 13th, which it has a cool idea of a mysterious slasher in the camp, but fell apart that it was boring from the start, but it managed to earning a BIG money at the box-office thanks to its marketing, so much so that it ended up becoming a franchise that we all know today, including the second installment in today’s review, cause today, its Friday the 13th.

“Friday the 13th Part 2” is a 1981 slasher film and the second installment of the series that was produced/directed by Steve Miner (in his directorial debut) and written by Ron Kurz.

After a HUGE success of Friday the 13th, Paramount wanted to have a sequel of this movie, but the plan was changed that executive named Frank Mancuso Sr was suggested to make an anthology series taken place in the universe of Friday the 13th, but the anthology idea was thrown out thanks to the suggestion of Phil Scuderi (one of the owner of Esquire Theater with his buddies Steve Minasian and Bob Barsamian, along with producing the first installment) suggested to have a sequel to focusing on Jason as a killer for taking his mother’s torch, which got the intention from Steve Miner that he wanna bring this idea to the light for his very film he ever directed. However, Sean S. Cunningham (the director of the first film) wasn’t as sure for the idea of Jason’s drowned being retconned, so he, along with great special effect/make-up artist Tom Savini, bowed out from the project.

When this movie came out, it had a negative review, saying that its pretty much the same as the first movie, but it does have a well-received review by some, saying its a kinda improvement over the first one based on improvement budget, much quicker (perhaps) and of course, Jason’s debut as the main villain than appearing out of nightmare from the first one, though the box-office received less than the first movie, but at least it earned more as $21.7M over $1.25M of budget.

So, with all that said, will this movie made me saying “Welcome to the slashing business, Jason”, or is it boringly pale as the first one?

Well, lets find out.

The Story

For a sequel of the series, you think the story could be different from the original? Well, yes and no.

The movie begins where our familiar last woman survivor Alice Hardy having a nightmare from two months after the incident of Camp Crystal Lake (by that, i mean recycling clips from the first film’s third act and ending) where she decapitated Mrs. Voorhees, which she probably having PTSD, that is until after meet a jumpscare cat, she opened a fridge of Mrs. Voorhees’s head in there, with Jason took a sneak attack by impaling Alice’s head with ice pick in his vengeance! (Talk about an early send off for the first survivor of the first installment of the series)

Fast forward to 5 years later, where we introducing new characters in this movie, mainly due to reopening of Camp Crystal Lake (name changed to Packanack Lodge) as a school for training to become a camp counsellors by Paul Holt with his assistant Ginny (who’s the main survivor btw). While they’re school in campfire, Paul Holt tells the urban legend where, as we know, Mrs. Voorhees killed anybody in the camp over her son got drowned, but the body of Jason was nowhere to be found, believing that he survived but hidden elsewhere from the shore. But little did they knows that a few days later, the mysterious slasher (which we all know its Jason) is hiding for killing anybody around here, its up to camp counselors to figuring out about Jason, or so we thought without realization.

Yeah, its pretty much the same as the first movie, but with new characters in the movie for reminder what we’ve heard from the first movie and the backstory, which some people called it a sorta remake of the first movie, though i maybe agree with that, but they have some new and different elements like some campers, Jeff and Sandra, are curious about Crystal Lake (which for whatever reason calling “Camp Blood”) for checking what happened, but does the whole “Camp Blood” has to do with the plot? Nothing, just a thrown out part where two campers got interrupted by a Deputy Winslow (his name was mentioned the novelization, not in the movie) for trespassing. There’s also one moment where we see Jason own-made shack, which his secret wouldn’t be until the third act. But as we all know, due to his mother’s decapitation, it makes Jason becomes a slasher and a mama’s boy throughout the movie, i know most people said he kills people for no reason, but I’d say he kills people for his pissy and vengeful fit, over his dead mother. Despite of those parts, they also add some humors which i find them chuckle worthy for hear and see, even some jokes are kinda mean-spirited for the most part, like where dog Muffin is caught by Jason, then cuts into hot dogs shot, which we all knew Jason killed that poor Muffin (Too bad he didn’t eat the dog like Michael Myers did. Also, in the words of Joe Bob Briggs “One of the main rules of horror films is that you can kill as many people as you want to, but you never kill a pet. People get upset.).

The plot is the same as before, but some elements are much different from camp counselling training to finding out about Jason’s shack (more on that later at the final act), which il give a credit for something new, especially giving Jason as a first main antagonist.

The Presentation

The movie’s presence looks somewhat the same, but the budget is improved with $1.25M compare the first one costed $550K.

The location is rather different, whereas the first one was filmed in New Jersey, here, they filmed in New Preston (like the Lake Waramaug Casino, but was sadly burnt down a few years after the release of Part 3) and Keenwood Camp at Kent, Connecticut, which im fine with that, but then again, im always thinking Friday the 13th in New Jersey, kinda like Halloween taken place in Illinois (though its fictional, but still). However, the filmography looks pretty good with improvement quality (for 1981) and they’re using Steadicam to keep straight and constant motion, rather than an amateur shaky cam, sure they sometimes using a shaky cam, but it was done for Jason’s view for hiding in the woods. And apparently, they filmed their project for 8 weeks in the fall of 1980, a few months after the release of the first film, talk about having a rushed development with expensive budget at the time. One interesting note of the filming is the scene of Alice Hardy in the beginning (if you ignore the obvious stock footage of the first film), it wasn’t even on the script when she shown up on set, so they just let her made up her own dialogue, im not talking about the story script, im talking about the dialogue script wasn’t even brought up, so like i said, it was done in improvised by Adrienne King herself.

As for the sets and effects, they look pretty good too for another set taken place in the camp with cabins and even Jason’s homemade shack. Originally, the designs and effect is going to be Stan Winston, he only did Mrs. Voorhees’s decapitated head in the fridge scene, but he was unable to do the rest due to the his schedule conflict, so they brought Carl Fullerton for 6 weeks of special effects and make-up. And il give a credit for Fullerton, he did a nice work of the make-up and effects, specially with blood and killings, even though most of them are done with the same trick, like cut open scene, impalement at the bed (but in opposite than bellow from the bed) and few others. But they did add some new ones like where Crazy Ralph gets strangled to death with a wire called garrote that we can see a blood out of the throat, Deputy got smash stabbed on the rear skull from hammer’s claw, and Mark got smash stabbed in the face, which his face is unseen from behind based on Styrofoam mask that actor puts on, and then in possibly in hilarious way, Mark’s dead body rolls backward in a wheelchair from stairs after stairs, which really made me chuckle after got killed.

If you watching Dead Meat’s Kill Count on Youtube (like i always do), the movie has 9 kills, which is slightly less than the first one that has 10 kills. As always, i enjoy Mark’s kill out of nowhere and a chuckle worthy rolling stairs from behind, but the worst kill has to be Terry, which she screamed out of nothing in front of camera and she laid out death out of nothing in Jason’s shack, i don’t know did she died is just beyond us.

However, unlike the first movie (for the most part) most of the seen kills was either briefly shown or cut, mainly because the MPAA went very strict on their post-production, because it was warned to put it as an X-Rated film, which they were forced to do some edits and cuts in order to releasing it as an R-rated, the situation will live on at many sequels of Friday the 13th series.

Aside the MPAA’s unfair censorship, at least the film’s presentation looks pretty good, along with some new kills.

The Characters

Like any horror films, you got plenty of cliché characters on the list, like you can play bingo out of it, as i mentioned in the first Friday the 13th review I’ve done last year. But some characters are probably likeable than the first one.

Lets start off for some remaining characters from the previous film, but il go with the main antagonist of this movie (and the rest of the series), Jason Voorhees. However, he’s not our Jason that we all know, you know with his hockey mask on? Anyway, this Jason (played by both Steve Daskewisz (or Steve Dash for his short nickname) for the stunts and Warrington Gillette for unmasked). As we know, takes his vengeance over his dead mother, which he’s pretty much going into mama’s boy killer at the shore of Crystal Lake. Like i said, before putting his signature hockey mask on, he started wearing a farmer outfit like overall and flannel, and a bag on his head with a hole of single eye. Pretty unlikely appearance and not to mention, Jason is kinda clumsy, despite his killings, but when he’s on a chase at Ginny, he gets him from tripping and some humiliation, making looking like a Slashing klutz. Talk about a rocky start for one of my favorite slasher, eh?

I should also point one that while Steve Dash did a nice work for his actions with his stunts, he’s also got a lot of pain with numerous injuries and one moment that he got cut open by a machete. Yeesh, talk about kinda got abused himself for his stunt while wearing a bag over his head.

There are three remaining that they left off, there’s Alice Hardy (reprised by Adrienne King) who’s the remaining survivor from the first movie, but got killed off from the beginning, Crazy Ralph (reprised by the late Walt Gourney) to make a last warning before you know gets himself killed for being doomed (Heh, how ironic), and of course, Mrs. Voorhees (reprised by the late Betsy Palmer) in Jason’s view when “she” is talking to Jason to behave like a good boy.

So what about the new characters, you asked? Well, they’re surprisingly good for the most part.

Lets start with the new main final woman Ginny Field (played by Amy Steel), a child psychologist turn camp counsellor trainer. I find her rather a fascinating final girl protagonist since she’s somewhat interest to be a trainer with Paul Holt for being frank and forward with him after been in psychology with students, even though she’s believable whether or not if something has to be true or not, especially when brought up to from the campfire scene. And she’s quite possibly made the right decision in the third act (more on that later) and Amy did a great work of her role, even though she’s kinda distressed when she’s forced to act nervous in the movie, but then again, she deserves a credit.

Next up is Paul Holt (played by John Furey), the head of the camp training at Crystal Lake with the aforementioned Ginny. He’s like a secondary protagonist in the first movie and i enjoy Paul Holt in the movie, since, despite it may not be a good idea to bring back Crystal Lake a camp training, but he’s fascinating for plot development, especially with the campfire scene how he delivers the backstory of the Voorhees situation from Jason’s un-found body from “drowning” to his mother decapitation, especially where he told the legend that Jason survived from drowning and hidden somewhere in the shore (which we all know where it goes reality). And John Furey did a great work of his role to make Paul Holt looks somewhat badass head of camp training to make him likeable.

The rest of the characters aren’t as much to give, whether some are likeable or just there for body counts, there’s Jeff and Sandra (played by Bill Randolph and then 17 year old Marta Kober) are a couple to be a camp student, despite their relationship aged badly due to Sandra was 17 to either get along with Jeff or get naked (Eww...), Ted Bowen (played Stu Charno) is a one tall awkward prankster (and never heard again, lucky big bastard to get away from Baghead Jason), Terry (played by Kirsten Baker) who’s a usual hot girl, including one moment with her close-up booty short, before got slingshot’d by a perv name Scott (played by Russell Todd), Vickie (played by Lauren-Marie Taylor), a cute flirty girl (Yeah, i find her pretty cute) and Mark (played the late Tom McBride) a former athlete turned arm-wrestler due to being paralyzed from the car crash. Btw, i find both Vickie and Mark are nice and kinda cute relation together, specially for Vickie being sympathetic to Mark. Not to mention, Lauren-Marie wanted to get along with Tom in relationship, but didn’t turned well, due to the fact that Tom was actually gay, but its too bad that he sadly died in 1995 from complication due to AIDS. There’s also Deputy Winslow (played by Jack Marks) who’s just there for warning, but also just there to be killed.

SPOILER ALERT if anyone haven’t seen the movie or didn’t mind

The third and final act is pretty much the same, but kinda done goof.

After Ginny and Paul Holt left the party club to going back to checking the students, they found out that its empty, well except for the blood stain in one bed, which Ginny realized that there’s somebody in the cabin, which happens to be Baghead Jason! After Paul Holt got strangled in knocked out, Baghead Jason starts chasing after her, Ginny goes from climbing out of window (after Jason pitchforks at the cardboard door) to get in her crappy car that (much any horror clichés), car refuses to work (cause that car is probably dead), leading Jason trying to break open with pitchfork at the roof, but got pushed by the door. After Ginny kicks Jason in the Nyuts, she gets in the other cabin in peace, but Jason (recovered from Dick Kick) gets in the building to looking after and attempt to kills her with pickaxe, but gets tripped by a broken chair, along with Jason got cut open by her chainsaw and smash him down with a chair (Again, pretty rocky start for Jason).

Until we get something good idea, after running away, Ginny reaches at Jason’s shack to wandering at first, until she sees a shrine of Mrs. Voorhees’s head with candles and her sweater, so Ginny decides to dressing up like Mrs. Voorhees until Jason arrived that she warns him to stop and goes down like a good boy, with Jason reminder as as her later mother, but once she’s about to kill him, Jason caught notice that her mom still dead that he tries to fight back, but Paul Holt steps in (recovered from being strangled) to stop Jason, while they went back to wrestling, Ginny eventually grabbed a machete and smash stabs over his shoulder to death!

As its over, Ginny and Paul Holt are going back to cabin in peace, until the door come in noise that brought us Muffin (even though that dog died). Just as she likes to see Muffin again, the glass BREAK IN WITH JUMPSCARE by hairy pissed off Jason (which he got unmasked by Paul Holt for some reason) to kidnapping her. But like before, it was just a hallucination (or not?) that Ginny is taken to ambulance, Paul Holt was never heard ever again...

uite of different chase you might say, but man, despite its kinda slapsticky, but at least it has a nice decision to make Jason gets distracted with defeat.

And now for my final opinion of this film

Overall, Friday the 13th Part 2 is almost like a remake of the first one, but at least its good.

The writing is nice, the presentation looks improved, the kills are pretty good, some characters are nice, despite the clichés and the acting are good as well.

Like i said, its easy to point the cliché, but sometimes it got a bit slow, but at least it made the movie a bit quick (since this movie was filmed for 8 weeks) and Jason himself has, again, a very rocky start. While i like to see the kills, but like i said, the MPAA went strict when it comes the killing scenes, and Friday the 13th is easily becoming a target for the X or R rated when it comes to the killings.

I considered Part 2 as a recommended film that again, its easily an improvement over the first one. So, if you want to see some quick action with Jason’s debut as a main slasher after his mom? This one is for you.

For my rating, im gonna give this one a 7.5/10

So this ends of my movie review, next time (depending in my mood or not), we’re going into three dimensional with the birth of hockey mask.

If you guys have your opinion or any suggestions, let me know at comment bellow and support me on https://ko-fi.com/blackevil.

Thanks for reading, and im Anthony, signing out.