Friday the 13th

Trystan Hurst

On Friday February 13^th, 2009 a remake of a classic horror movie Friday the 13^th hit the big screens. The release caused a stir among the fans of classic horror films. It seems most horror movies these days are remakes of a classic and do not meet the standards of the original, and this was sure to be another. The movie hit theaters and grossed a whopping $64,997,188, making it a hit. Although a successful film, it differs greatly from the original masterpiece.

       For those who do not know the story behind Friday the 13^th, the movie tells a story about a young boy named Jason Voorhee’s who drowned at a camp called Crystal Lake. The film starts with camp counselors trying to reopen the summer camp after Jason’s drowning. The masked killer stalks and murders the counselors one by one before the camp is even reopened. In the original film, only Voorhee’s mother is revealed as the killer, however the remake adds it’s own spin adding Jason as the killer early.

       In the remake, the beginning starts off with the beheading of Jason’s mother by a camp counselor. Then immediately jumps into Jason stalking and killing out of revenge for his mother. The remake depicts the teenagers dabbling in drugs and alcohol, while that is not so present in the original film.  The plot of the remake mainly revolves around a character whose sister has gone missing and has gone searching for her. Little does he know, but later discovers that Jason has taken her hostage because she looks like his mother. The original film depicts Jason as a very detached character. The idea of him letting a victim live, let alone stay with him, wouldn’t be part of the story. 

       The biggest difference between the original and remake is that Jason does not come into play until the sequel. In the remake they crammed years of story into one film, and in the remake it was made more about Jason instead of giving a background story on his mother.

       I recommend the original as a good film to watch.