If ever there were an iconic horror movie sequel, this has to be the one. The original “Friday the 13th,” released in 1980, set up the iconic Camp Crystal Lake, Mrs. Vorhees, and the now-infamous pick ‘em off one-by-one motif horror movies have since duplicated. However, there can be no arguing that the 1981 follow-up, “Friday the 13th Part 2,” launched one of the biggest horror icons to grace the big screen – Jason Vorhees. The film also has an inherent charm, a charm brought from a concert of the right elements, to make it a thoroughly enjoyable ‘80s horror film to boot.
True to form, “Friday the 13th Part 2,” opens as one of the survivors from the previous film has an encounter with Jason Vorhees, and the film quickly snaps to a new campsite fresh with new camp counselors, right across the pond from Camp Crystal Lake, where the massacres from the first movie took place. Right away we are introduced to the film’s luckless losers, from head counselor Paul (John Furey), his assistant Ginny (Amy Steele), and the jovial Ted (Stuart Charno), who are readying the camp for youthful inhabitants that summer.
Here the checklist of ‘80s films are all present, from a humdrum lecture Paul subjects a group of teenagers to, to shorts that are much too short on both men and women, to pranks and pratfalls that include troublemaking Scott (Russell Todd) trying desperately to get a date from a beautiful co-counselor, Ginny and other counselors sneaking off for some love and drugs in the night, and one couple who wanders too far toward old Crystal Lake for the town’s liking. Amidst these are warnings from Ted and Paul of the murderous wake Mrs. Vorhees left in her path, and to beware for her son Jason, whose body was never recovered. “You don’t want to hear about it, not before lunch,” Ted espouses.
As a straightforward ‘80s flick, “Friday the 13th Part 2” is just plain fun. There’s something seminal and iconic in love-starved teenagers tucked away in an Adirondack camp setting that is so pleasing to watch. And there’s something equally horrifying in how quickly picturesque scenes can turn into nightmares – a glistening daytime lake that becomes ominous in an obligatory thunderstorm, or the foreshadowed danger in prop spears and farm tools that you know will just come into play later. Further fear is evoked from the creepy yet odd soothsayer Crazy Ralph (Walt Gorney), who warns the counselors of the ‘death curse’ upon them.
One of the high points about this film is there is a great deal of suspense, and actual scariness, that were lost in many subsequent sequels in or around part 5. Jason Vorhees became a monstrous undead brute who would pull people’s head’s off or crush them to death with his bare hands. Here, however, we see Jason when he is mostly mortal, a man who stalks his victims in the forest…in their cabins…in cars that don’t start. And while Jason would be best known for his machete, here a variety of implements are used, such as spears, knives, pitchforks, and barb wire that carry with them the same uniqueness that made the first film such a success.
“Friday the 13th Part 2” also finds some ominous settings, such as an abandoned trailer two youths stumble upon, cabins that are far scarier when the lights go out, and the main cabin that houses the film’s counselors, a cabin that becomes more a cemetery as they are stalked one by one, in a mostly unbeknownst fashion, by the maniacal Jason Vorhees. And while Jason would become iconic for his hockey mask, here we rarely see his face, and when we do it is topped with but a white sheet, with only one glaring eye staring out. The score of the movie is also effective, from the sound of shrill violins as intensity increases, to the now-iconic “chh chh chh haa haa haa” that has become every-bit as telltale of Jason’s unwanted presence as John Carpenter’s legendary score from the original “Halloween.”
There is little to pick on here in terms of shortcomings. The film is scary, Jason is an effective villain and imposing in his first appearance, the acting is passable, and the settings and suspense in the film range from adequate to great. The film is certainly predictable, and while bordering on cheesy at times, the deaths are never gruesome, or over-the-top. This is a film for horror lovers. And even those looking for a good scare can probably bask in its classic nature. A great choice for Halloween night, or a guilty-pleasure Jason marathon any time.
– by Mark Ziobro
