Friday the 13 Movie Marathon (Live Blog)

It’s Friday the 13th and you know what that means – it’s time for the Friday the 13th Movie Marathon.  In honor of today, the three of us (Crystal, Jason and Jason Kuntz), will be watching the iconic slasher movies that defined a genre and I will be updating this post throughout the day as we progress through all 12 of them.  

We have the first 11 on DVD to be watched in the comfort of our own home.  We will be attending the newest installment at West Acres 14 later today at 7:30 PM.  We will be on a tight schedule, but we are hoping to finish all 11 of them before then as the only other showing is at 10:00 PM - much too late for people who are running on very little sleep.

Keep on coming back throughout the night/day and see how we are progressing through the marathon and feel free to show up at the theater tonight and join us. 

The three of us are ready to go and we are kicking things off at 12:15 with the first installment of Friday the 13th.

Friday the 13th (Finished 1:57 AM)
We finished watching the first movie just before 2 AM.  So far the three of us made it, however, Crystal is already turning in for the night.  She will probably return later on down the line. 

As for the movie, there is something about it that almost has a charming quality to it.  The music, the sparse lighting, the point-of-view camera work, and the fact that the heinous killer is kept secret until the final moments makes the first entry into the series an instant classic.  Plus, who can forget the jump inducing scene in the lake.  If you have seen this movie, you know exactly what I am talking about as it is easily one of the most memorable scenes in the entire series.

Random observations:  There were 10 deaths in the movie.  For those of you who are wondering where Camp Crystal Lake is located, a sign at the cemetery shows us that it is taking place in New Jersey, which is odd as there are no Jersey accents to speak of in the movie.

Kuntz's take: It all begins.  The essence of a villain worthy a franchise of horror films.  So simply told.  One death after another, then the reveal: the history, here is what happened to the boy and this is the nature of the curse.

It’s off to the second film and Kuntz just cracked open his first Pabst Blue Ribbon…

Friday the 13th Part II (Finished 4:02 AM)
After a slight delay due to computer problems, we got a move on the movie marathon. Another one down, nine more left to go and we are both still awake and ready to move on.

Friday the 13th Part II is the first movie that has Jason Voorhees at the helm as the predator and provides a few startling moments, even for someone who has seen the movie countless times.  One thing that sets this apart from the others beyond this is the way Jason is presented.  For starters, we get to see a rare glimpse of what Jason is under the mask – almost a deformed half-man, half-monster hybrid.  Not only that, but his trademark hockey mask has yet to come into play and he is seen the majority of the time with a pillowcase on his head.  I also enjoyed the camera work in this movie which seemed to be above par for a early 80’s horror flick.

Random observations: Nine people were killed during the movie.  Camp counselors are horny and drive unreliable cars.  The local tavern near Crystal Lake has a KISS pinball machine.  Jason’s shack in the middle of the woods has indoor plumbing.

Kuntz's take: Part 2 makes way for a true murder rampage.  Killing to kill.  The killing takes over the mind, the body.  The beginnings of a senseless spree of killing.  It is hard to know what to do with oneself when mother passes on.

Friday the 13th Part III (Finished 6:03 AM)
It was starting to get a little rough watching this movie to the point where I had to get up and bust out a Rockstar to keep me going.  Kuntz, on the other hand, muscled through until the final few minutes before dozing off momentarily.

You could tell from the moment this movie started that you were going to be in for a treat.  In lieu of the classic Friday the 13th music, we were treated with a spooky 80’s synth pop medley during the opening credits.  On top of that, the third installment of the series was originally filmed in 3D, so there were plenty of 3D sight gags during the course of the movie.  As a matter of fact, this movie was geared towards the 3D aspect so much that it was more about the visuals as opposed to a continuation of the story that developed in the first two films.  The only redeeming moment of this movie was the birth of the iconic hockey mask.

Random observations: Twelve people met their demise.  It is better to be a jerk than to be nothing.  If a head is squeezed hard enough, eyeballs can, and will, pop out.

Kuntz's take: In 3D.

Kuntz just made himself some breakfast and I am still enjoying my Rockstar as we head into the fourth film.

Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter (Finished 8:04 AM)
By having the words “The Final Chapter” in the title of the movie, you would think we would be near the end of the line in our marathon, but we are only a third of the way through.  Part IV started like the rest – with flashbacks.  I found it interesting that this time around it hit mainly on the first two films and glossed over the horrible third installment.  If I were the creators, I wouldn’t want to fess up to that one either.  The only aspects that carried over from the third one were the hockey mask and the killings were getting more and more creative, to the point that some of them seemed to be done for comedic purposes.  I will say that the ending to this movie is superb, however, I know from here on out it just to become more over the top with the level of violence.

Random observations: A total of 13 deaths are recorded in this movie.  Silent porn films seem to be highly entertaining and can be watched for hours.  Crispin Glover basically played a horny version of George McFly in this movie. 

Kuntz's take: You can't tell me these films don't mean anything.  Voorhees passes his torch to a boy.  How?  By this point Voorhees kills in senseless rage, some darkness more determined than him is designing events.  It is this darkness which is passed on to the boy, because it can be - regardless of any lack of traumatic childhood events.

The sun is up and the way my cats are running around the house, you’d think we’ve kept them up all night watching movies.

Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (Finished 10:06 AM)
This movie has always had a bad repetition when it comes to fans and critics alike, however, I always seemed to have enjoyed this one.  As the title suggests, it is a new beginning of sorts as Jason Voorhees is dead and buried and a new person is behind the mask.  The reason I have always liked this one is due to the change of scenery and the change of characters.  Gone are the six-pack of stale camp counselors /horny partiers and in comes the colorful (and horny) crazies.  Yes, they all die horrible deaths, but their colorful personalities matched with the creative deaths have always scored high in my book.

Random observations: A total of 18 colorful deaths are racked up in this movie.  Two hockey masks are used in this film – one with a red triangle that represents the real Jason Voorhees and one with two blue triangles that represents the fake Jason Voorhees.

Kuntz's take: Whodunnit.

Crystal has finally awoken from her slumber and will be joining us for the rest of the marathon after she gets done making some warm cinnamon rolls.

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (Finished 12:19 PM)
Around this point in the series the films become less horror and more of a parody of itself.  Aside from the returning characters of Jason Voorhees and Tommy Jarvis, the rest of the characters are shallow, one-dimensional characters with no real purpose aside from being hacked up to pieces.  Due to this, us viewers are beginning to view Jason as the hero who comes in and kills off the annoying people that we hate.

Random observations: Seventeen people met their fate once Jason was resurrected.  At the cemetery, Jason’s grave marker that was once made out of wood with his name spray painted on the surface has been replaced with a granite headstone.

Kuntz's take: Okay, he's a monster.  He's undead.  He is at last acquiring power due his potential.

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (Finished 1:51 PM)
Jason vs. Carrie.  Enough said.

Random observations: A total of 15 people were killed in the seventh installment.

Kuntz's take: Jason is in the lake.  A girl with powers is here.  Graening said it's Carrie vs. Jason.  I don't understand.  I guess like V, VII seems off track.  I hate to say it, but why is Jason going on adventures when he should be blindly voraciously killing killing killing.  I feel like next is Jason Meets the Muppets.  But it's not - it's Jason Takes Manhattan.

Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (Finished 3:34 PM)
I may just be tired and partially delirious from 8 straight films in a row, but this is by far the worst movie thus far.  It may very well be the worst movie in the whole series.  I don’t even know where to start, so I’ll just leave it at this – Jason Takes Manhattan is terrible.

Random observations: A total of 16 people were killed in and around Manhattan.  Lightning will always resurrect Jason from a watery slumber, while toxic waste will turn him into a little child.  Jason’s punches have the ability to literally knock people’s heads off.  If Manhattan actually looks as it is portrayed in this film, I never want to go there.

Kuntz's Take: Jason did not take Manhattan.  In fact, he basically ignored it all together while pursuing two individuals from Crystal Lake, eventually to meet his demise in the New York Sewer System - by the power of Toxic Waste.  In this respect, Manhattan took him... provided Manhattan is actually the part of New York City he was in when he died.

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (Finished 5:36 PM)
Jason Goes to Hell is an interesting take on the story and looked to have marked the end of the series.  This, of course, isn’t completely true as I know that there are a few more movies to go, but those can really be looked at as standalone movies outside of the original Friday the 13th series.  The ending itself was well done, especially with the Freddy Kruger cameo.  That was a nice touch.  Normally I would have more pertinent things to say, but at this point in the marathon my brain function is severely limited.

Random observations: Kane Hodder, who plays the part of Jason more often than not, was one of the security guards at the morgue where Jason was taken to after being blown to bits.

Kuntz’s take: Since Part IV, this is the first film to make a dignified approach to the real Friday the 13th story.  I found it refreshing.  It has to make said approach, of course, in light of the four other movies that came in between - that is, in light of the information and misinformation each contributed to the legend, the saga.  All of this is summed up nicely by asking one question forthright, heretofore all but avoided: How can Jason Voorhees be killed?  The answer is, and rightly so, his essence is of something very dark and his power is not supported by the physical world.  From that point, the proposed anecdote is Jason needs a fellow Voorhees to kill him (and so with a special dagger) for him to actually die.  Is this answer kind of cheesy - yes.  Is it more cheesy than drown him in Toxic Waste... or drown him in water when he is undead and does not need oxygen to live... no.  No it is not more cheesy than those answers, however close it might come.  Moreover, this answer is in line with the actual Friday the 13th story, so we will take it.  We will swallow the sugar with the medicine on the spoon.

Jason X (Finished 7:18 PM)
After nine movies and sending the main character to hell, what else is there to do aside from adding a sci-fi twist to the story and setting it 400 years in the future?  Sounds pretty dumb if you ask me, but I saw it in the theater and actually enjoyed it.  I bought the DVD and watched it again and I think I enjoyed it even more.  Even though the premise sounds absurd, the movie does come close to recapturing the charm of the original and is surprisingly well done in both visuals and overall storyline – which is something that was lacking in the later movies of the series.

Kuntz’s take: At last, this movie got it right: Jason Voorhees can not be stopped.  This is a fantastic movie.

As it is already past 7:30, it is obvious that we will not be making the 7:30 showing of the new Friday the 13th movie.  We still have one more movie left and will be watching that next and then heading out to the 10:00 showing instead.

Freddy vs. Jason (Finished 9:17 PM)
This was an interesting crossover that featured two iconic horror figures.  Aside from the new movie that just came out, this was the only movie in the Friday the 13th series that I haven't yet seen.  It is actually surprisingly well made and meshed the two characters together well.  I did think it had too much of a Nightmare on Elm Street feel to it, but watching a flaming Jason chase that kid through a cornfield made it all worthwhile.

Kuntz's take: This movie was okay.  A little weird.  It seemed to really honor both stories.

With a little more than a half hour before showtime, the three of us will be piling into the Jeep to head to West Acres 14 to watch the new movie.

Friday the 13th (2009)
When I first heard of this movie, I was reluctant to see it as I am with most of the remakes of classic horror films of the 70’s and 80’s.  Having finally seen it, I can see that I was surprisingly impressed by it.  What I liked about the film was the fact that it wasn’t a shot-for-shot remake of the original.  As a matter of fact, the remake breezes by the first film in about 2 minutes.  It then takes elements from the next two films and presents it in such a way that it feels as there are three parts to the movie, which isn’t a bad thing by any means.  The only bad mark I can really give the movie is the lack of the classic soundtrack that was so memorable in the original series.  Even the Halloween remake kept the soundtrack in tact.

Kuntz’s take: The original three films are retold with almost thirty years of knowledge and experience factored in.  Jason is earnest on the killing of party kids who peruse his place of residence.  Earnest and to the point.  And (it has been decided officially) he can not be stopped.  It seems some other big questions have been resolved by this point, as well - that much of what complicated Parts 5-9 (in large part thanks to Part IV) is no longer an issue.  I loved it.  Though, I do agree with Jason G that the music could have been more symphonic and sparse, as it is in the first two movies.

The End
With about 15 minutes to go before the stroke of midnight, we have finally completed the Friday the 13th marathon – and completed it all on Friday the 13th.  A total of 12 movies in 24 hours.  Not too bad with just an hour of sleep.  It is time to take a long nap as visions of Voorhees dance in our heads.

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