For those who haven’t seen Friday The 13th 2009, this article contains spoilers.
Jason Voorhees is one of the most enduring figures in horror. Regardless if you love or hate the franchise, there’s no denying its impact on popular culture. Often overlooked is what went into making the 12-film series. Through extensive research and interviews, I invite you to take a closer look at the Friday The 13th universe. This is Crystal Lake Confessional.
As the first decade of the 2000s drew to a close, Michael Bay’s production company, Platinum Dunes ruled the horror. With glossy, big-budget remakes of classics like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Amityville Horror, a reimagining of Friday The 13th was inevitable, and unlike nearly every other installment of the Friday franchise, development for the 2009 remake was simple. For the first time in the series, everyone was on the same page. More importantly, Jason was ready to receive the Hollywood treatment he deserved.
However, retelling the first film’s story brought on its own set of issues.
With 11 other films in the series, it’s easy to forget Jason wasn’t even the killer in the first film, and when he was brought into the second film, the logistics were shaky at best. Jason didn’t even receive his trademark hockey mask until late into Part 3. By the time Part 6 came around, Friday The 13th became less of a slasher and more of supernatural horror. Freddy vs Jason was financially successful but it was still hard to get a read on what fans wanted exactly. Nevertheless, Freddy vs Jason writers, Damian Shannon and Mark Swift solved the convoluted chronology by celebrating what made the Friday The 13th film so popular in the first place: Jason Voorhees murdering unsuspecting teenagers.
From the very first frame to the last, every single shot in Friday The 13th 2009 is gorgeous thanks to masterclass cinematographer, Daniel Pearl. For a film taking place mostly in the woods and a single cabin, colors pop off the screen. During the daylight scenes, the film looks like a moving Abercrombie ad, but during the dark ominous scenes, it looks horrifying. Even when the horror in the script falls flat, Pearl’s imagery is visceral and unapologetic. Pearl had not only shot the 2003 TCM remake but the cinematographer of Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 1974, the very film that birthed the slasher genre.
Hooper changed horror forever and single-handedly influenced Sean Cunningham’s pursuit for Hollywood acceptance.
Following decades of unbelievable highs and transcending lows, Friday The 13th finally had its time to shine. A larger budget may have resolved any possible production issues but the most interesting element was the involvement of multiple generations. Essentially, Friday The 13th 2009 was made by people who influenced the series and those who were influenced by the series. And in an odd turn of events, Pearl’s involvement brings the story of Friday The 13th full circle.
By synopsis alone, Friday The 13th 2009 is really no different than any other sequel. A group of vacationing teenagers is offed one by one for stepping into Jason’s territory. In fact, every aspect of the film, from character backstories to their brutal deaths pays tribute to something already done in the original series. The cast does a remarkable job with the script provided, and they easily give the best performances in the entire franchise. All of this sounds like the foundation for the best Friday film in the series. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
Platinum Dunes may have intended a Jason Greatest Hits compilation but it severely undercuts any tension in the film.
If it weren’t for the cinematography, acting, and breakneck pacing, Friday The 13th 2009 would have nothing. From the second we lay eyes on our group of teenagers, we already know who survives. While this could be said for all of the films before it, the remake lacks the charm of those films. Each film in the original series worked around budget restraints and studio interference and resulted in creative filmmaking. Or in some cases, controversial decisions that elevated the story. Here, everything is pristine, smooth, and convenient.
The biggest update comes from Jason himself portrayed by 6’5 stuntman, Derek Mears. No longer a silent, teleporting zombie, Jason is angry, emotional, and remarkably strategic in his kills. Instead of murders being the product of divide and conquer, Jason plans his kills like chess. In one scene, Jason uses a victim’s scream as bait to lure the others away from safety. This hunter-esque version of Jason is intimidating and scary in ways not seen since The Final Chapter and a welcomed addition to the franchise.
This would be genuinely scary, except we feel nothing for the cookie-cutter characters Jason kills.
Each character feels not only like standard horror movie tropes, but variants of characters we’ve already seen in previous installments. The most entertaining character in the film is a jock named Trent. He’s so over the top, it flirts with parody. It makes you wonder if Shannon and Swift were purposely trying to make the audience cheer when Trent is inevitably killed. Unfortunately, when that happens in the third act, the viewer has no one else to cheer for or against. Without tension, there is no horror. If there’s no horror, there’s no reason to reset a franchise that already had a satisfying conclusion.
The tragedy of Friday The 13th 2009 is the missed opportunity for something special. Pearl’s ties to the film that began indie horror could have meant something more than just nice scenery. Platinum Dunes pulled out all the stops but gave us a film that pails in comparison to the series it remade. The callbacks and visual references to past films feel less like a love letter but a reminder of more entertaining films.
While not a terrible movie by any means, Friday The 13th 2009 lacks the urgency so important to the original canon.
Despite being the product of significant studios, Friday The 13th films were developed by indie creators. All with ambitions, hopes, and fears like any indie artist before and after. All 12 of these films may look like blood and bare skin on the surface but Friday The 13th 2009 reveals something about the original series not often discussed.
The Friday The 13th franchise was basically indie films without freedom. Their writers and directors used the restrictions imposed on them as part of the creative process. Part 3 was an exercise in 3D technology. Part 4 was a bleak commentary on life, Part 6 an action-comedy, and so on. Outside, it may have looked like a cash cow running out of ideas, but in reality, it was young filmmakers seizing the moment to make the kind of film they wanted to make.
Indie creators have to work extra hard for respect and these films represent that struggle.
With each film, actors, writers, and directors were instructed to make something that would bring in 20 times the amount of its budget. Making things even more difficult, a very short window to do it. Most of these crews somehow achieved the goal, but they also learned about the fickle ways of the industry. More often than not, the hard way.
Over the last few decades, slasher movies have gone in and out of style. But just like scary campfire stories, the character of Jason Voorhees is eternal. There’s an interesting argument to be made on how Jason represents the struggle between Hollywood and indie creation. On one hand, these films celebrate the most carnal desires of violence, horror, and sex without repercussion. On the other, the franchise proves with proper execution, even the most basic idea with superficial intentions can become a cultural phenomenon.
Under the Platinum Dunes umbrella and a sizable budget, Friday The 13th 2009 was never a struggle.
From financing, distribution, production, and release, every aspect was cut and dry. The writers had freedom, the director had no pressure, and the built-in audience pre-destined a successful opening. However, bypassing the struggles and pressure causes the film to miss out on the care given by creators whose careers were on the line. The struggle of artistry and success has always been in the DNA of the franchise, without that makes for a paint-by-numbers slasher. As this article series has explored, the making of the Friday The 13th franchise was anything but uninteresting.
With the finale of this article series, I’d like to thank the people for their help in making it possible. Brandon Perras, James Sakelaris, Larry Zerner, Deborah Voorhees, Tom McLoughlin, Daryl Haney, Lar Park Lincoln, Adam Marcus, Harry Manfredini, and Todd Farmer. A very special thanks to Kendon Luscher for keeping me focused and being an incredible editor. I couldn’t have tackled this series without him.
Catch up with previous installments of Crystal Lake Confessional here.
Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4 – Part 5 – –Part 6 – Part 7