Jason delivers his next 13 kills
By: K.J. Stimpson
Issue date: 2/23/09 Section: Entertainment
There is a formula to making a horror film, but with New Line Cinema's remake of the Paramount film "Friday the 13th," the formula began to break.
Released on the Feb. 13, a Friday, the latest addition to the Jason horror movie phenomena holds its own with a cast of new victims and a transition from past to present which left you on the edge of your seat.
The average horror movie follows a specific set of rules. The killer follows patterns and methods, and the typical horror film buff will bask in the knowledge that they know who is going to get killed when and how.
In the newest version of "Friday the 13th," however, Jason follows only one pattern; kill those who don't leave him in peace. He uses methods and tools that will leave you wondering, "Did he forget his machete or just get bored with it?"
The beginning leaves you begging for more, starting out with a group of five college-aged adults on a nice hiking trip to find some freshly grown marijuana, but they picked the wrong place to camp.
It just so happens that the marijuana plants are located on Crystal Lake, home to the camp that was attacked by Jason's mother twenty-odd years before. Present day, though, Jason gets to have his own revenge and kill his quota of gilded youths, and that was just the introduction.
The next batch of youths who cross Jason's path are staying just across the lake from Jason's home, and as any Jason watcher knows, he has to kill his thirteen before the credits can roll.
As the film progresses you begin to try to guess who will be killed and in what order, but Jason leaves you guessing. Is it going to be the lovable stoner to be killed, the sweetheart, the sister or the jerk?
From start to finish, the formula is maintained, but it hits you with a few surprises here and there. You'll laugh, you'll jump and you'll wonder if this is all a prelude to a new generation of Jason films.
I give this film four out of five frightening stars.
Released on the Feb. 13, a Friday, the latest addition to the Jason horror movie phenomena holds its own with a cast of new victims and a transition from past to present which left you on the edge of your seat.
The average horror movie follows a specific set of rules. The killer follows patterns and methods, and the typical horror film buff will bask in the knowledge that they know who is going to get killed when and how.
In the newest version of "Friday the 13th," however, Jason follows only one pattern; kill those who don't leave him in peace. He uses methods and tools that will leave you wondering, "Did he forget his machete or just get bored with it?"
The beginning leaves you begging for more, starting out with a group of five college-aged adults on a nice hiking trip to find some freshly grown marijuana, but they picked the wrong place to camp.
It just so happens that the marijuana plants are located on Crystal Lake, home to the camp that was attacked by Jason's mother twenty-odd years before. Present day, though, Jason gets to have his own revenge and kill his quota of gilded youths, and that was just the introduction.
The next batch of youths who cross Jason's path are staying just across the lake from Jason's home, and as any Jason watcher knows, he has to kill his thirteen before the credits can roll.
As the film progresses you begin to try to guess who will be killed and in what order, but Jason leaves you guessing. Is it going to be the lovable stoner to be killed, the sweetheart, the sister or the jerk?
From start to finish, the formula is maintained, but it hits you with a few surprises here and there. You'll laugh, you'll jump and you'll wonder if this is all a prelude to a new generation of Jason films.
I give this film four out of five frightening stars.