Friday the 13th Part 2

The second installment of the saga launched by “Friday the 13th” (1980) serves as the prototype for upcoming sequels by codifying the rules and dynamics of the films. Repetitive and with little regard to logic, Miner’s film moves along unimaginatively from one slaughter to the next (at least two scenes are carbon copies of Mario Bava’s superb “A Bay of Blood“). Nevertheless, he demonstrates a directorial skill superior to that found in the average slasher movie of the era.

The screenplay serves up an insane dose of retcon, to say the least, shamelessly turning the plot of the prior film on its head. We go from a mother’s vengeance for the death of her son, to a son seeking revenge for his mother’s death, thus allowing Jason Voorhees to fully unleash his rage for the first time. Although an iconic character in the annals of horror movies, in this film he hasn’t yet taken on his most well-known characteristics.

Notably, in place of his trademark hockey mask, he temporarily covers his deformed face with a highly cumbersome burlap sack. Additionally, the classic machete represents only one of many tools the maniac employs in this quest to mow down his young victims (following the standard horror playbook, horny teens, voyeurs, and serious stoners still get slaughtered first).

Big box-office success with the inevitable sequel released just a few months later: “Friday the 13th Part 3”, once again directed by Steve Miner.