Friday The 13th is one of the most enduring horror franchises of the slasher subgenre. Over the last 20 years Jason Voorhees has terrorized Camp Crystal Lake, the city of Manhattan, made his way into outer space, and even joined forces with Freddy Krueger. Friday The 13th (2009) is a reboot of the Jason legend, combining aspects of all of the films in the franchise.

I was skeptical of another Michael Bay horror project, feeling that his work with the Texas Chainsaw franchise was a firm step in the wrong direction. The film opens with a credit sequence that essentially wraps up the first film. The original killer, Jason’s mother, is slain by the “last girl”. Young Jason is introduced to his trademark machete and the relentless voice of his mother urging him to avenge her death.

This installment begins with a group of kids on a camping trip/search for a marijuana crop, who stumble across Camp Crystal Lake. Don’t miss the deplorable reference to Blue Velvet within the first 10 minutes. Sex and drugs abound, as they must in a successful slasher flick, and the kids commence to partying/fooling around. I was actually surprised by the level of nudity in the film, which is essentially soft-core porn.

After Jason dispatches with this group of teens, the next group moves in. This time they are a pack of over-privileged college kids off for a weekend romp at their parents cabin. Not much sympathy can be conjured up for this lot. We also have the brother of one of the missing girls, searching for his sister and uncovering the Jason legend along the way. From this point on, the film unfolds in expected fashion. Jason terrorizes this group of kids just as he has for decades. The introduction of an extensive web of mine shafts under the camp to aid Jason in his killing is a nice touch.

The film functions as an amalgamation of the previous films, referencing deaths and characters along the way. Unfortunately the film takes a cue from the wildly popular American torture porn (Hostel, Saw) aesthetic. Jason has some tricks up his sleeve that result in prolonged, and often absurd, deaths. Jason was more of a terror when he had only his trusty machete at his side. There is still a wealth of wonderful machete kills, but the film struggles to stay in line with tradition.

Hollywood LOVES to remake previously successful films, and the horror genre is one of its most lucrative. Leave it to good old Michael Bay to breathe life into a long dormant franchise by throwing sexy young stars and a bag full of money into the ring. All in all you get what you expect. If you liked the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Prom Night, The Hills Have Eyes, My Bloody Valentine, (the list goes on) then you will most likely dig this film. It is not quite as entertaining as Freddy Vs. Jason, which was a surprise treat, but it should appeal to the under 20 crowd. If you are looking for something a little more challenging, I would suggest Martyrs, undoubtedly the best horror film of 2008.

All that being said, why not pick up some of the original films to go along with the remakes? It’s good to know where these things come from, and Thursday night is always $1.99 horror night here at The Video Station, as well as all non-new releases being $1.99 for one night in the month of June. So pick up some of the films that made the slasher film what it is today, such as:

The Bird With The Crystal Plumage (1969)
Last House On The Left (1972)
Torso (1973)
Suspiria (1977)
Maniac (1980)
The Prowler (1981)
Opera (1987)

Horror

Rated R

DVD Release Date: 6/16/09

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