Banana Girl (Bonnie Hellman) waits patiently by the side of the road for a ride to Canada. And love. Or both.
A car full of Teens to be Killed at Crystal Lake passes her by (there's no room for Banana Girl in the car), but not before shouting some insults out the window. This always reminds me of that old adage, "Teenagers are such assholes!". Banana Girl comes prepared for such slights however.
After her rejection, Banana Girl sits atop her pile of stuff and lives up to her name by, you know, eating a banana. Then along comes Jason, however, and messes up a perfectly serene moment by grabbing her with a bloody hand and ramming a knife through her throat. Poor Banana Girl.
Of course, her death brings to mind another old adage: "Somehow, banana drool is way grosser than a the blood gush that results when a knife is plunged through someone's trachea."So many questions arise during this sequence! For example: Who is Banana Girl, and why is she going to Canada (or Love)? She sure has a lot of stuff with her, so she must be planning to stay for a while. Also: Did Jason eat the banana that Banana Girl drops? He's probably hungry, so he'd might as well take advantage. And: What does Jason do with her body and stuff? Does he take it all back to his lean-to? For that matter, does Jason still have his lean-to, last seen in Part 2? Oh, Friday the 13th Part IV, you make my brain work.
And as for you, Banana Girl- R.I.P.. Though you never said a word, you will live on in our hearts and minds forever and ever!
OMG, I used to tell my cousin when we were little she would grow up to look like banana girl and you know what she did. I always ask her when she is going to Canada. Your site is awesome!!
ReplyDelete"I always ask her when she is going to Canada."
ReplyDeleteThat made me laugh. And thanks!
Ha! Thanks for the smile. Banana drool...
ReplyDeleteThere was a span of about 5-8 years when I was mostly away from the F13 sequels. But throughout that time, I always remembered Banana Girl. She basically represented the 8 middle films to me.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if our fascination with Banana Girl is because she eats a banana or because, hate to say this, she's not the prettiest gal in town eating a banana? What if it was a sexy, short skirt, long boots, small tank top blonde eating the banana? Maybe the kids would've given her a ride to the girl eating a banana. Yes, I know I've said "eating" and "banana" a lot. It's fun to say, besides, is it ever enough?
ReplyDeleteHaha, one of the most memorable deaths. The actress shows up in the His Name was Jason doc.
ReplyDeleteI watched "His Name was Jason" the other day and they interview Banana Girl all grown up! I was impressed.
ReplyDeleteAt least she didn't get the chance to add LBs of make-up to her face, convincing herself that she is pretty.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite victims was that film nerd with the video camera in Jason Takes Manhattan.
ReplyDeleteWas she interviewed on the documentary "His Name Was Jason"? Or did I dream it?
ReplyDeleteI always assumed she was deaf. Anybody else?
ReplyDelete-Ben
I don't know about her being deaf, Ben. She seems to hear the kids in the car just fine. I did always think she was mute, though. I mean, I know she makes some noises when Jason's shoving the knife through her throat but under the circumstances, who wouldn't? Maybe she wasn't technically mute but had taken some kind of vow of silence.
ReplyDeleteFucking hippies.
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, I always assumed she was a native canucklehead, trying to get home after hitchhiking across the U.S.; the awe of discovering a different land, littered with Dunkin' Donuts, but nary a Tim Horton's in sight.
"Somehow, banana drool is way grosser than a the blood gush that results when a knife is plunged through someone's trachea." - pure genius!
ReplyDeleteMy mind wandered tonight, as it does, to Banana Girl, and of course I ended up here. She's such an enigma, because she is obviously the fat girl joke personified -- pretty girls get killed after getting boned, but the fat girl has to settle for the metaphorical sex act implied by eating a banana. But she is so damn funny and her brief presence hints to a personality you want to see more of in the film.
ReplyDeleteI dunno. Everybody loves Banana Girl, that's all I'm sayin'.