Review: "FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VI: JASON LIVES" Makes for a Happy Friday the 13th

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 2 of 2026 (No. 2050) by Leroy Douresseaux

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)

Running time:  86 minutes (1 hour, 26 minutes)

Rating: MPAA – R

DIRECTOR:  Tom McLoughlin

WRITER:  Tom McLoughlin (based on characters created by Victor Miller)

PRODUCER: Don Behrns

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  John Kranhouse (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Bruce Green

COMPOSER:  Harry Manfredini

HORROR

Starring:  Thom Matthews, Jennifer Cooke, David Kagen, Renee Jones, Kerry Noonan, Tom Fridley, Vincent Guastaferro, Tony Goldwyn, Nancy McLoughlin, Darcy DeMoss, Ron Palillo, and C.J. Graham

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives is a 1986 slasher horror film from writer-director Tom McLoughlin.  It is a sequel to the 1985 film, Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, and is the sixth movie in the Friday the 13th movie franchise.  In Jason Lives, a former victim decides to cremate the corpse of Jason Voorhees only to inadvertently bring him back to life instead.

Following the events of the last film, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives focuses on Tommy Jarvis (Thom Matthews).  As a 12-year-old, Tommy killed Jason Voorhees (as seen in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter).  With his friend, Allen Hawes (Ron Palillo), adult Tommy travels to Forest Green County and arrives at Eternal Peace Cemetery where Jason is buried.

Tommy plans to cremate Jason's remains, in order to free himself of the misery that Jason brought into his life.  Through a series of unfortunate events, however, Tommy inadvertently brings Jason back to life as a kind of revenant or undead monster with super-human powers.

Tommy flees to Forest Green County Sheriff's Office, where he attempts to warn Sheriff Michael Garris (David Kagen) that Jason is alive.  However, the mean-spirited Garris is aware that Tommy is institutionalized and presumes that Tommy is hallucinating that Jason has returned from the grave.

Meanwhile, Camp Crystal Lake (a.k.a. “Camp Blood”) has been remade as “Camp Forest Green,” a camp for middle-school age children – boys and girls.  The new camp's teen counselors don't know that Jason is already murdering his way towards them, but Tommy does.  Only the Sheriff's daughter, Megan Garris (Jennifer Cooke), believes Tommy's warnings about Jason's return.  She is willing to help him stop Jason from turning Camp Forest Green into “Camp Blood,” again, but will that be enough?

In the wake of the box office failure of Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, Jason Voorhees returns as the series' villain in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives.  It may be my favorite film in the series, if not my favorite.

There are so many scenes and set pieces that I find likable, exciting, or even endearing.  I won't spoil the film for those of you, dear readers, who have never seen it by mentioning these moments.  However, I will say that I think the idea of making Camp Crystal Lake, with its history of brutal murders in and around the area, a camp for middle-school children, is both charming and crazy.  Also, the scene of the first of the camp counselors to be Jason's victims is one of my favorite Friday the 13th moments.

I really like actors, Thom Matthews and Jennifer Cooke, as the heroic duo of Tommy and Megan.  At the time, Matthews had recently been one of the main characters in 1985's cult, rock 'n' roll horror movie, Return of the Living Dead.  Also, I always enjoy seeing now former actress, Renee Jones (as Sissy Baker), in film or television.

Let's give credit where credit is due.  Writer-director Tom McLoughlin delivers one of this series' most unique offerings with its humor and self-referential elements.  I consider Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives to be a must-see in the Friday the 13th film series.

6 of 10

B

★★★ out of 4 stars

Thursday, February 12, 2026

The text is copyright © 2026 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 20th to 26th, 2025 - UPDATE #11

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like this, MOVIES PAGE, and BUY something(s).

TREATS: From AnotherCookie?:  There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.

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NEWS:

SCANDAL - From WorldofReel:  27-year-old actor, Michael Ward, is a rising star, having appeared in such films as "Old Guard" (2020), "Empire of Light" (2022), and "Eddington" (2025), to name a few.  Now, the Jamaican-born, British actor has been arrested by the London Metropolitan Police and charged with two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration, and one count of sexual assault.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  Disney/Marvel Studios' "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" grosses an estimated 24+ million dollars in Thursday preview shows.

MOVIES - From WorldofReel:  Margot Robbie will star in and produce director Tim Burton's remake of the 1958 film, "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman."

STREAMING/ANIMATION - From Variety:  As part of the 1.5 billion dollar deal that Trey Parker and Matt Stone signed with Paramount+, they will produce 50 new episodes of "South Park," the long-running animated series they created.  All episodes of the series will stream on Paramount+

From YahooLATimes:  "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have reached a deal with Paramount+ that will brings the long-running animated series to the U.S. version of the streaming service for the first time.  The five-year deal is worth 1.5 billion dollars in total.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 7/18 to 7/20/2025 weekend box office is Warner Bros/DC Studios' Superman with an estimated take of 57.25 million dollars.

STREAMING - From Deadline:    Peacock is filling out the cast of its "Friday the 13th" prequel series, "Crystal Lake," from A24.  Young actor Callum Vinson ("Chucky") will play future killer, Jason Voorhees. Brad Caleb Kane serves as creator, writer, showrunner and executive producer of the series.

OBITS:

From Variety:  American professional wrestler, film and television actor, and media personality, Hulk Hogan, has died at the age of 71, Thursday, July 24, 2025.  Born Terry Gene Bollea, Hogan was best known for his professional wrestling career, which ran from 1977 to 2012, and for his flamboyant personality and massive physique, as well as his blond horseshoe mustache and bandanas.  As an actor, he appeared in such films as "Rocky III" (1982) and "No Holds Barred" (1989) and in such TV series as "The A-Team," "Walker, Texas Ranger," and in his own reality series, "Hogan Knows Best" (2005-07), for the cable network VH1.

From Deadline:  English singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and media personality, Ozzy Osbourne, has died at the age of 76, Tuesday, July 22, 2025.  Osbourne was best known as a pioneer in the "heavy metal" genre of rock music, first as a founding member of the seminal rock band, "Black Sabbath," in 1968.  In 1980, Osbourne released "Blizzard of Ozz," the first of 13 solo albums.  He was inducted into the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" in 2006 as a member of Black Sabbath and in 2024 as a solo artist.  Osbourne received 12 Grammy Awards nominations and won five of them, and he received the Grammy "Lifetime Achievement Award" in 2019.  Osbourne also achieved even more fame and notoriety when he and his wife, Sharon, and their daughter, Kelly, and their son, Jack, became stars of the MTV reality television series, "The Osbournes," which originally aired from 2002 to 2005.

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From Variety:  The film and television actor and recording artist, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, has died at the age of 54, Sunday, July 20, 2025 of an accidental drowning while swimming in Costa Rica.  Warner was best known for the role of "Theodore 'Theo' Huxtable" on NBC's former sitcom, "The Cosby Show" (1984-92). He received a 1986 Primetime Emmy nomination for the role.  He co-starred with Eddie Griffin in the former UPN sitcom, "Malcolm & Eddie" (1996-2000). He co-starred with "Seinfeld's" Jason Alexander in the short-lived CBS sitcom, "Listen Up" (2004-05).  Warner was part of the main cast of the former Fox medical drama "The Resident" (2018-23).  In 2015, Warner received the Grammy Award in the category of "Best Traditional R&B Peformance" for the song, "Jesus Children," with Robert Glasper Experiment and Lalah Hathaway.

From Deadline:  Deadline offers "Malcolm-Jamal Warner, a career in photos"

From Deadline:  Bill Cosby remembers his TV son, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, with CBS News' Jericka Duncan.

Review: "FRIDAY THE 13TH: A New Beginning" Fumbles a Chance to Be New and Good

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 27 of 2025 (No. 2033) by Leroy Douresseaux

Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)

Running time:  92 minutes

MPAA – R

DIRECTOR:  Danny Steinmann

WRITERS:  Martin Kitrosser & David Cohen and Danny Steinmann; based on story by Martin Kitrosser & David Cohen

PRODUCER: Timothy Silver

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Stephen L. Posey

EDITOR:  Bruce Green

COMPOSER:  Harry Manfredini

HORROR

Starring: Melanie Kinnaman, John Shepherd, Shavar Ross, Richard Young, Marco St. John, Carol Locatell, Ron Sloan, Tiffany Helm, Jerry Pavlon, Jere Fields, John Robert Dixon, Miguel A. Nunez, Jr., Debisue Voorhees, Dick Wieand, Dominick Brascia, Bob De Simone, Vernon Washington, and Corey Feldman

Friday the 13th: A New Beginning is a 1985 slasher horror film from director Danny Steinmann.  It is a direct sequel to the 1984 film, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, and is the fifth movie in the Friday the 13th movie franchise.  A New Beginning focuses on a young man who has a connection to Jason Voorhees and who is now living in an area beset by a series of brutal murders that resemble the work of Voorhees.

Friday the 13th: A New Beginning begins with 12-year-old Tommy (Corey Feldman) facing the monster, Jason Voorhees, again.  Now, in the present day, teenage Tommy Jarvis (John Shepherd), still haunted by his past, has departed the “Unger Institute for Mental Health.”  He is being transported to “Pinehurst Youth Development Center,” where he will receive treatment.

Managed by its director, Dr. Matthew Letter (Richard Young), and assistant director, Pam Roberts (Melanie Kinnaman), the center works on the “honor system” and gives its patients more freedom in their mental health journey.  Tommy learns just how different Pinehurst is when he encounters a kid, Reggie the Reckless (Shavar Ross), who hangs around because his grandfather, George (Vernon Washington), is the center's cook.

Not long after Tommy arrives, however, a shocking and savage killing occurs at Pinehurst.  That seems to kick off a brutal series of murders in the area.  As the bodies pile-up, the area's top law enforcement official, Sheriff Tucker (Marco St. John), believes that Jason Voorhees is the killer.  But Tommy Jarvis, as a 12-year-old boy, killed Jason (as seen in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter), didn't he?

Friday the 13th: A New Beginning was apparently going to be the first in a new trilogy of Friday the 13th films featuring a different villain.  Disappointing box office returns, however, meant that Jason returned as the villain in the series' sixth film, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986).  Thus, A New Beginning remains only the second film in the series in which Jason Voorhees is not the main villain.  The original film, Friday the 13th (1980), features (spoiler alert) Jason's mother, Mrs. (Pamela) Voorhees, as the killer.

Like the fourth film, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, A New Beginning has a high body count.  I counted at least 15 people murdered.  Like many of the films in the series, A New Beginning has an interesting menagerie of eccentric characters, many worth exploring, but all of them exist in the story in order to be murder victims or almost-murder victims.

This film's plot and narrative bounces around so that various characters can be killed.  For me, the most interesting thing about this film is that it features some character actors whom I encounter in film and television from time to time.  They are Shavar Ross, Marco St. John, and Miguel A. Nunez, Jr.

Friday the 13th: A New Beginning has an interesting plot, characters, and setting, and the film's prologue or opening scene is surprisingly eerie and weird.  This film in not really suspenseful, and it wants to be vulgar and raunchy as much as it is brutal and crude.  Of course, it certainly is brutal and crude.  Friday the 13th: A New Beginning is a beginning that deserved to end after one film... but it could have been something better.

4 of 10

C

★★ out of 4 stars

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Review: "FRIDAY THE 13TH: The Final Chapter" Now Seems Quaint

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 56 of 2024 (No. 2000) by Leroy Douresseaux

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

Running time:  91 minutes (1 hour, 31 minutes)

MPAA – R

DIRECTOR:  Joseph Zito

WRITERS:  Barney Cohen; from a story by Bruce Hidemi Sakow (based on characters created by Victor Miller and Ron Kurz & Martin Kitrosser and Carol Watson)

PRODUCER: Frank Mancuso, Jr.

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  João Fernandez (D.o.P.)

EDITORS:  Joel Goodman with Daniel Loewenthal

COMPOSER:  Harry Manfredini

HORROR

Starring:  Erich Anderson, Judie Aronson, Peter Barton, Kimberly Beck, Corey Feldman, Joan Freeman, Crispin Glover, Lawrence Monoson, Alan Hayes, Barbara Howard, Camilla More, Carey More, Bruce Mahler, Lisa Freeman, Bonnie Hellman and Frankie Hill with Ted White

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter is a 1984 slasher horror film directed by Joseph Zito.  It is a direct sequel to the 1982 film, Friday the 13th Part III, and is the fourth movie in the Friday the 13th movie franchise.  The Final Chapter finds Jason Voorhees revived after being declared dead and then, returning to Crystal Lake where he stalks a group of friends renting a nearby house.

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter opens in the aftermath of the massacre at “Higgins Haven,” the old home near Crystal Lake (as seen in Friday the 13th Part III).  The police clean up the scene, picking up the bodies of ten victims.  They were all killed by Jason Voorhees (Ted White), the killer of Crystal Lake.  This time, however, Jason has also been pronounced dead, and his body is picked up and sent to the Wessex County Medical Center Morgue (apparently somewhere in southern New Jersey).  Somehow, Jason spontaneously revives and kills a morgue attendant and a nurse on his way out the door and back to Crystal Lake.

Meanwhile, a group of six teenage friends:  Paul (Alan Hayes), Sam (Judie Aronson), Doug (Peter Barton), Sara (Barbara Howard), Ted (Lawrence Monoson), and Jimmy (Crispin Glover), have arrived at the house in the countryside near Crystal Lake that they are renting.  Right across from that house is another home where Mrs. Jarvis (Joan Freeman) lives with her two children:  her teen teenage daughter, Trish Jarvis (Kimberly Beck) and her twelve-year-old son, Tommy (Corey Feldman), along with their dog, Gordon.  The visiting group of teens also meets and befriends a pair of twin sisters, Tina (Camilla More) and Terri (Carey More).

Later, Trish and Tommy meet Rob Dier (Erich Anderson), a strapping young man who claims that he is visiting the area to hunt bear, but who is really hunting Jason for killing his sister, Sandra Dier.  What they don't know is that Jason is already hunting them all.

[NOTE: Rob's sister, Sandra, and her boyfriend, Jeff, were killed together by Jason in  Friday the 13th Part II.]

The first few minutes of Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter are a sequence of highlights from the first three films:  Friday the 13th (1980), Friday the 13th Part II (1981), and Friday the 13th Part III.  The third film was originally going to be the end of the series, just as this fourth film was going to conclude the series, so the beginning of this fourth film summarizes for the audience what has been going on at and around Crystal Lake.  Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter was the first film in the series that I saw, and is one of only two in the series that I have actually watched in a movie theater (the other being 1989's Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan).

So forty years later, what do I think of Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter?  I remember that I kinda liked it the first time I saw it, although I was shocked by the number of people Jason killed – thirteen by my count, although fourteen is possible.  Originally, I was surprised by how fast the narrative had Jason dispatching his victims, and forty years later, I still think that.

Like the third film, I think The Final Chapter actually presents several good characters.  In fact, the six teens, the Jarvis family members, and Rob Dier all have personalities and potential that would make for decent character drama or melodrama, as it may be.  In the end, however, they are merely meat for this franchise's beast, Jason Voorhees.  Also, I think Corey Feldman's Tommy is the only character that really gets a chance at a showcase of character and emotion.

In the final analysis, The Final Chapter is better than most of the films in the series that followed it, but it isn't as good or as classic as the films that preceded.  If you want to know which is my favorite, dear readers, it is the second film, although I think the original is still the series' best film.  Still, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter is a nice way to make a tetralogy out of a trilogy.

5 of 10

B-

★★½ out of 4 stars

Thursday, December 12, 2024

The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Review: "FRIDAY THE 13TH Part III" Has Flat Plot, But Lively Characters

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 30 of 2022 (No. 1842) by Leroy Douresseaux

Friday the 13th Part III (1982)
Running time:  95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR:  Steve Miner
WRITERS:  Martin Kitrosser and Carol Watson (based on characters created by Victor Miller and Ron Kurz)
PRODUCER: Frank Mancuso, Jr.
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Gerald Feil (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  George Hively
COMPOSER:  Harry Manfredini

HORROR

Starring:  Dana Kimmell, Tracie Savage, Richard Brooker, Gloria Charles, Rachel Howard, David Katims, Paul Kratka, Cheri Maugans, Steve Susskind, Kevin O'Brien, Catherine Parks, Jeffrey Rogers, Nick Savage, and Larry Zerner

Friday the 13th Part III is a 1982 slasher horror film directed by Steve Miner.  It is a direct sequel to the 1981 film, Friday the 13th Part 2, and is the third movie in the Friday the 13th movie franchise.  This film also marked the first time Jason Voorhees put on a hockey mask, which became both the character and the franchise's trademark.

Friday the 13th Part III is set immediately after the events of Part 2.  A young woman, Chris Higgins (Dana Kimmell), and her friends travel to Higgins Haven, her old family home on Crystal Lake, to spend the weekend.  The group includes pregnant Debbie (Tracie Savage); her boyfriend, Andy (Jeffrey Rogers), Shelly (Larry Zerner), a young man who is an incessant prankster; Vera (Catherine Parks), who is supposed to be Shelly's blind date; and finally, stoner couple, Chuck (David Katims) and Chili (Rachel Howard).  Rick (Paul Kratka), Chris' boyfriend, is waiting for them at Higgins Haven.  The group has also attracted the attention of a trio of reprobate punk bikers:  Ali (Nick Savage), Fox (Gloria Charles), and Loco (Kevin O'Brien).

Meanwhile, Jason Voorhees (Richard Brooker) was left injured after his recent murder spree at a nearby counselor training camp.  He has arrived at Higgins Haven, after killing local store owner, Harold (Steve Susskind), and his wife, Edna (Cheri Maugans).  And he is ready to begin a new killing spree.

Between 1981 and 1983, some segments of the American film industry embraced 3D films again.  One of the resulting films was Friday the 13th Part III, which was originally released to theaters as a 3D film ("Friday the 13th Part 3: 3D") almost forty years ago (August 1982).  I doubt anyone younger than 50-years-old ever saw it as a 3D film inside a movie theater.  I didn't, so there is no point in me trying to talk about that aspect of the film.  I can't remember when I first saw Part III, but I think I was well into middle age by the time I did.

Contemporary reviews of Friday the 13th Part III were savage, and in a way, those critics were right.  Part III isn't imaginative in terms of plot.  The film exists to make money because movie audiences enjoyed seeing 20-somethings get killed in the two earlier installments, especially seeing Jason kill in Part 2.  So Part III was inevitable, although at the time, it was apparently meant to be the series finale.

Part III does have one thing going for it.  Most of the characters are interesting.  No two characters are alike, even when they look alike.  In fact, whenever I watch this movie, I find myself sometimes confused by Chris, Debbie, and Vera – especially Chris and Debbie who look, at least, like fraternal twins.  The characters are unique and even quirky, but the narrative really and obviously does not dwell on personality, not when there is killing to be depicted.  Besides, maybe there is no point to really getting to know characters that are going to be dead soon, although Jason does not start killing Chris' friends until after the fifty-minute mark of the film.

Because I like these characters:  Chris and her friends, especially her hunky boyfriend, Rick, I like Friday the 13th Part III … a lot.  I watch it anytime it is shown on some cable network, so I probably see it at least two or three times a year.  Still, I have to admit that there is a dry formality to the killings, and the filmmakers act as if they are making nothing more than the cinematic equivalent of one more fast food toad burger.  And that's a shame, because, in some areas, Friday the 13th Part III had the potential to be better – much better.  My grade and ratings for this film reflect my good feelings towards this classic 1980s slasher film.

5 of 10
B-
★★½ out of 4 stars

Wednesday, May 11, 2022


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Review: Notable "Friday the 13th Part 2" is Not Really That Good or Bad

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 81 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
Running time:  87 minutes (1 hour, 27 minutes)
MPAA – R
PRODUCER/DIRECTOR:  Steve Miner
WRITER:  Ron Kurz (based on characters created by Victor Miller)
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Peter Stein (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Susan E. Cunningham
COMPOSER:  Harry Manfredini

HORROR

Starring:  Amy Steel, John Furey, Kirsten Baker, Stu Charno, Marta Kober, Tom McBride, Bill Randolph, Lauren-Marie Taylor, Russell Todd, Jack Marks, Warrington Gillette, Steve Daskawisz, Walt Gorney, and Adrienne King with Betsy Palmer

Friday the 13th Part 2 is a 1981 slasher horror film from producer-director, Steve Miner.  It is a sequel to the 1980 film, Friday the 13th, and the second movie in the Friday the 13th movie franchise.  It is also the first movie in the franchise to feature Jason Voorhees as the villain.  Friday the 13th Part 2 finds a group of camp counselors being stalked by an unknown assailant.

The main story of Friday the 13th Part 2 takes place five years after the events of the first film.  Paul Holt (John Furey) has established a “Counselor Training” center on Crystal Lake, near the infamous Camp Crystal Lake AKA “Camp Blood.”  Paul ignores the fact that locals are not happy about him locating his training center so close to the site of several murders, and instead, he focuses on getting his large group of counselors together.  Only Paul’s assistant and sort of girlfriend, Ginny Field (Amy Steel), takes rumors about Jason Voorhees stalking the grounds of Crystal Lake.  One rainy night, however, a killer makes a move against the unwary camp counselors.

Recently, I watched Friday the 13th Part 2 in its entirety for the first time.  I have previously watched the movie in parts countless times, and I usually liked what I saw.  Strangely, I always found this movie to be a bit scary whenever I watched it in parts, but after watching the entire movie, I don’t find it particularly scary.  I wonder what the 15-year-old me would have thought of this film.

Friday the 13th Part 2 is a strange movie.  It opens with a 12-minute prologue (of sorts) that is set two months after the events of the first film, before returning to Crystal Lake.  Jason does not start killing campers until 50 minutes into the movie.  There is also a dream sequence that muddles the ending of the movie, but that dream sequence contains what may be one of the most famous moments in American horror cinema history.  Also, this film’s heroine does not really stand out as the hero until the last half-hour of the movie.  At this point in the franchise, Jason Voorhees is not the supernatural killer he would become.  Here, he seems like nothing more than a deranged killer.

I have to admit that Friday the 13th Part 2 is yet another of those movies that I like, but cannot really explain why I like it.  I will recommend it to fans of horror movies.  After all, Friday the 13th Part 2 was the first time Jason Voorhees took the spotlight, on his way to becoming a legendary horror movie monster.

5 of 10
B-

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

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Review: Original "Friday the 13th" Movie is Surprisingly Good

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 62 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

Friday the 13th (1980)
Running time:  95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)
MPAA – X
PRODUCER/DIRECTOR:  Sean S. Cunningham
WRITERS:  Victor Miller; from a story by Sean S. Cunningham and Victor Miller
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Barry Abrams (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Bill Freda
COMPOSER:  Harry Manfredini

HORROR

Starring:  Adrienne King, Jeannine Taylor, Robbi Morgan, Kevin Bacon, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram, Mark Nelson, Peter Bouwer, Rex Everhart, Ronn Carroll, Ron Millkie, Walt Gorney, and Betsy Palmer

Friday the 13th is a 1980 slasher horror film from producer-director, Sean S. Cunningham.  It was the first movie in what is, as of this writing, a 12-film franchise, which includes a 2009 reboot of the franchise and a crossover film with another horror franchise, 2003’s Freddy vs. Jason.  The first Friday the 13th focuses on young camp counselors that are being stalked and murdered by an unknown assailant, as they try to reopen a summer camp with a troubled history.

Friday the 13th opens one night in 1958 at Camp Crystal Lake, where two young camp counselors are savagely murdered.  The story jumps to Friday, June 13, 1979.  Steve Christy (Peter Bouwer), son of the camp’s original owners, is trying to reopen Camp Crystal Lake.  Seven young camp counselors are arriving early to help Steve repair the camp site before it reopens.

Annie (Robbi Morgan), one of the early arrivals, finds that the town is not exactly happy about the idea of Steve reopening the camp, which has been the site of murders, fires, and water poisonings.  In fact, some of the locals specifically try to warn Annie to leave.  As this Friday the 13th turns to evening, the counselors are not aware that someone is watching and waiting and also preparing to kill them one by one.

Recently, I watched, for the first time, Friday the 13th in its entirety, and I liked it more than I ever thought I would.  It was clearly influenced by John Carpenter’s classic, 1978 slasher film, Halloween, but it is different.  I find Friday the 13th to be both moody and matter-of-fact about the murders committed in the film.  It is almost as if the filmmakers and storytellers (which include screenwriter Ron Kurz, who did not receive an onscreen credit) are saying to us that while sad, the death in this movie has to be.  This movie is less about pandering to the audience than about depicting a tragedy that has to be.

The film score for Friday the 13th, composed by Harry Manfredini, is probably the most important creative element in making this movie a chiller and thriller.  Manfredini seems to use elements from John Williams’ musical score for Jaws (1975) and Bernard Herrmann’s for Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960).  If talent borrows and genius steals, it was a genius move on Manfredini’s part to emulate the best musical cues from Jaws and Psycho, strains of music that are perfect for creating an atmosphere of fear and impending doom in Friday the 13th.

After 33 years, anyone familiar with the Friday the 13th franchise knows the identity of the killer in the original movie, but I still will not reveal the identity.  I think one of the things that make the original movie stand out from both its sequels and other horror films is who and what the killer is.  Of note, acclaimed actor Kevin Bacon has one of his earliest screen roles in Friday the 13th, and that includes a rather explicit sex scene, in which his sex partner claws his buttocks.  Including the fact that this is a horror movie classic, bare Bacon is as good a reason as any to see Friday the 13th.

Seriously, I like this movie’s scrappy nature.  There is something about its awkward, not-well made spirit that actually makes the movie seem... well, well-made.  Friday the 13th has a low-budget aesthetic that surprisingly appeals to me, and in terms of photography, there are a few moments that are captivating.  In fact, some of this movie’s scenes and best moments are as effective as the best moments found in film thrillers that are much more admired.

7 of 10
B+

NOTES:
1981 Razzie Awards:  2 nominations: “Worst Picture” (Sean S. Cunningham) and “Worst Supporting Actress” (Betsy Palmer)

Thursday, September 12, 2013

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

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