Friday the 13th, Part 2

Get ready for twice the terror with Friday the 13th Part 2: Deluxe Edition! Five years after the massacre at Camp Crystal Lake, the nerve-wracking legend of Jason Vorhees and his diabolical mother lives on. Despite ominous warnings from the locals to stay away from "Camp Blood" a group of counselors at a nearby summer camp decide to explore there area where seven people were brutally slaughtered. All too soon, they encounter horrors of their own and the killing begins again. You'll be at the edge of your seat for this gruesome thriller about 24 hours of bone-chilling fear!

Since the original Friday the 13th made money, in Hollywood that screams sequel. In the case of Friday the 13th, there is a formula that the body count needs to be greater and the kills need to be more gruesome. There isn't much plot to set-up as it is the same as the original with camp counselors trying to re-open a camp but this time it is on the other side of Crystal Lake. With Pamela Voorhees (Betsy Palmer) losing her head in the first film, the need for a killer was filled by her son Jason, whom in the first movie makes a surprise appearance at the end and left the audience trying to figure out if he was real or just the imagination of Alice (Adrienne King). The main characters in part 2 are Paul Holt (John Furey) and his gal pal Ginny (Amy Steel). As they start getting the camp ready everyone gathers around a camp fire and Paul tells the story of how Jason saw his mother get her head cut off and has been on a killing warpath seeking revenge. While there are some good kills in this installment, the franchise still was developing the Jason character. The infamous hockey mask isn't introduced until the 3rd installment. Here Jason wears a pillow case to hide his disfigured face.

The ending has Jason coming through a window after we are to believe he is dead and attacks Ginny. She awakes and with ambulances collecting the carnage, she screams looking for Paul and the movie just ends with the audience wondering what happened to Jason leaving it open for another movie.

I am disappointed that they didn't offer this in Blu-ray, but the re-mastering of this version is quite good. There are some very interesting bonus features that are worth checking out like Friday's Legacy: Horror Conventions. There is some interesting conversation regarding this character and franchise.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Inside Crystal Lake Memories
• Friday's Legacy: Horror Conventions
• Lost Tales from Camp Blood - Part 2
• Jason Forever - Used on 2004 release/Best Buy bonus disc
• Theatrical Trailer - Used on 2004 release

I am a fan of this franchise and would have liked to see an entire catalog packaged together in Blu-ray format. I know there was a collection through film 8 that was offered a few years back but, with Blu-ray being the hot new technology, I would really like to see a complete catalog offered. If you are a fan of these movies you absolutely should grab this second installment.