Few film franchises are as tied to a specific date as the Friday the 13th series, so without further ado, here are some of my personal favorite films and that may serve as a sort of guide if you should choose to view any of these on Netflix over the Friday the 13th Weekend. This is not a critical response to the film series. While it would be fun to write out a detailed analysis of one of the most iconic slasher movies ever made, the genre itself is entirely too subjective. One’s ire for blood and guts could bump a film up a few notches even though the actual plot is devoid of any common sense.
“Friday the 13th”
As is customary, the first movie of any series is always a must-watch. Though it may lack the all-out gore of its successors (although Kevin Bacon may disagree) it serves as the foundation for the series at its core. Sure, one could say that this was a rip-off of the highly successful “Halloween” of 1978. Yet this film had a slightly different feel; coming out five years later in 1983, the tone of films changed much in that span and the film even added some elements which were absent in “Halloween.” The ending is a twist you don’t see coming (unless it was spoiled for you by friends or “Scream”), and the acting is of a higher caliber than the later films (Kevin Bacon would agree). The setting of something as relevant a summer camp works incredibly well and overall, it’s a great piece of pop-culture history.
Friday the 13th Part 2:
While the first installation of the series is nothing short of important, Part 2 gives us a first look at Jason the Almighty. Not sporting his signature hockey-mask look until Part 3, Part 2 serves as a staple in the series for allowing us to actually see Jason go to work on those pesky, horny teens at Camp Crystal Lake. The hero of the film, in this case heroine, is one of my favorites, due to one scene at the end. Ginny Field finds herself in the lair (a dumpy old shack in the woods) of Jason, and is cornered. She finds Jason’s mother’s sweater and dons it, as well as pretends to be Jason’s deceased mother. Facing a potential pick-axe to the face, she even goes so far as to yell at Jason, “Jason! Mother is talking to you!” It’s one of the most intense scenes in the series and Amy Steel (Ginny Field) earns major points for this film in her lead role.
Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter (Sure it is, whatever you say Paramount)
Part 3 fell into the pit of despair known as “Just another ‘80s slasher sex-romp movie”, Part IV tried to revive the series with a series in and of itself. It once again followed the lives of the Crystal Lake counselors who don’t seem to care that countless murders have happened, they’ll be damned if camp doesn’t start. Yet it also follows a family who lives nearby. Corey Feldman (in an early role) plays Tommy Jarvis, the new protagonist for the impending trio of films to follow. While Feldman doesn’t play Tommy in the next three films, the character is used almost as much as Jason. The film, overall, is not exactly anything new, as much as it is just different enough and important enough to be noted. Once again, the last scene is an intense one. Jason is in the house of the Jarvis family, ready to kill Tommy’s sister, when Tommy comes down pretending to be a younger Jason. Another “possession” trick, sure, but this one worked very well and ended with the “killing” of Jason in a manner not seen in any other movie. This is a definite watch if you are a fan of pop-culture in general; as is Part 1 for Kevin Bacon, just to watch an early Corey Feldman.
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
Jason spends only 20 minutes of the whole movie in Manhattan. It’s inconceivable how they manage to cruise from Crystal Lake to New York Harbor. Most of the film is filler killings on the ship until they reach New York. Yet this film is one of my favorites, due to the fact that there is effort shown on the side of those who made it. Paramount saw a decreased decline in profit from the previous films so they decided to limit the budget for the eighth installation; thus leading to very limited time in New York. Originally planned to take place around the Brooklyn Bridge and numerous other city landmarks, it was decided that most of it was to be set on the ship. Yet, the writing at least tried to form a backstory for the main protagonist which is something respectable as most of the other films were completely void of that. While the majority of the film is spent on the cruise, it pays off well when Jason is chasing the characters through Times Square. New York being New York, no one is fazed apparently at the sight of a giant, machete-wielding monster. When one of the characters is abducted and shot up with heroin, about to be raped (yeah, this film gets fairly dark, yet never goes too far) Jason actually saves her and murders both of the scumbags who began the act. Not being just another film at Crystal Lake with camp counselors has me putting this above the other six films in the entire series.