Friday the 13th Part 2
Encyclopedia
Friday the 13th Part II is a 1981 slasher film
directed by Steve Miner
, who also directed its sequel
, Friday the 13th Part III and several other popular horror films. A sequel to Friday the 13th (1980), it is the second film in the Friday the 13th film series. It was a moderate box-office hit, opening on May 1, 1981 in first place. The film was the first to feature Jason Voorhees
as the main antagonist
, a trend which would be repeated for the rest of the series (with the exception of the fifth film
).
), the only survivor of a murder rampage at Crystal Lake, is brutally murdered when an adult
Jason Voorhees
stabs her in the head with an icepick after she discovers the severed head of Pamela Voorhees
in her refrigerator. Jason did not drown in the lake as Pamela believed, and had witnessed her death. The act drove Jason out of hiding in the nearby forest
to kill his mother's killer and anyone who crosses his path.
Five years later, a group of teenagers come to Crystal Lake to reopen the site and set up a new camp. At a bonfire
Paul (John Furey
), the head counselor tells the story of Jason before someone leaps out of the woods and attacks the campers. However, it is only one of Paul's friends and Paul claims that Jason is dead. However, Jason, whose face is shielded by a burlap sack, is stalking them. While standing by a tree, Crazy Ralph dies when Jason garrotes him with a chunk of barbed wire
. Officer Winslow is next to be victim, as he is killed with a set of claws from a hammer into his head. Jason then begins to attack and kill the campers. He kills troublemaker Scott by hanging him by his feet before slitting his throat with a machete. He then kills his female companion Terri offscreen.
A wheel chair bound camper named Mark dies when a machete gets struck into his face and he is sent down a flight of stairs. With a spear in hand, Jason moves up to where lovers Sandra and Jeff are having sex. Sneaking into the room, he impales the couple with the spear going all the way through the bed and to the floor. An investigating Vickie is murdered with a kitchen knife into her stomach. A survivor
, Ginny (Amy Steel
), is pursued by Jason into the woods and finds his shack containing a shrine to his mother with the severed and mummified head of Pamela Voorhees atop a shrine, surrounded by numerous candles and mutilated corpses, including the body of Alice.
When she hears him approaching, a frantic Ginny locks Jason out, but he breaks in wielding a pick-axe. Ginny's quick thinking has allowed her to dress in Pamela's sweater
and manipulate Jason's small intelligence
to think she is his reincarnated mother long enough to kill him in a surprise attack and escape. Unfortunately, Jason wises up after he sees his mother's severed head, and attacks Ginny. Paul suddenly arrives, and wrestles with Jason. As Jason is about to kill Paul, Ginny drives a machete in Jason's shoulder allowing them to escape. They, armed with a broken pitchfork
, hide in a cabin
. While they are distracted over a neighbor's dog that wandered in, a still alive Jason breaks in through a window
, finally revealing his hideously deformed face. After a time, Ginny later wakes in an ambulance
with no recollection of how she escaped, leaving Jason on the loose and the ultimate fate of Paul unclear. The final shot shows Mrs. Voorhees' head to show Jason's murderous rampage is not over.
hit his middle finger with a machete during filming. Steel explained: "The timing was wrong, and he didn't turn his pick axe properly, and the machete hit his finger." Daskawisz received 13 stitches on his middle finger. The finger was covered with a piece of rubber, and Daskawisz and Steel insisted on doing the scene all over again.
In one scene where Daskawisz was wearing the burlap flour sack, part of the flour sack was flapping at his eye, so the crew used tape inside the eye area to prevent it from flapping. Daskawisz received rug burns around his eye from the tape from wearing the rough flour sack material for hours.
The final scene where Jason crashes through the window has been dubbed one of the classic moments in horror cinema history. This, as well as the scene where Jason raises his knife before killing Vicki, were featured in the 82nd Academy Awards
' tribute to horror montage.
The film's ending has been a source of confusion for fans. Writer Ron Kurz has stated that Jason's window jump was intended to be set in reality and that Paul was killed offscreen. However, the beginning of Part III, in replaying the end of Part 2, instead showed Jason pulling the machete out of his shoulder and crawling away as Ginny and Paul leave him for dead in the shack. This arguably retcons the scene of Jason's window jump into a dream. In addition, near the beginning of Part III, a news broadcast reports the body count at eight, thus excluding Paul from this count.
Rumor
s sparked that John Furey left before the film wrapped as his character does not appear in the end. In truth, his character was not intended to have appeared.
In an unused ending, after Ginny questions where Paul is, the scene switches to Mrs. Voorhees' head, which then opens its eyes and smiles, indicating that Jason had killed Paul.
began plans to make a sequel. First acquiring the worldwide distribution rights, Frank Mancuso, Sr. stated, "We wanted it to be an event, where teenagers would flock to the theaters on that Friday night to see the latest episode." The initial ideas for a sequel involved the Friday the 13th title being used for a series of films, released once a year, that would not have direct continuity with each other, but be a separate "scary movie" of their own right. Phil Scuderi—one of three owners of Esquire Theaters, along with Steve Minasian and Bob Barsamian, who produced the original film—insisted that the sequel have Jason Voorhees, Pamela's son, even though his appearance in the original film was only meant to be a joke. Steve Miner
, associate producer on the first film, believed in the idea and would go on to direct the first two sequels, after Cunningham opted not to return to the director's chair. Miner would use many of the same crew members from the first film while working on the sequels.
. The film was released internationally to home video on VHS
and DVD
.
Roger Ebert
of the Chicago Sun-Times
gave Friday the 13th Part 2 half of one star out of 4, stating: "This movie is a cross between the Mad Slasher and Dead teenager genres; about two dozen movies a year feature a mad killer going berserk, and they're all about as bad as this one."
Based on 30 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes
, the film has an overall approval rating from critics of 33%, with an average score of 4.4/10.
based on the screenplay of Ron Kurz was published in 1988: Hawke, Simon, Friday the 13th Part II: A Novel, New American Library, New York, 1988, ISBN 0-451-15337-5
Slasher film
A slasher film is a type of horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a knife or axe...
directed by Steve Miner
Steve Miner
Stephen C. "Steve" Miner is an American film and television director who is also a film producer.Miner was born in Westport, Connecticut. Television programs Miner has directed include The Wonder Years, Jake 2.0, Felicity, Dawson's Creek , and Diagnosis: Murder...
, who also directed its sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
, Friday the 13th Part III and several other popular horror films. A sequel to Friday the 13th (1980), it is the second film in the Friday the 13th film series. It was a moderate box-office hit, opening on May 1, 1981 in first place. The film was the first to feature Jason Voorhees
Jason Voorhees
Jason Voorhees is a fictional character from the Friday the 13th series of slasher films. He first appeared in Friday the 13th , as the son of camp cook-turned-murderer, Mrs. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Miller, with contributions by Ron Kurz, Sean S...
as the main antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
, a trend which would be repeated for the rest of the series (with the exception of the fifth film
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning is a 1985 slasher film. It was released on March 22, 1985. It is the fifth film in the Friday the 13th film series...
).
Plot
Alice (Adrienne KingAdrienne King
Adrienne King is an American actress, dancer and painter. She is mostly known for her starring role in the original Friday the 13th.-Life and career:...
), the only survivor of a murder rampage at Crystal Lake, is brutally murdered when an adult
Adult
An adult is a human being or living organism that is of relatively mature age, typically associated with sexual maturity and the attainment of reproductive age....
Jason Voorhees
Jason Voorhees
Jason Voorhees is a fictional character from the Friday the 13th series of slasher films. He first appeared in Friday the 13th , as the son of camp cook-turned-murderer, Mrs. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Miller, with contributions by Ron Kurz, Sean S...
stabs her in the head with an icepick after she discovers the severed head of Pamela Voorhees
Pamela Voorhees
Pamela Sue Voorhees is a fictional character in the Friday the 13th films, and the antagonist of the original Friday the 13th film. She is a former camp cook and the mother of Jason Voorhees, the main character of the series....
in her refrigerator. Jason did not drown in the lake as Pamela believed, and had witnessed her death. The act drove Jason out of hiding in the nearby forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
to kill his mother's killer and anyone who crosses his path.
Five years later, a group of teenagers come to Crystal Lake to reopen the site and set up a new camp. At a bonfire
Bonfire
A bonfire is a controlled outdoor fire used for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. Celebratory bonfires are typically designed to burn quickly and may be very large...
Paul (John Furey
John Furey
John Furey is an American actor who has starred in film and on television. He is best known for his role in the 1981 horror film Friday the 13th Part 2 as Paul Holt. His most recent film is the 2005 movie The Galindez File....
), the head counselor tells the story of Jason before someone leaps out of the woods and attacks the campers. However, it is only one of Paul's friends and Paul claims that Jason is dead. However, Jason, whose face is shielded by a burlap sack, is stalking them. While standing by a tree, Crazy Ralph dies when Jason garrotes him with a chunk of barbed wire
Barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
. Officer Winslow is next to be victim, as he is killed with a set of claws from a hammer into his head. Jason then begins to attack and kill the campers. He kills troublemaker Scott by hanging him by his feet before slitting his throat with a machete. He then kills his female companion Terri offscreen.
A wheel chair bound camper named Mark dies when a machete gets struck into his face and he is sent down a flight of stairs. With a spear in hand, Jason moves up to where lovers Sandra and Jeff are having sex. Sneaking into the room, he impales the couple with the spear going all the way through the bed and to the floor. An investigating Vickie is murdered with a kitchen knife into her stomach. A survivor
Final girl
The final girl is a trope in thriller and horror films that specifically refers to the last woman or girl alive to confront the killer, ostensibly the one left to tell the story...
, Ginny (Amy Steel
Amy Steel
Amy Steel is an American film and television actress, also credited as Amy Steel Pulitzer.-Biography:She is perhaps best known for her role as Ginny Field in the 1981 horror film Friday the 13th Part 2. She was offered the chance to reprise the role for the third film in the long-running series,...
), is pursued by Jason into the woods and finds his shack containing a shrine to his mother with the severed and mummified head of Pamela Voorhees atop a shrine, surrounded by numerous candles and mutilated corpses, including the body of Alice.
When she hears him approaching, a frantic Ginny locks Jason out, but he breaks in wielding a pick-axe. Ginny's quick thinking has allowed her to dress in Pamela's sweater
Sweater
A sweater, jumper, pullover, sweatshirt, jersey or guernsey is a garment intended to cover the torso and arms. It is often worn over a shirt, blouse, T-shirt, or other top, but may also be worn alone as a top...
and manipulate Jason's small intelligence
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
to think she is his reincarnated mother long enough to kill him in a surprise attack and escape. Unfortunately, Jason wises up after he sees his mother's severed head, and attacks Ginny. Paul suddenly arrives, and wrestles with Jason. As Jason is about to kill Paul, Ginny drives a machete in Jason's shoulder allowing them to escape. They, armed with a broken pitchfork
Pitchfork
A pitchfork is an agricultural tool with a long handle and long, thin, widely separated pointed tines used to lift and pitch loose material, such as hay, leaves, grapes, dung or other agricultural materials. Pitchforks typically have two or three tines...
, hide in a cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
. While they are distracted over a neighbor's dog that wandered in, a still alive Jason breaks in through a window
Window
A window is a transparent or translucent opening in a wall or door that allows the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. Windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent material like float glass. Windows are held in place by frames, which...
, finally revealing his hideously deformed face. After a time, Ginny later wakes in an ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
with no recollection of how she escaped, leaving Jason on the loose and the ultimate fate of Paul unclear. The final shot shows Mrs. Voorhees' head to show Jason's murderous rampage is not over.
Cast
- Amy SteelAmy SteelAmy Steel is an American film and television actress, also credited as Amy Steel Pulitzer.-Biography:She is perhaps best known for her role as Ginny Field in the 1981 horror film Friday the 13th Part 2. She was offered the chance to reprise the role for the third film in the long-running series,...
as Ginny Field - John FureyJohn FureyJohn Furey is an American actor who has starred in film and on television. He is best known for his role in the 1981 horror film Friday the 13th Part 2 as Paul Holt. His most recent film is the 2005 movie The Galindez File....
as Paul Holt - Adrienne KingAdrienne KingAdrienne King is an American actress, dancer and painter. She is mostly known for her starring role in the original Friday the 13th.-Life and career:...
as Alice Hardy - Kirsten Baker as Terry
- Stu CharnoStuart CharnoStuart Charno is an American actor. He has been a stand-up comic and has starred in film and on television. His first role was in the 1981 horror film Friday the 13th Part 2...
as Ted - Steve Daskawisz as Jason VoorheesJason VoorheesJason Voorhees is a fictional character from the Friday the 13th series of slasher films. He first appeared in Friday the 13th , as the son of camp cook-turned-murderer, Mrs. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Miller, with contributions by Ron Kurz, Sean S...
- Warrington Gillette as Jason Voorhees (unmasked)
- Walt GorneyWalt GorneyWalter Gorney was an American actor. He was known for his role as Crazy Ralph, the drunken old man who warns "You're all doomed!" in the 1980 hit horror movie Friday the 13th. He reprised his role in the sequel Friday the 13th Part 2...
as Crazy Ralph - Marta Kober as Sandra Dier
- Tom McBrideTom McBrideTom McBride was an American photographer, model, and actor. He starred in the 1981 horror movie Friday the 13th Part 2 as Mark. He also starred in the 1985 movie Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins. His only TV guest appearance was on the TV series Highway to Heaven...
as Mark - Bill RandolphBill RandolphBill Randolph is an American actor who has starred in films and appeared on television.He starred with Mercedes Hall in Lanny Meyer and Arthur Morey's social protest disco musical, "St. Joan of the Microphone," which played New York City parks and festivals, including the Lincoln Center Outdoor...
as Jeff - Lauren-Marie TaylorLauren-Marie TaylorLauren-Marie Taylor is an American film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her role in the 1981 horror movie Friday the 13th Part 2...
as Vicki - Russell ToddRussell ToddRussell Todd is an American former film and television actor. His film and television acting career includes a part in the film He Knows You're Alone and appearances in television series including Another World, The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless...
as Scott - Betsy PalmerBetsy PalmerBetsy Palmer is an American actress, best known as a regular panelist on the game show I've Got a Secret, and later for playing Pamela Voorhees in the notorious slasher film Friday the 13th.-Life and career:...
as Pamela VoorheesPamela VoorheesPamela Sue Voorhees is a fictional character in the Friday the 13th films, and the antagonist of the original Friday the 13th film. She is a former camp cook and the mother of Jason Voorhees, the main character of the series....
Production
Steve Daskawisz was rushed to the emergency room when Amy SteelAmy Steel
Amy Steel is an American film and television actress, also credited as Amy Steel Pulitzer.-Biography:She is perhaps best known for her role as Ginny Field in the 1981 horror film Friday the 13th Part 2. She was offered the chance to reprise the role for the third film in the long-running series,...
hit his middle finger with a machete during filming. Steel explained: "The timing was wrong, and he didn't turn his pick axe properly, and the machete hit his finger." Daskawisz received 13 stitches on his middle finger. The finger was covered with a piece of rubber, and Daskawisz and Steel insisted on doing the scene all over again.
In one scene where Daskawisz was wearing the burlap flour sack, part of the flour sack was flapping at his eye, so the crew used tape inside the eye area to prevent it from flapping. Daskawisz received rug burns around his eye from the tape from wearing the rough flour sack material for hours.
The final scene where Jason crashes through the window has been dubbed one of the classic moments in horror cinema history. This, as well as the scene where Jason raises his knife before killing Vicki, were featured in the 82nd Academy Awards
82nd Academy Awards
The 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2009 and took place March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. The ceremony was scheduled well after...
' tribute to horror montage.
The film's ending has been a source of confusion for fans. Writer Ron Kurz has stated that Jason's window jump was intended to be set in reality and that Paul was killed offscreen. However, the beginning of Part III, in replaying the end of Part 2, instead showed Jason pulling the machete out of his shoulder and crawling away as Ginny and Paul leave him for dead in the shack. This arguably retcons the scene of Jason's window jump into a dream. In addition, near the beginning of Part III, a news broadcast reports the body count at eight, thus excluding Paul from this count.
Rumor
Rumor
A rumor or rumour is often viewed as "an unverified account or explanation of events circulating from person to person and pertaining to an object, event, or issue in public concern" However, a review of the research on rumor conducted by Pendleton in 1998 found that research across sociology,...
s sparked that John Furey left before the film wrapped as his character does not appear in the end. In truth, his character was not intended to have appeared.
In an unused ending, after Ginny questions where Paul is, the scene switches to Mrs. Voorhees' head, which then opens its eyes and smiles, indicating that Jason had killed Paul.
Development
Following the success of Friday the 13th in 1980, Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
began plans to make a sequel. First acquiring the worldwide distribution rights, Frank Mancuso, Sr. stated, "We wanted it to be an event, where teenagers would flock to the theaters on that Friday night to see the latest episode." The initial ideas for a sequel involved the Friday the 13th title being used for a series of films, released once a year, that would not have direct continuity with each other, but be a separate "scary movie" of their own right. Phil Scuderi—one of three owners of Esquire Theaters, along with Steve Minasian and Bob Barsamian, who produced the original film—insisted that the sequel have Jason Voorhees, Pamela's son, even though his appearance in the original film was only meant to be a joke. Steve Miner
Steve Miner
Stephen C. "Steve" Miner is an American film and television director who is also a film producer.Miner was born in Westport, Connecticut. Television programs Miner has directed include The Wonder Years, Jake 2.0, Felicity, Dawson's Creek , and Diagnosis: Murder...
, associate producer on the first film, believed in the idea and would go on to direct the first two sequels, after Cunningham opted not to return to the director's chair. Miner would use many of the same crew members from the first film while working on the sequels.
Release
The film was released theactrically on May 1, 1981, and it has since become a cult classicCult Classic
Cult Classic is a Blue Öyster Cult studio recording released in 1994, containing remakes of many of the band's previous hits.-Track listing:# " The Reaper" - 5:05# "E.T.I...
. The film was released internationally to home video on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
Reception
Like the first film, Friday the 13th Part 2 received great commercial success but was widely panned by critics.Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
gave Friday the 13th Part 2 half of one star out of 4, stating: "This movie is a cross between the Mad Slasher and Dead teenager genres; about two dozen movies a year feature a mad killer going berserk, and they're all about as bad as this one."
Based on 30 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, the film has an overall approval rating from critics of 33%, with an average score of 4.4/10.
Other media
A novelizationNovelization
A novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...
based on the screenplay of Ron Kurz was published in 1988: Hawke, Simon, Friday the 13th Part II: A Novel, New American Library, New York, 1988, ISBN 0-451-15337-5