Jason has come home.
Friday, Feb. 13, 2009 marked a new era in horror films. Well, I wouldn’t say new era; this is just one of many 1980s horror “re-imaginings” (others including Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween and most recently My Bloody Valentine 3-D — Child’s Play, Hellraiser, Halloween 2 and A Nightmare on Elm Street all on the slate for the coming year). Regardless, Friday the 13th returned to the spotlight last Friday topping the box office with $42.2 million for the weekend (IMDB announced around $50 million was made the entire President’s Day weekend). Did it live up to the hype? I think so.
Yahoo! News reported the film marked a record for the horror genre, Friday the 13th trumped 2004’s The Grudge (starring Sarah MIchelle Gellar) debut at $39.1 million. To put that into perspective, the final Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King grossed $72 million in its opening weekend; Academy Award Nominee Slumdog Millionaire has only grossed $88 million since being released and only scored a meek $360,000 in its opening weekend; Another Academy Award Nominee, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, only grossed around $27 million in its opening weekend. I have to say that Friday the 13th hit it big.
Are blood, guts and boobs the reasoning for the No. 1 spot? In my opinion, no. If you are an avid fan of horror movies like I am, which is probably a small audience of readers, you would have known that Michael Bay’s remake was after the first four films of the original Friday the 13th series. I strongly encourage anyone planning to see the movie to watch parts one through four — you will appreciate everything so much more.
The film opens with an eerie ode to Mrs. Pamela Voorhees (Nana Visitor). Yes, the psychotic mother who terrorized camp counselors in the first Friday film was at it again. This brief segment, ending just as you would have expected it had you seen the original Friday the 13th film, brought a more personal tone to little Jason. Turns out he didn’t die in the lake, instead, he retrieves a necklace from his decapitated mother’s neck; something that later comes to be important to the film.
Just a little note before continuing: I loved the opening sequence of the film. It was about 20 minutes before the title of the film eerily entered the screen, and every minute was worth it. That lengthy 20-minute opening was filled with a very important back-story. Many will probably argue with me about there never being a back-story, plot or anything substantial to a horror film. Sorry for those people — I am right, and it is about time horror films deserve a little respect. Five 19- to 20-somethings enter the woods in search of a seven-leafed plant and its “hallucinogenic” capabilities. Little did they know that the legend of Jason Voorhees was reality. This time, for you Friday fans, Jason is not some large beefcake who slowly saunters through the forest: he runs, stalks and preys on his victims. PLUS: Jason is more of a stalker creep, giving added suspense and thrill to the film.
I ALMOST WET MYSELF NUMEROUS TIMES IN THIS FILM! While it was predictable because the trailer showed all 13 of the deaths in the film, it managed to give me butterflies in places I never knew I could get them before. After the opening sequence, the film will fast-forward six weeks to a brother, Clay (Jared Padalecki), in search of his missing sister. He runs into a group of spoiled rich kids (Danielle Panabaker, Willa Ford, Travis Van Winkle, Aaron Yoo and Derek Mears) who are up in the woods of Camp Crystal Lake to celebrate being drunk and old enough to be alone in a house. True to horror-flick stereotypes, they include the dumb blonde, the cocky boyfriend, the pot-head and drunk and of course the good girl and the tease. Who lives and who survives? That is for you to find out.
A strong film from start to finish, you know I am right by saying this, and definitely a must-see. If you are one of those people who talks during scary movies and has to critique everything for the sheer fact it “is not humanly possible,” than go see it, but shut your pie hole in the theater (I really dislike when people do that).
Valentine’s Day just got a little bloodier.