Connect with us

News

Late to the Party: ‘Friday the 13th: Part 2′ (1981)

Published

on

Carrie

Jason is back and he has a new group of hormonal teenagers to hunt down. Friday the 13th: Part 2 is exactly what you expect it to be, a follow-up to the first film but with more blood and less logic.

It is a fun time seeing Jason stomping around the woods, but let me break it down for you in this week’s Late to the Party.

Fair warning, there will be some spoilers in my review but I will try to keep it to a bare minimum.

An eerie, dark, street offers the opening images to the movie. Jason’s feet appear in an angle shot, presumably to trick viewers.

Upstairs in the house lays Alice, our sole survivor from the first Friday the 13th. She is lying asleep in her bed, consumed by flashbacks of her final battle with Mrs. Voorhees.

Alice seems to be plagued by PTSD from her stay at Camp Crystal Lake. She seems on edge in her quiet apartment. The only thing that keeps her company is her art….and her cat.

Fun Fact: Actress Adrienne King, who plays Alice,  is the only person to return to the series to reprise her role (besides Kane Hodder as Jason, of course).

Friday the 13: Part 2

Via IMDB

The rest of the film seems to follow the same format as the first: an unknown killer in the woods by Crystal Lake stalks a group of teens. However, this time around, the camp is a training program for camp counselors.

“We’ll probably all get a brownie badge to wear if we survive,” jokes one of the counselors.

No one seems to listen in Friday the 13th: Part 2. The teens all seem preoccupied in scoring with one another. But, the dynamic works and the allure of friendship seems true. Even the townspeople we get to meet seem genuinely worried for these knuckleheads.

Friday the 13: Part 2

Via IMDB

Naturally, the teenagers, again, do the opposite of what is told and venture into the garden of evil. One by one, the counselors are picked off with a vast array of weapons: from a kitchen knife to a spear, and the infamous machete.

Unlike the first film, this group of teens is very much aware of the fable that surrounds Jason. It isn’t until about midway through the film that we are introduced to a theory on what made the Voorhees clan snap.

Camp counselor Ginny analyses Jason as a human, traumatized by the death of his mother. Previously, we didn’t know much about the Voorhees family and the full dynamics behind the mother and son duo.

Jason’s mom is the only person he has ever known.

Ginny from Friday the 13: Part 2

Via IMDB

As a child, Mr. Voorhees was never in the picture. School was not an option for disfigured Jason. He had never trusted anyone other than his beloved mother.

Ginny alludes to Mrs. Voorhees’ killing spree as an act of revenge against the mistreatment of her son. Against the love she lost.

“I doubt that Jason even knew the meaning of death, or at least until that horrible night,” said Ginny at the bar. “He must have seen the whole thing happen — he must have seen his mother get killed and all because she loved him.”

This humanized version of Mrs. Voorhees and Jason might give some viewers a change of heart.

Friday the 13: Part 2

Via IMDB

Overall, the movie is very repetitive, but you know what you are signing up for when it comes to this franchise. The kills are definitely amped up.  I think I went in expecting much more out of this chapter of Friday the 13th.

I did really enjoy learning more about Jason and his mother. Even as ruthless killers, there is still love at the root of the film. So, I guess you can classify this a wholesome family movie.

The best kill definitely goes to wheelchair Jimmy — I mean Mark. It is brutal and the descent down the stairs is pure comedy gold.

Now for the best twist and OMG moment, in my opinion: the uncovering of Jeff and Sandra. I was not expecting that at all. I literally had my jaw to the floor.

Friday the 13: Part 2

Via IMDB

It should be noted the era this film was released. There were not many movies like this out on the market. It paved the way for many horror films that followed, such as Sleepaway Camp (one of my all-time favorites). With so many stalker/slasher films, this entry to the Friday the 13th franchise seems a bit lackluster.

Nonetheless, Jason proves to us why we should always treat others how you would want to be treated. You never know if that person might come back from the dead and seek revenge with a machete.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

Published

on

The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

Published

on

Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Movies

Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

Published

on

In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading