Buoyed by the success of Friday the 13th, Paramount wanted a sequel and wanted it fast. Friday the 13th, Part 2 hit theaters in May of 1981, less than a year after its predecessor. Having served as an associate-producer on the first film, Steve Miner took over the producer/director role for the sequel.
The film begins with the only survivor from the first movie, Alice (Adrienne King), being slain by a mysterious prowler in her own home two months after the conclusion of the original film.
Five years later, Camp Crystal Lake is a condemned property. Living on the other side of the pond, Paul Holt (John Furey) runs a school for would-be camp counselors. With the help of his girlfriend Ginny (Amy Steel), he hopes to turn a group of party-hungry college students into responsible camp counselors. Paul has six trainees: laid back Jeff (Bill Randolph) and his curious girlfriend Sandra (Marta Kober); wheelchair-bound jock Mark (Tom McBride, whose tragic real-life story casts a cloud over the film) and his admirer/stalker Vicky (Lauren-Marie Taylor); and smooth-talking Scott (Russell Todd), the admirer/stalker of Terri (the perpetually cold Kirsten Baker) and her Shih Tzu, Muffin.
Of course, the fact that Paul wants to set up a camp so close to the scene of several grisly murders just a few tears ago, has local residents up in arms. As a result, Paul decides he better tell his employees about the legend of Jason and his crazy mother. “We’re the first ones to return,” whispers Paul. “He’s been dormant, but he’s hungry. Jason’s out there…” It’s all hooey, but that doesn’t stop Paul from warning his staff to stay away from Camp Blood–which just makes Saundra and Jeff eager to explore it. So does a cop, who follows a mysterious hooded figure in overalls–making his way through the woods and into a rundown shack that hides something sinister.
Without the need for much, if any backstory and a clear understanding that the killings would happen, Friday the 13th, Part 2 should have been a better film than the first. The murders are clearly more inventive. The arrival of Jason as a big screen force is here in all its glory. So why does Friday the 13th, Part 2 feel so underwhelming? The answer is twofold–the cuts made by Paramount to ensure an R rating from the MPAA and the serious lack of acting skills by most of the cast.
With the success of Halloween, Friday the 13th, My Bloody Valentine and other slasher flicks, watchdog groups, individuals and even some film critics were calling for films to clean up their act. The fear was that audience members were being influenced by the violent acts they were seeing onscreen. As a result, the deaths in Friday the 13th, Part 2 could be considered quite tame. Paramount trimmed nearly a minute out of the film to maintain a viable release and many of the actual killings are done of screen.
In terms of the acting, most of it is terrible. While I’ve always considered Amy Steel a fine actress, her co-stars seem to mumble their way through the film. For the most part, the actors don’t seem natural. It’s as though being in front of the camera was their own personal horror movie.
Friday the 13th, Part 2 follows a familiar formula. However, this sequel remains important in the Friday the 13th lexicon. If nothing else, the film gave us the hate filled killer obsessed with carrying on his mothers work.
The anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer is just a slight improvement over the 2004 version. Part 2 always looked stronger than the lower budgeted Part 1, so outside of fewer specks and slightly stronger colors, you won’t notice much difference. Some shots are still dark, and grain is still present. It’s a good image, but not as big a difference in quality as the Deluxe Edition for Part 1.
The standard mono track (in English, French and Spanish) is available, but a new 5.1 option is included. Like Part 1, this track has a few nice subtle touches, but doesn’t do much with the rear channels to really grab you. Subtitles are available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
Missing from this collection are the relevant interviews about Part 2 that appeared on 2004’s “From Crystal Lake to Manhattan” box set. Instead, you get three short new features and a holdover from 2004. New is Inside Crystal Lake Memories (10:46), a brief interview with author and Friday the 13th expert Peter M. Bracke. He discusses the genesis of his comprehensive book, a must-have for franchise followers. He’s interviewed by Del Howison, owner of Burbank horror store Dark Delicacies. Bracke knows a lot about the films and is always a good listen.
Friday’s Legacy: Horror Conventions (6:27) has clips and interviews from the 2008 Scare Fest, the same convention where the reunion interviews for Part 1’s Uncut Deluxe Edition were filmed. Brief clips and/or interviews with Adrienne King, Betsy Palmer, Ari Lehman, Victor Miller, Tom Savini and other event attendees, guests and personnel are shown, none of which pertain to Part 2.
Even more unrelated is Lost Tales from Camp Blood Part II (8:02), another short film that has two annoying people being stalked in the woods. The familiar Friday music is the only connection this has to the franchise–the hooded killer sure isn’t Jason.
Up next, is Jason Forever (28:43), footage from the January 14, 2004 Fangoria Convention in New Jersey. Bracke moderates a short panel discussion with four of the actors who played Jason: Lehman (Part 1), Warrington Gillette (Part 2), C.J. Graham (Part 6) and Kane Hodder (Parts 7-10). (Part III victim Larry Zerner also makes an appearance.) That footage is interspersed with solo interviews taped with each actor, who talk about their motivation behind the character and their experiences on set before an audience Q&A finishes the talk.
The Theatrical Trailer rounds out the extras.
If you’re a fan you’ll probably want to pick up the Friday the 13th, Part 2 – Deluxe Edition but I’m still hoping Paramount will release an uncut version, someday soon.
