Your Friendly Neighborhood Movie-Man is in high spirits! This past Wednesday night was a complete success with the screening of The Monster Squad. There was a very good turn out with some people just stumbling in to see what was going on. And from my observations sitting in the back of the screening room, I think everyone really enjoyed themselves and the movie as well. I can already tell that I have helped add numbers to the constantly growing devote following that The Monster Squad has developed over the years. The delighted gasps of the young boy in the back row confirmed this for me and were music to my ears.
After the results of this past Wednesday night, I am all that more eager for next week's screening. Looking back at last year's slate of movies for the Halloween series, I saw that I included A Nightmare on Elm Street, one of the most popular horror movie franchises that has spanned decades and gave America one of the most recognizable of all movie characters in Freddy Krueger. When putting together the line-up for this year's series, I wanted to include and pay homage to another long-standing horror franchise. The choice was incredibly easy to make. One of the few horror movie icons just as recognizable, if not more so, than Freddy Krueger is Jason Vorhees. I knew that I would not be any kind of film series coordinator if I did not include a Friday the 13th film in one of my Halloween film series.
The Friday the 13th series began earlier (1980) than the Elm Street series (1984) and has produced more sequels. I must admit that I was incredibly torn and conflicted as to which Friday the 13th film I wanted in the series. My first instincts were to show the original Friday the 13th. As is the case with most movie series (especially horror series), the first installment is the best and a classic and Friday the 13th is no different. It introduced the movie audience to new horror techniques and scare tactics, one of the most identifiable soundtracks in cinema, and not to mention the new kinds of violence. But it is abundantly clear that fans expect to see the hockey mask-wearing Jason when they think of Friday the 13th films. Over the years, that is what fans of the series have come to expect with each new film. They wait to hear the classic Friday the 13th music and get their first glimpse of Jason in all his glory. The series has also become known for its inventive death sequences. With each new film, the filmmakers and special effects artists provide Jason with new and unique ways to kill his victims.
Also, one of the things that scores points with me in the Friday the 13th series is that they, for the most part, pick up where the last film left off. By this I mean that the films always pick up Jason from where he was left in the previous film. They always start by bringing Jason to life from where he was left dead. If he was left floating at the bottom of the lake in one movie, in the next one they figure out a way to get him back up from the bottom. I am huge fan of this kind of continuity. It just makes everything seem so much more complete.
With all this in mind, I have decided to show Friday the 13th: Jason Lives (1986) in this year's film series. With this film, we get everything we come to expect from the series. There is the classic score, the new and inventive styles of death, and, of course, the pick up from where Jason was last left, in his grave. Now, if you are a film lover (and especially a lover of this series), your next question will probably be: why this one? What makes this film a better choice than the others?
Through various polls and surveys, it is considered the best out of all of the sequels. It is also the only one of the films to receive critical praise anywhere close to what the original received. Most people attribute this to the fact that this is the first film in the series to not try and take itself completely serious. It has a very present and distinct comedy element. It pokes fun at itself and at the whole series. This is what made the film so refreshing and interesting. It is not, however, all comedy. The typical elements for a Jason movie are there. Friday the 13th: Jason Lives boasted the highest body count of all the movies for a long time. The more recent Jason X broke that record.
Bottom line...I chose this movie in the series because people want to see Jason hacking through teenagers when they watch one of these movies, and that is certainly what they are going to get. In fact, this is the movie that made the statement that Jason is here to stay; the blatant Bond reference at the beginning of the film makes that clear.
As I sit here thinking of a way to wrap up this post, I can't help but think of the one of the funniest lines in the entire film given by the grave digger as he looks directly at the audience: "Some people have sick idea of entertainment."
Truly, we do.
Friday the 13th: Jason Lives will be screened at the Freedom Regional Public Library on Wednesday, October 8 at 6:00pm. It will be free of charge and free popcorn will be served for those who attend the movie. Hope to see you there.
Until next time....
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