"Friday The 13th" (2009)

I’m not sure why people have a hard time letting horror myths go. They hated “Nightmare On Elm Street” remake (which is understandable, because it is a terrible movie). But for a straight goofy slasher movie, this isn’t the worst. I think the backlash may come from the fact that Michael Bay was involved.

I remember getting this project as a scan request. I was so excited, because I had a feeling they were doing a remake. This was 6 years ago, which now feels like a lifetime. I was in Santa Monica at the time and living in Sherman Oaks. It’s so strange to mark your life through movies you’ve worked on. It really seems like it was longer ago that I scanned this movie.

I was surprised it was shot on film. Excited actually, since the cinematographer on it (Daniel Pearl) has been a huge proponent of film. He shot the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” I happen to really like his style. He’s a very music video type of shooter.

Anyway, the movie itself isn’t worst than the original. It starts off pretty much where the original ended. Sort of. We see a flashback scene of what was the surprise at the end of the first one. The slasher Jason’s mom giving exposition of why she had to kill. Just adjusting the history of the first one so they can move onto Jason doing the killing. In essence, it’s not a reboot, but could be considered an insert from part one of the original as a continuation.

Unfortunately for this story, there is no time to fill in gaps. Such as, missing counselors. The girl who actually killed Jason’s mom (which we assume is long gone). No investigation to the previous incidents. No recollection of the events of the previous happenings at Crystal Lake. In other words, way too much info to deal with, so they just move the story across the lake. All other campers just happen to stumble onto the deserted site. Not only that, police are so ineffective they never find the shrine dedicated to the mother, even though two separate camp groups unfortunately discover it…by accident.

Yeah, stupidity aside, they give you what you want. Tits, violence and drugs.  This movie seems to desperately want you to think it’s hip. I have no problems with that. Sean S. Cunningham’s version wanted to just make money. The lore of Jason isn’t what it use to be like, since camping is pretty passé.  They had to even update that into just a group of college party animals looking to escape.

I can’t explain this movie, or its tie to any of the “Friday…” movies, but it’s not like they were stomping on sacred ground. Some may think that, but re-watch the original. It’s just as goofy.