THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Friday the 13th was such a crazy experience that it became the face of the face of sub genre of slashers due to its shocking violence. With such bloody entertainment, you bet it would be the beginning of the most extensive franchise this genre could ever get.
PLOT
Part 2 starts two months after Alice Hardy (Adrienne King) survived the wrath of the murderous Pamela Voorhees, defending herself by beheading her with a machete. The past would come back to end her as her Jason, thought to have died from a drowning, re emerges to kill her. Five years after this, Paul Holt and his assistant/girlfriend Ginny Field have opened a school for camp counselors on the shore of Crystal Lake, Packanack Lodge. The various group of trainees include: Ted Bowen (Stuart Charno), Sandra Dier (Marta Kober), Jeff Dunsberry (Bill Randolph), Scott Cheney (Russell Todd), Terry McCarthy (Kirsten Baker), Mark Jarvis (Tom McBride) and Vickie Perry (Lauren-Marie Taylor). On the first night in, Paul shares the story of Jason and Pamela in the middle of a campfire, but it is treated as a myth that Jason returned. Jason would only resume his killing spree by killing elderly local Crazy Ralph (Walt Gorney) that was aware of the lake being cursed as a whole, strangling him with a garrot. By morning, the couple Jeff and Sandra wander off into the off-limits Camp Crystal Lake, leading to them being escorted out by an officer just moments after finding a mangled body of a dog. That same cop Deputy Winslow (Jack Marks) would also get killed by Jason after he passes by him on the road. Wearing a burlap sack mask to cover his deformed face, Voorhees kills him with a hammer claw. By the next night, Paul and GInny go out with Ted and the other trainees, while some stay behind (Jeff, Sandra, Terry, Mark and Vickie). When Terry goes out skinny dipping, Scott taunts her by taking her clothes and she gets them back moments before he walks into a stare, that hangs him upside down from a tree. When she searches for a blade in her room to cut him down, Jason would resume his bloodlust by slicing Scott's throat with a machete. He would kill Terry as well when she goes back to him. He would also kill Jeff & Sandra by stabbing them both with a spear while they were having sex. Before that, he threw a machete into the face of the wheelchair bound Mark, leading to his body falling down the stairs outside. He would then stab Vickie with a knife when she goes looking for him. While Ted chooses to stay at the bar with the other trainees, Paul and Ginny return to find the camp shed with blood. Jason is able to incapacitate Paul and chooses to pursue Ginny before deciding to finish off the former. When the latter gets outside the cabin, she tries inside a shack, but little did she know it is where the slasher has a shrine for his mother, which she confirms his myth to be real. She buys herself some time with a ruse, putting on Pamela's shirt to psychologically Jason she is his mother. It works long enough for Paul to catch up and fight the slasher. As that happens, Ginny appears to end the conflict by hacking Voorhees' neck with a machete. As the couple return to the cabin and wait for help, they hear something outside only for it to be Terry's dog Muffin. Just when they think the nightmare is over, an unmasked Jason attacks from a window. But by the next morning, he remains unfound as Ginny is sent to the hospital by an ambulance at the scene. The film would end with one last look at the shrine, confirming that the events actually happened and Jason is still out there.
THOUGHTS
You would think that a sequel would be doomed to succeed when being released only 10 months apart from the predecessor. Well I'm surprised to say it ain't this film. Going in with low expectations, I honestly did not mind it as Director Steve Miner and writer Ron Kurz do their best to ante it up as they should. I think the reason this one has been a general payoff due to how it does a better job picking up the pace, with audiences aware of what to expect. With things acting faster, you have a better chance to invest with the story at hand. Thanks to Susan E Cunningham editing, you feel the impact and adrenaline rush you're supposed to feel with the ensuing mayhem. And Carl Fullerton's makeup is effective enough to make the violence as graphic as you would expect in the 80s. Never in my life would I want to imagine a machete being stuck on someone's face until this movie. Since this is a slasher movie, you know the villain will be the star and this sequel gives us THE star that carries the whole franchise with his creative kills. It definitely is a paradox for Jason to be the main slasher, making you wish this franchise was done in the style of an anthology, but if you want get a loophole out of it, I would say Jason really did attack Alice in the end of the first but she imagined it to be a boy. If you put that in mind, you can hang with the rest of the shenanigans we get from here on around. Moving on, I think a main reason why Jason has remained one of the scariest of characters for so long has to be because you know his motive and one with motivation can be frightening. He is avenging his mother by killing as much as he can to keep people away from the lake and doesn't care how much he has to kill to accomplish the goal. I do respect costume designer Ellen Lutter (who did the opening walking scene as Jason) paying tribute to The Town that Dreaded Sundown by having Voorhees wear a pillowcase for a mask, but I wasn't too crazy about it and I don't hate it like many fans openly do. I would've not minded him being unmasked the whole time as Warrington Gillette III made him so terrifying to look at in his final attack, but on the other hand, Steve 'Dash' Daskawitz definitely carried the role with his physique presence that made us so intimidated of him the whole time. When he was in action, his silence spoke volumes as it implied how focused of an individual he is and that helps the fear kick in. Seeing this brute figure shows that evil can come in all shapes and sizes. After the original final girl Alice getting killed off instantly, there definitely had to be a new protagonist that can hold ground just as well. Enter Amy Steel who leaves a strong impression as Ginny. She stood out for being able to be fierce when confronted and smart enough to outsmart the villain. Had she not been a child psychology major, she likely would've not pulled it off. The difference she has from Alice is that she has the chance to share sympathy over the Voorhees and actually understands why Jason would do what he does. Even though she gets it, she doesn't excuse it at all. It honestly is a relief she gets to survive Jason's wrath because as this franchise suggests, no one is that lucky. I don't want to overrate Paul, but John Ferey made him standout for actually trying to be a mature leader before terror came everyone's way. Yeah he seemed to enjoy kicking back with Ted, but he knew when to switch gears necessarily, which definitely defends why Ginny liked him. Considering that he is nowhere to be found by the time Ginny is rescued, it is sadly a safe bet that he didn't make it. While I do think this is generally fine of a film, which I don’t say a lot as the franchise progresses, but even a decent slasher film like this had a handful of questionable moments. Like for instance, what was the whole point of bringing back Crazy Ralph when he does nothing at all this time in comparison to the first time we saw him? He has a peeping Tom moment before getting killed, rather than warning people again that the camp is cursed. He warns two people in the beginning, but stops there. I know this is part of shaking things up, but I feel like every character in this environment should be useful. Also, what was Ginny gonna tell Ted before Jason came their way? Was she pregnant or did she get a legit job as a child psychologist? I would’ve cared more if they came back to this somehow yet they don’t and it’s irritating. And who the hell thinks it’s a good idea to put a chainsaw in a closet instead of a shed. I know this gives a better fight against Jason, but that should’ve been somewhere safer. Also, why does Terry go to her room instead of a kitchen to get a blade that’ll cut him down? It’s not like the kitchen doesn’t have any. If I’m gonna get into continuity errors I gotta ask, where did Jason come from when he killed Mark? He’s completely out of shock when he stabs his head, so was he hanging somewhere when he does it? Someone please explain how that was possible. He even gets creative when using a pitchfork on the roof of Ginny’s car, but he could’ve had better chances if he went through the windows. That’s more unwise than not killing off Paul when given the chance. Other than that, you’re still in for a ride. In short, Friday the 13th Part 2 is a decent slasher sequel for pushing its creativity with the violence. If slashers are up your alley, don’t take too long checking this out after already seeing the predecessor.
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