Friday the 13th Movie Series Discussion

[Sham]

Can we do a discussion on the Friday the 13th series as a whole?

For instance, instead of rating each movie individually, we could talk about what worked in some of the movies, what didn't in others, and also discuss our thoughts on what we would've liked to have seen as opposed to what was given to us.

[dragonmanes]

The series as a whole is still a fav, but looking back at it from an unbiased stand point, the acting is mediocre teen acting and each of the plots after the second film are retreads. 5 could have been much better had it taken the series in a completely different direction than it did, but outside of it not having Jason, the entry still has the worst acting and most annoying charactes (yet best rack!). I thought 7 was the right move in the series, since it was dark and menacing with Kanr and Beuchler's use of high and low angles.

We have to give the series credit for emploring 3D in its early stages, attempting something different with 5, and being able to make fun of itself in 6 and 10. I love the concept of 9 too, but it just didnt play out well since it was so outlandish.

I felt the remake took the series in the exact direction it needed to go though. It was scary for (I hate to say) the first time since Part 2, and I like having a jason that is fast moving again. I also like that he has some degree of intelligence, even if that does go against the original films. Let the filmmakers try something new, whose to say that Jason's mental handicap didnt just leave him at the developmental stage of a 10yr old, where he could still figure out how to hunt and use traps? I like the idea and am glad they ran with it.

[Sham]

First of all, I think Friday the 13th is pretty underrated as a series because each entry, even before it is released, is instantly and unfairly discarded as cinematic trash. This isn’t true for me because I think a few of the films are somewhat decent, and some scenes in said films are actually pretty damn good.

My favorite moment in any of the films is in Part II, when all of the counselors are eating dinner together, chatting about what to do with the rest of their evening. Sounding off like roll call, each of the characters announces whether they’re going to town for a few drinks (where it’s assumedly safe) or staying at the camp to settle in (where a killer is indelibly waiting). It’s so eerie and tragic watching each character determine their own fate in one sweeping, continuous shot.

Another scene I’ve always liked occurs in Part VII when a nerdy girl does herself up for a guy she likes. Her newfound vanity is practically the death of her when she loses an earring in the woods and, in her desperate search to find it, discovers the dead body of one of her friends. Suddenly, the girl is tossed into a predicament where a killer wants her dead, and her new, pretty face can’t save her. Add to this John Carl Buechler’s tight framing and Harry Manfredini’s elusive score, and a simple death scene in a mediocre slasher movie becomes a stylized chase with Hitchcockian influence.

And while these two scenes worked tremendously in style, they seemed to take an undeserved backseat to preexisting conventions like recycled characters, repetitive POV shots, and increased body counts. Had the subsequent filmmakers recognized how effective these moments were and reinstated them in the worsening sequels, would the series be as cheap and hokey as it is today? The talent was obviously there to make better movies.

I was hoping the remake would recognize the tone and quality of these scenes specifically because they are quiet instances of horror that still work for its intended, gore-hungry audience. While I personally didn’t like the remake because of its overall lack of originality, I will happily give the creators credit for the wakeboarding sequence, which delivered both a hard-hitting kill and a sneaky chase in the span of a few minutes. Beyond this small scene, the film divulged in the usual sex-driven, alcohol-induced rhetoric without the promise of creative kills to make it all worth it.

I feel like the entire franchise, at this point, is the butt of a very lucrative joke. It’s as if the makers know they have a hit on their hands even if the film is absolutely terrible, so they don’t even try anymore. No wonder Paramount came back on board to laugh along with them.

[The Hitman]

This is my all-time favorite horror series.

I'm going to assume y'all have seen most, if not all, of the series, so *SPOILERS* throughout.

Yes, the sequels are derivative in many ways. But there is a certain measure in originality in almost all of them, relatively speaking.

My favorites besides the first two are IV (Final Chapter) and VII (New Blood), and my least favorite is definitely VIII (Jason Takes Vancouver).

I really like that the series does attempt (except Jason X) to maintain some semblance of mythology, which is more often the kind of thing credited to NOES and Halloween (in select parts).

I also like, in retrospect, the way the killer builds up through the first three parts - you have Mrs. Voorhees in Part 1, Jason-in-a-Bag in Part 2, and then the arrival of the mask in Part 3, which becomes the series icon.

It's also interesting to watch the series change with the times, in some ways, particularly the "why haven't cops hunted this guy down" Jason Goes to Hell and the post-Scream semi-tongue-in-cheek Jason X. Plus, I thought using a reasonably prominent, experienced director like Ronny Yu really helped FvJ become more than the mess that was AvP.

Many of the films also have nice little touches that go unnoticed in the general bloodshed, such as the character Sham mentioned, and the frequent sibling rivalries/alliances that add to the empathy with the characters.

This goes all the way back to the first film, when the first victim is the focus of the intro in a kind of Janet Leigh scene (you think she's a main character, you get to know her, she gets killed) or when one of the girls (Kevin Bacon's girlfriend) speaks about her fears of thunderstorms and things - before being killed during one.

Another example is the counselor in Part VI (another good entry, though lacking in blood and nudity for the "purists") who talks to the little girl about saying a prayer to protect her from monsters. Just before the counselor is killed, the actress subtly makes it clear her faith can't save her - in fact, she dies one of the most brutal (if censored) deaths in the film.

I could go on and on, but I won't. For now.

(Disclaimer: I haven't yet seen the remake. Blame the wife.)

[dragonmanes]

I had to blame the baby for a week, I can totally relate lol..

IV and VII are definitely my favs, since Jason has never been so pissed off and violent in any before or since. Everyone hates on VII since it was decimated by the MPAA but I think VII's Jason is the single most iconic look to the character, and easily the scariest performance. Of all of the films, I would have to say 1 and 2 are of the highest quality, and I hate to admit it but Jason X, in all its terrible glory, is the one entry that I rewatch more than any other. Its a film for the fans, and doesnt hold any punches in the gore.

I love the originality with the outlandish deaths throughout the F13th series, but I respect the remake for attempting brutal slayings that are a bit more grounded. The force of the machete has never been more powerful, and its awesome seeing Jason have to pry everyone off of it. What can I say, I really liked the remake, I posted my complete tyrade of justifications in my blog

[Sham]

IV and VII are definitely my favs, since Jason has never been so pissed off and violent in any before or since. Everyone hates on VII since it was decimated by the MPAA but I think VII's Jason is the single most iconic look to the character, and easily the scariest performance. Of all of the films, I would have to say 1 and 2 are of the highest quality, and I hate to admit it but Jason X, in all its terrible glory, is the one entry that I rewatch more than any other. Its a film for the fans, and doesnt hold any punches in the gore.

I definitely agree. I'm not one of those Kane Hodder fan boys, but man, he definitely took the part to a new level with that performance in part VII. His presence alone--the way he moves and the way he carries himself--makes you want to watch the movie. I don't know why he isn't as effective in the other movies considering he was completely capable of pulling it off.

The first two films are defnitely the best in the series, and they are the only two films I truly defend tooth and nail. And Jason X, while completely ridiculous, is a lot of fun if you don't take it too seriously.

I love the originality with the outlandish deaths throughout the F13th series, but I respect the remake for attempting brutal slayings that are a bit more grounded. The force of the machete has never been more powerful, and its awesome seeing Jason have to pry everyone off of it. What can I say, I really liked the remake, I posted my complete tyrade of justifications in my blog

See, I think this is where I'm just going to agree to disagree. I've grown pretty tired of the torture era of horror films that have been bombarding theaters, including the likes of Saw, Hostel, Captivity, and Wolf Creek. I'm just not a fan of that stuff. I've really been missing the relaxed, we're-just-having-fun mentality that comes with boydcount films, and when Friday the 13th was announced as the next remake, I nearly shit myself. Finally, we would get a slasher film with creative death scenes instead of prolonged torture sequences.

But no, the remake ended up having more to do with the torture era than the '80s period that inspired it. Hell, even Jason held one of his victims hostage for a few weeks! If I was in the room with the writers as they were pitching this idea, I would've laughed myself out of the building. It's just not something these slasher films are about.

I'm not even mentioning how closely the remake ripped off See No Evil, not only with a hulking killer offing good-looking young people, but with the killer setting traps (bells) and kidnapping victims. How sad it is when a highly successful franchise must resort to ripping off a WWE film.

[dragonmanes]

The two things I cant rightfully justify or ignore in the remake are the hostage situation and the fact that the film completely destroys the survivor girl concept. Cant get into it too deeply without spoilers but the ending and the hostage were the two big parts that I didnt agree with. Otherwise, I was pretty pleased with the film, and thought the acting and plot were superior to a majority of the sequels.

[Mistress0fTheDamned]

CJ Graham is my favorite Jason