Retrospective Film Review

Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) • 40 Years Later — entertainment aimed straight at the fans

Mrs Voorhees is dead and Camp Crystal Lake is shut down, but now a neighbouring camp is stalked by an unknown assailant.

Friday the 13th (1980) was a simple slasher that may have been overlooked if not for its titular marketing gimmick of snagging Paramount Pictures’ interest. Suddenly, the film had a major distribution deal that dwarfed the original budget and it was shown across the entire country! was richly rewarded but not respected, except by a dichotomy of die-hard fans and corporate suits who like the money said fans are willing to spend. Friday the 13th Part 2 not only helped cement that bridge, but it also built many others. A direct continuation with a mostly new cast and much of the same crew, the project also had major losses with an outgoing director, screenwriter, and SFX guru. And despite looking back at how safe they played it 40 years ago, how could a crew as young as the cast predict this sequel would come to define the franchise and help shape the decade’s…