Episode 6 - Friday the 13th Franchise - Afterthoughts

Let me just start by saying I LOVE this series and there is no deep rooted analysis for this derivation. I think it stems mainly from the fact that the movies never took themselves too seriously. They had fun making these films which made our generation have fun with them as well.

I am not old enough to remember the first Friday the 13th film or even the next 4 or 5. I was born the year after the original was released. By the time I was old enough to begin taking note of these films; the original traditional wave of films were coming to an end. I can vividly remember being allowed to watch Part VIII (Takes Manhattan for all you novices) on pay television. I remember my father, and his generation all passing on these films because of how over-the-top, gory, and ridiculous they were. At the time I can remember that stance making them more appealing, naturally. Over time I have come to realize that he was not wrong and neither was I. Both types of horror movies can be effective; and if nothing else, just as fun. Some prefer things left to the imagination and some love it detailed out for them. I prefer...................both.

In VIII's opening scene watching Jason come aboard the couple's boat , stalking his unsuspecting prey, and impaling them with a harpoon was something else for me at the ripe age of nine (approx). But it was the hockey mask that sent this menacing image into my brain forever. I was enamored with its appearance and have been ever since. The all-time great horror icons all have their trademarks that most of the public immediately recognize; but that hockey mask seems to elevate above everything else in terms of a public fascination.

I feel that I was lucky to view such a late entry first. It made seeing everything from before that much more enjoyable. After that, going back and seeing better films in the series was an absolute treat. Now,I realize that these films are not the best at times, and at some points are downright atrocious. Nonetheless faithful fans always have a good time watching them. F13th had contemporary competition in terms of other franchises. Halloween, typically made better films, and worked on building suspense a lot of the time. The Nightmare on Elm Street franchise always had the money behind it no matter what. However, Friday the 13th somehow always had a special charisma that came with it. Once you inhaled it, you never left it, no matter how bad it got. A franchise that was built from ripping off the first Halloween film; has never tried to claim intellectual ownership over the movement. It merely felt the pulse of the crowd, catered to it and subsequently capitalized exponentially from it.

While fully aware of its faults, I will always love the Friday the 13th franchise just a little more. Grizz mentioned on the episode, and I concur, that there isn't one favorite Friday film that fans hold over other series. It is just a series we love overall, and it is merely that simple. There are far superior entries in the NOES and Halloween franchises but that doesn't change a thing. We love our Jason flicks......

That is all for now. I thank you for taking the time, again, to listen and read on this newest episode. I hope some of you took the time, or plan to enjoy this horror holiday with a few Friday features.
Until next time

Beware of the moon
The Professor