Jason's Adventure

In 1980 "Friday the 13TH" was released and was a gigantic
hit. It was made for almost nothing, and returned great
profits for Paramount Pictures, so it was only a matter of
time before they got on a stool and started milking their
prized cash cow. Which leads us to "Friday the 13TH Part 2", a film that I thought was much more fun, giddy, and
enjoyable than the first.

"Friday the 13TH Part 2" starts with Alice, the survivor from part 1, being killed in her apartment by a prowler who
turns out to be a grown up and hooded Jason who's out for
revenge for his mother's death. A new camp has opened up
only a mile away from the abandoned Camp Crystal, and Paul
and girlfriend Ginny are working as head counselors. Very
soon, Jason begins stalking the camp grounds and eliminating
the counselors one by one until only Ginny and Paul are left
to fight him to the death.

I really liked "Friday the 13TH Part 2" much more than I did
the first one because it had better special effects, was
better made, paced, and acted. Part 1 took too much time to
get humming, but part 2 kicks off with a bang: the vicious
murder of a screaming, horrified girl. While the body count
in part 2 is equal to the original, it contains less gore,
partly because of prerelease cuts for the "R" rating.

Amy Steel is good as the heroic, resourceful Ginny. John
Furey is bland as Paul. Warrington Gillete is pretty good
as Jason, but it's a part that only requires his to attack
screaming, terrified victims, run, and die at the end. It's
a pretty poor role, but Gillete does a decent job. The rest
of the cast is filled with nameless, faceless actors who are
only on hand to get naked, have sex, and die at Jason's hands. Okay acting, but this will never win an award for
anything.

Before "Friday the 13TH Park 2" was released, the MPAA told
producers that the film was much to violent and gory for the
"R" rating, and that cuts would have to be made to avoid the
"X". Much gore was sacrificed as a result, including: much
more gore and blood, brutal violence, and a gruesome double
impalement while having sex. As of 2001, there has never
been an uncut version released on video or DVD. While it
wouldn't really make the film better or worse, I think the
cut material would be neat to see in this age of censorship.

I give a hearty recommendation to horror movie fans to see
"Friday the 13TH Part 2". Stay far away if sex, nudity,
violence and gore upset you, but all others are sure to have
a great time watching the pinnacle of the slasher movie
genre. Sit back, relax, turn off the lights, and enjoy a
great 1981 vintage terror flick.

"Friday the 13TH Part 2" is Rated R for strong violence and
gore, sexuality and nudity, language and drug use.