Friday The 13th: 2009 vs 1980

So, for me anyway, the long wait was over. The Michael Bay produced Friday The 13th finally has arrived… and I for one was not disappointed. I don’t think that this will grab many new fans, as many people will just dismiss it as ‘yet another Friday The 13th film.’I guess in a way those people will be right, it is another Friday the 13th film, but this is really how the original films should have looked. With modern day technology, and mainstream budgets this is a perfect result for hardcore Friday fans. Of course there will be the people who want to jump on the band wagon and tell everyone how bad this film is, but I would have this to say to those people; what on earth were you expecting? A Kubrick style masterpiece? Tarantino-esque dialogue? Mind warping twisting plots? No. Friday the 13th has alongside Halloween been the marker for all slasher films, and what have we learnt in the past 30 years that a slasher film needs? A bunch of disposable teens who take drugs, have sex and have absolutely zero respect for the rules of horror films (never go for a walk in the woods at night, never have sex in a tent, don’t be the smart black guy, etc) and then throw in a massive guy in a mask to chop up all the annoying kids with a big ass knife. Get this right, and you have the basis of a pretty decent slasher film, all you have to do is have a few ingenious deaths, a high nipple count and a few gags and then everyone is happy. I am happy to report that the 2009 remake ticks every box and then some.

There were some unexpected additions to make this a lot more than just another remake. After all this is in noway a remake. A straight remake of the 1980 original would not have included Jason, this re-imaganing covered the first four chapters of the Friday the 13th saga, which makes for a really pacey film. There is also a high body count, which is also a F13 staple. Jason offed at least 12 victims to my knowledge. No doubt there will be the odd naysayer who will point out things that were not resolved, but do you really need every damn thing explained to you in detail? Did the creators not want to leave a few things uncovered so that a possible sequel would be in the offering? Of course they did. In the same way that Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2004 left a few holes so that there would be a prequel, F13 2009 left enough so that a sequel could (and should) be made.

As far as mainstay F13 characteristics go, there were three good boobie scenes (one of which must take the claim of being F13’s most hardcore sex scene), lots of drug use reference and of course some excellent deaths and gags. To mention a few without giving too much away we had a burning inside a tied up sleeping bag (reminded me of the sleeping bag death of Jason X – the only good thing about that film), an arrow through the head, death by flying axe, screwdriver through the head and many machetes to the head, including a great one through the top of the head under a dock (when you see it you will know why!) As for the gags the best one was when one of the guys heads to the tool shed (don’t ever do that when visiting Crystal Lake) and starts playing with a Ice Hockey stick that he found in there, only to be confronted by Jason clad in the infamous Hockey mask. Cue the line ‘Uh, I think this must belong to you’ as he holds out the stick. Obvious but very funny. The dialogue is ropey at best, but that is what horror films are about, casting people you have never heard of or never will hear of again. Ok there may be the odd exception; Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Bacon and Johnny Depp to name but a few, but generally you only really care about one person in a film like this, and in this particular film his name is Jason Voorhees.

I have always thought that Kane Hodder was the only man who could play Jason, and it is a real shame that he played Jason in four of the worst Jason films ever; Part 7 and 8, Jason Goes To Hell and Jason X. Ken Kirzinger did a good job in Freddy vs Jason, but in this new film Derek Mears has breathed new life to what some people would say is a very limited character. First of all it appears Jason now has the ability to run. I mean all you had to do was stay on your feet and run like fuck and you would be safe. Not now. Also this is a much cleverer Jason, and we get to see more than ever before, especially his dwelling. I love the idea that the kids are not staying at the Camp Crystal Lake, and that its whereabouts have been lost in time, and that Jason has taken over this place as his home. You see the old Voorhees household and Jason’s old bed, and then something you have never seen; Jason’s underground hideaway, and proof that he is not as stupid as you may think. A series of bells linked to tripwires all around the campus let Jason know when someone is tresspassing, in a similar fashion to Kane in See No Evil. This is great to see, as Jason’s home was only seen before in F13 Part 2, and very briefly.

All in all I was very pleased and even suprised at how good this was, hardcore fans will love it, movie gits will complain that there is too many holes, newbies will enjoy it but not be into it like the fans. This really is a great reward for fans, and will no doubt lead to more sequels, which will keep me happy.

A great addition to the Friday the 13th family, and well worth a watch… 10/10 to hardcore diehard fans like me,… 7/10 for newbies and the like!