My Introduction to Friday the 13th

Today is Friday the 13th, the beloved anti-holiday that is more associated with a masked killer than a day of bad luck. I was thinking back to my introduction to the Friday the 13th franchise, and thought I’d share some thoughts.

Like most kids growing up in the 80s, I was aware of Jason Voorhees and Freddy Kruger. Their celebrity transcended the silver screen, and they were featured in commercials, toys, and tons of marketing. At first glance, Freddy was the cooler of the two, with all his wild puns and devilish look, but Jason… Jason was a powerhouse. It took just a few years of maturing to realize how dangerous and unstoppable he was, and while I wouldn’t want to meet either in a dark alley, or in my dreams, I think I fear Jason a bit more because of his brute force. Then again, I said in my dreams, so… this just got confusing. Moving on…

The first time I watched a Friday the 13th movie was not a pleasant experience. It was early 1994, I was ten years old, and I found myself attending a sleepover with some other boys my age. The hosting boy’s mother took us to the video store where we snagged a copy of Thunder in Paradise starring Hulk Hogan, and the newly released Jason Goes to Hell. Not only did Jason Goes to Hell have an awesome cover, it was also rumored that Freddy showed up in the movie.

Excited about seeing Hulk Hogan, we opted to check out Thunder in Paradise first. Not only were we a bit more excited for it, but we thought watching the scary movie later once the adults were asleep would be more effective.

I remember pushing Jason Goes to Hell into the VCR and then about thirty minutes in thinking, “Was the opening scene the only time we see Jason?” The other two boys fell asleep due to the extremely boring plot and terrible pacing of the film, but I powered through because I wanted to see Jason and Freddy!

Of course, I was a fool, because there is very little Jason in Jason Goes to Hell, and even less Freddy. The last shot of the frame hinting at Freddy was enough to get me excited, but it was a huge letdown. I’ve watched Jason Goes to Hell twice since that first time, and it has sucked worse and worse ever viewing. I’m definitely never watching it again.

My next experience with Friday the 13th was confusing. My grandmother didn’t care what I rented, so a few months after the great Jason Goes to Hell debacle, I was visiting my grandma, and I picked up the first film. It was great. The kills were fun, the mystery, and the soundtrack, it made for a great experience. But not too unlike my first experience with the franchise, where the hell was Jason!? I was unaware that his first real appearance was in the second film, and I think I would have enjoyed Friday the 13th, so much more if I had known that going in.

In my mind, Jason was a hockey mask wearing killing machine. I even dressed up as Jason one year when I painted the little triangles on my cheap glow in the dark mask. So, I was ready to see hockey mask Jason do his thing. And so… I rented the second film, and once more was disappointed.

My introduction to Friday the 13th was not a positive one just due to the timing of everything, and I think this is why I really like the franchise, but I don’t love it. I’d take Halloween over Friday the 13th any day and only recently would I say I prefer the F13 franchise to Nightmare on Elm Street.

Eventually, I did see the rest of the franchise, but I’ve watched the Friday the 13th movies significantly less than Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween, which in an odd way has really benefited me as I’ve gotten older. Now, I know all the beats of Halloween and NOES, but Friday the 13th is still a bit fresh. I don’t know the characters as well, and things get a little fuzzy in some films, so that means rewatching them is a very enjoyable experience.

I was working at Blockbuster when Jason X was released, and I joined in on the mockery about Jason in Space. That didn’t stop me from snagging the poster and hanging it proudly on my wall or buying the movie the day it came out, and ya know what, I actually like it. It was a fun film and is definitely in my top half of my favorites in the franchise.

Of course, if you ask me to pick a Friday the 13th movie to watch at any given moment, I will always pick the 2009 remake. I know a lot of fans hate it, but for me, it’s perfect. The look of Jason, the nudity, the violence, and the vibe of the film just check all the boxes for me. I loved what Marcus Nispel did with Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and also with Friday the 13th.

One of my fondest Friday the 13th memories was buying the third film on DVD that included old school 3-D glasses. I had way too much fun watching that film in cheap, crappy 3-D. I honestly think it’s part of the reason why I enjoy that film so much.

Friday the 13th is a great franchise, I just approached it with some bad timing and not enough information, but in some ways that has really been a good thing. As I mentioned, while some movies have grown a bit tiresome, Friday the 13th is still fun. So, Happy Friday the 13th everybody, I hope you enjoy a little Jason Voorhees action this weekend.