Friday the 13th Blog-A-Thon

Can you feel the kismet, people? All 'round Ye Olde Internette, people are talking about the Friday the 13th films and giving Jason Voorhees and Company some well-earned props. It's glorious in a sort of Hands Across America kind of way, don't you think? Though this endeavor was my idea, I had a really hard time coming up with something to say about these movies. I reviewed all the Friday films during that ridiculous, ass-numbing marathon; I've talked about the awesome coffee table book dedicated to the series; Friday films have been mentioned here for ridiculous faces, various death scenes, the general badassery of Jason, and defenestrations galore. What else can I possibly say? I'll say what I can possibly say: Baghead Jason of Friday the 13th Part 2 is the most frightening and effective of any Jason in any of the Friday films.

There's obviously something frightening about later incarnations of Jason- the hulking, hockey-masked killing machine. But Baghead Jason isn't a hulking killing machine who's brought back to life time and again, an ooey-gooey corpse of unlimited powers. Baghead Jason, you see, is just some guy. He's a real human being who wears a bag on his head and will kill you. Like Michael Myers, he's a boogeyman. He's the type of legend kids talk about- the madman who lives in the woods, the deformed monster who's waiting for kids to wander too close so he can snatch them up and bake them into a pie or something. When I was young, there was a wooded expanse across the street from our house and all the neighborhood kids would head into there to play. There were bike trails and rocks to climb...and it was rumored that there was some crazy guy who lived somewhere in there, just like Jason. Let me tell you, the idea of it made hide and seek an exceptionally thrilling game to play. I think it's safe to say that the rotting zombified Jason of Part VIII isn't someone we're likely to encounter outside the confines of a TV or movie screen; but Baghead Jason? I'm still partially convinced that a guy just like him really did wander the woods of southeastern Connecticut. Baghead Jason is real.

Looking at the character in Part 2, it's kind of amazing that he'd go on to death and resurrection countless times over, becoming a sort of perverse Superman. In Part 2, Jason had a house. He had somewhere to live, a little lean-to that he built himself...a shack that had a toilet. He clearly loved his mother and was so traumatized by her death that he built a shrine to her- he even lit candles. He was so full of rage that he left the confines of Camp Crystal Lake and somehow tracked down Alice, the counselor who killed his mother; he brought his mom's head all the way to Alice's apartment as he sought revenge. Couple these very human (and yes, very insane) actions with The Ginny Theory- that being that Jason never drowned in Crystal Lake, but rather ran off into the woods to live his kooky lifestyle- and there's actually some...GASP...character development for Jason Voorhees. The smallest sliver of our brains might even be dedicated to feeling sorry for the guy.

In Part 3, Jason would go on to adopt the hockey mask and cement his standing as a horror icon. Never again, however, would he seem so real- and to me, he'd never again seem so frightening, either.

All right, I've said my piece. Now it's time to spread the wealth! I'm sure I'll be updating throughout the day, so check back often for all things Friday the 13th.

Edward Copeland on Film gives us a review of Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan.

Brainbug over at The Celluloid Cesspool has a picture-laden post about Part 3-D.

Erich at Acidemic-Film remembers experiencing the dawn of the slasher age.

Valter of Documents discusses the meaning behind Jason's iconic mask.

Over at Aphorisms and Ectoplasm, Spazmo reveals some of his long history with the films.

Birthday Boy Chadwick Saxelid reviews Jason X: The Experiment at Clueless Observations. Happy birthday!

Filmsquish gets it on with a review of Jason Goes to Hell and a slasher study to boot.

Kimberly of Cinebeats keeps it hip, talking about the influence of Bava's Bay of Blood.

Curt gets the ball rolling on a gialli vs. slashers smackdown over at The Groovy Age of Horror.

Look Back in Anger, fondness, and a booze-fueled haze at John Barleycorn's Friday the 13th love affair.

Adam Ross gives us 13 reasons to own the Friday box set...with a little DVD Panache.

Yonder at Johnny LaRue's Crane Shot, Marty McKee's mad Friday-reviewin' marathon culminates today with Freddy vs. Jason.

Amanda By Night reveals the highs and lows of Idiot Man Child Cinema at Retro Ectero.

Dreamrot talks about his relationship with Friday...sort of...amongst the 7 Dollar Popcorn.

The Roundtable of Yon Horror Blog discusses favorite Friday kills.

Pat Piper casts his Lazy Eye (Theatre) on Friday the 13th and safe sex.

Sir Jorge's Macabre DVD looks back at the classic 8-Bit NES game.

Ross Horsley of Buon Giallo! shows us what Venerdi the 13th might entail.

Andrew Bemis of Cinevistaramascope posits that a fear of Jason is a fear of the developmentally disabled.

Over at Gatochy's Blog, Mariana reveals the frightening reality of the Friday films.

Josh DeSlasher gives us an episode of Big Brother set at Camp Crystal Lake for Body Horror.

Check out some free Friday theme songs (including the bitchin' discofied Part 3 intro), available at Harry Manfredini's website!

Joe of the awesomely-named Carrie White Burns in Hell! has a sweet gallery of Friday posters and lobby cards on display.

John gazes at all the not-Jasons of the films with The Blackest Eyes.

Bob the Wordless has some words about Kevin Bacon-ka-bobs over at Why Can't I Write?

Dan Coyle pointed me towards a hilarious video review of the 8-Bit game by The Angry Nintendo Nerd.

Remember what it was like to see Friday the 13th for the first time? Relive the experience with a liveblog viewing from Emma Blackwood and her Art Boy.

Step into the Undertaker's Lounge and chat about Part VI: Jason Lives and the "professional wrestling" horror era.

Here they are...all the kills from the Friday the 13th films in chronological order. Thanks to everyone who threw this mind-numbing piece my way!



Well, I think that about wraps it up. Thanks SO MUCH to everyone who participated for making this event a heeee-youuuuge success. After all, you can't spell "Blog-A-Thon" without "you". Let's do this again sometime, shall we?