Jason Voorhees – Three Decades of Terror
A Look at His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday 13th Documentary
Sep 14, 2009
Friday the 13th has always been a day of terror and fright because one of single person. His name is Jason Voorhees and he is the title character in the film Friday the 13th. His terrifying presence at Camp Crystal Lake has made his audience scream for more than three decades. Although the plot for the film and its following sequels appear quite simple according to the original producers and creators, there is much more depth to the character of Jason and his journey to become the well-known icon known in the cinematic realm of classic horror films.
The Character of Jason
As mentioned in the documentary, the character of Jason was simply supposed to be a victim and serve as a mere motivation for his mother, who was the originally killer in the 1980’s film. Mrs. Voorhees who was the camp cook began killing the camp counsellors due to her son’s drowning, blaming his death on their inattentiveness.
In the final scene of the first film, Jason watches the beheading of his mother and many believe that this unleashed the Jason that is known the many sequels to the original. The hatred he feels for the individuals who went against his mother’s wishes must be eliminated and these characters serve as an excellent and continuing motivation to kill those who return to Camp Crystal Lake.
Mrs. Voorhees is a large part of Jason’s character. She channels her wants through Jason, which becomes a defining moment for who Jason is and what his goals are. He is not solely taking revenge for his mother’s death – he is driven by his mother’s needs for revenging his own death. Because of this internal and mental control fuelled by his mother, there have been many speculations as to why one feels sorry for Jason, seeing as he is just a victim to many of the previous actors engaged in the films. Much of the crew reveals their interpretation of Jason as being a misunderstood and tortured soul.
Changes and Complications
As the years come and go, the character of Jason grows up from being a deformed young boy to an immortal man on a spaceship. Indeed, this is quite a change in scenery and quite far from Camp Crystal Lake. However, as many of the producers who have worked on the movies suggest in this documentary, the audience changes for every movie and therefore, Jason needs to be revised, changed and developed as well.
The documentary does a fantastic job in presenting the physical changes of Jason from the very first film to the most recent film to date, excluding the 2009 remake of the original. The focus lies mainly on his face because the most drastic changes have occurred here, both before and after the hockey mask became his trademark in the third instalment.
The producers and creative masterminds behind the films also discuss the need for more creative and violent deaths, to keep the films fresh and new. Each film has one or two deaths that have never been done before in any horror movie at the time of production and this documentary show the audience how these were constructed prior to filming, as special effects were not as advanced throughout the 1980’s. Stories are also shared by producers who had to stand up and fight for their work as it was being produced and shown to the public, as the films were met with a blockade of resistance from a string of film agencies who wanted to movie banned, due to its violence and graphic nature.
Although many of the proud producers and actors offer their personal opinion of Jason and their time on the film-set in this documentary, it is not everyone who agrees with the production and development of Jason. These unsatisfactory comments are also addressed, making this documentary not only a tribute to the Friday the 13th film, but also a discussion of how and why Jason has become what he is today.
- Studio: Masimedia
- Rating: R
- Running Time: 90 Minutes
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