Friday the 13th Part 2 (EXCLUSIVE SERIES)

Initial release date: May 1, 1981

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Tagline: The body count continues ...

Plot: The second entry in the long-running horror series focuses on a group of teenage would-be counselors on Camp Crystal Lake for training under the tutelage of head counselor Paul. Inevitably, Paul relates the story of Jason Voorhees, a boy who ostensibly drowned at the camp and whose mother killed a group of counselors in revenge. No one takes the tale seriously until a very much alive Jason begins a night of terror.

Cast

Amy Steel - Amy

John Furey - Paul

Adrienne King - Alice

Kristen Baker - Terry

Stuart Charno - Ted

Warrington Gillette - Jason

Walt Gorney - Crazy Ralph

Marta Kober - Sandra

Tom McBride - Mark

Bill Randolph - Jeff

Writer: Ron Kurz

Director: Steve Miner (Friday the 13th Part 3; Lake Placid; Halloween H20)

Rated R (87 min)

For many years, I have been a fan of the 'Friday the 13th' series. Sure, some of them aren't the greatest, but they can still be rather entertaining.

And, since a few days ago was Friday the 13th, I wanted to take a look at a few of the movies that are in the series. I already checked out 'Jason X' and the 1980 original in the past so I will be skipping those. So to start the little marathon off, I took a look at the first sequel - where we are introduced to slasher icon Jason!

'Friday the 13th Part 2' is mainly your typical 80s slasher - characters making dumb decisions, killer getting them one by one, camp counselors making doing stuff they shouldn't be doing in a horror movie (which leads them to being dead) and the biggest horror/slasher movie cliche of all time, one of the characters decide to stick around when they know the killer's around instead of escaping. I think the slasher movies of the 80s gave birth to the horror movie cliches we know today LOL.

Nonetheless, this slash sequel is really fun and entertaining. It features a few decent scares and jump scares scattered throughout. There are a few scares I saw coming, but that might be because I watched it many times over the years. I think Part 2 might be one of the better sequels of the series - the other better sequels include 'The Final Chapter' and 'Jason Lives.'

One moment that is still truly effective is at the end when Jason goes through the window without his burlap sack on his head and grabs the "final girl." Remember, this is before he has his infamous hockey mask.

So, even though this sequel could be a little cheesy (just like almost any other 80s slasher/horror), it's still a fun little time for anyone who enjoys the horror/slasher genre.

Up next, I will be checking out 'The Final Chapter,' the fourth (and definitely not final) entry of the series. I'm skipping around a bit and doing a couple that were good and a couple that are just meh. Even though I skipped 'Part 3' now, I'll likely check it out in October when it's Halloween AND another Friday the 13th!

Here are some fun tidbits for 'Friday the 13th Part 2':

• When the filmmakers asked Adrienne King to reprise her role as Alice, she said that she wanted to be on screen for a short period of time because there was an obsessive fan who was stalking her.

• The plot of the sequel shocked most people associated with the original movie. Betsy Palmer, Tom Savini and Sean Cunningham all have mad public remarks about how dumb it was that Jason was alive the whole time, and if he was then why didn't he just tell his mother that he was alive which would've avoided all killings of the first movie.

• Jason in this movie is dressed to look exactly the same as the hooded, burlap sack killer from 'The Town That Dreaded Sundown.'

• According to co-producer Dennis Stuart Murphy, the idea to have Jason wear a burlap sack over his head in Part 2 came from their costume designer, who figured it was the type of readily available item Jason could've conceivably and easily procured.

• Betsy Palmer was very surprised to be asked back for a cameo appearance by director Steve Miner, as she assumed that Jason was dead. She filmed her scenes in half a day, and a new mock-up of her head was created by the make up effects team. She claimed that she had never seen the final movie itself.

• Like its predecessor, 'Friday the 13th part 2' had difficulty receiving an R rating from the MPAA. Upon reviewing the movie, the Classification and Rating Administration warned Paul Hagger, a Paramount executive, that the "accumulation of violence throughout the film" may still lead to an X rating even if substantial cuts were made.

• The movie was released theatrically on May 1, 1981, bringing in $6.4 million in its opening weekend. It played on 1,350 screens and would ultimately gross $21.7 million on a budget of $1.25 million. It was the 35th highest grossing movie of 1981, facing strong competition from such high-profile horror releases as 'Omen III: The Final Conflict,' 'The Evil Dead,' 'The Howling,' 'My Bloody Valentine,' 'Happy Birthday to Me,' 'Graduation Day,' 'The Burning' and 'Halloween II.'