Review of Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) by Dahl T — 16 Feb 2009

Part 2 is a very competent sequel to Friday the 13th and actually surpasses the original in many respects. Technically it is a much better film, which is to be expected with a bigger budget, but it's the introduction of the iconic killer that elevates this film above the original.

The plot is very similar to the original, 5 years have passed since Jason's mother Pamela went on a killing spree to avenge the supposed death of her son and a bunch of camp councilors head to Crystal Lake on a 2 week training weekend. Needless to say they start to be killed off one by one. Jason is the killer in this film which instantly elevates it above the original. He is a much scarier character than his mother from the first film and we get to see him stalk his victims instead of simply viewing the victims through the killers eyes. The iconic hockey mask doesn't make an appearance, instead Jason wears an old sack on his head, which in some ways is more frightening as it's more believable. Technically it's a much better film, the acting is better and the character development section is much more entertaining and eerie even though it is still largely boring and irrelevant. It takes 40 minutes to introduce us to all the characters before the killing spree commences. The one thing where the original is better is in the gore department, the death scenes in part 2 are not as gruesome but it makes up for this with suspense and tension as Jason runs, jumps and does everything possible to catch his victims. The ending is just as effective as the original and leaves you wanting more.

Part 2 isn't much better than the original but it's the tighter screenplay and the fact that Jason is the killer that makes it the better film.

6/10.