Some Problematic Observations On "Friday The 13th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                    There actually was one this month--a Friday, The 13th, I mean--and, of course what better way to celebrate the day than by watching the 1980 classic?

                                       This underrated masterpiece, highlighted by Betsy Palmer's groundbreaking  performance as Mrs. Voorhees, and some of the most artistic camera work for a low budget film,  casts its magic spelll each time it is watched,  yet this recent viewing gave me  cause to wonder.

                                           Now, as we all know, (And if you don't, stop here!) though tightly wrapped,  Mrs. Voorhees' rampage was triggered by the death of her special needs son, Jason, while that horndog Barry, and slut Claudette, who should have been waching him, were too busy doing  what horndogs  and sluts do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  They got what they deserved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              Before we even get to the film at hand, let me remind you, Jason's drowning took place in the Summer of 1957.  Barry and Claudette were killed the following year, in 1958.  The question is, if  they were found culpable in 1957, why were they even invited back?

                                               Oh,  before going on,  let me say I could not find my favorite shot from  the  film.  This is when Annie walks  into Trudy's place, with folks seated at the counter, and that eerie looking woman in a striped dress and  cat-eye glasses, says, "Camp Blood?  They're opening that place again?"  The whole package just sets the tone.

                                                  As for the others who were killed, none of them deserved to be, except maybe Steve Christy, (Peter Brouwer) who should never have re-opened the camp.

                                                     It is interesting that Brenda's (Laurie Bartam, who died fourteen years  ago) killing is foreshadowed by Ned's shooting an arrow at the target, where she is too close for comfort.  As for Ned (Mark Nelson), what is his story?  Are he and Marcie (the great Jeannine Taylor) siblings?  If he wasn't kissing every woman in sight, I would have thought him gay!  Or maybe that was a cover, for his being hot for  Jack (Kevin Bacon)?  And for the duration of the film, no one  even knows that Ned has been killed, except the viewer.

                                                       Now, look at the front page of the local paper, posted above.  When I first saw this, two  things occurred to me.  The unfortunate parents of these campers--even The Christys--who have to be  told of their children's deaths, and the style of the paper gives indication of what could have been done with this film, as a sequel, rather than what was actually done.

                                                           Had the filmmakers followed my template, by showing the families being informed, maybe converging on the camp, given Mrs. Voorhees' back story, prior to the first  film, and done all this in documentary style, they might have gotten an almost  twenty year jump on "The Blair Witch Project."

                                                               Such a film would have been more interesting than what eventually became the franchise.

                                                                 Now, I have heard only twelve "Friday The 13th" films  have been made?  Why can't my proposal be the thirteenth????????????????

                                                                  A fitting conclusion to the series, and justice for  those victims, and Mrs. Voorhees!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                     What's for dinner, Mrs. Voorhees???????????????????