Friday the 13th: Part 2 starts off with the lone heroine from end of the original in her home having nightmares about the horrors she endured during her counseling stint at Camp Blood. Just as soon as you think she might have a starring role in this chapter, she gets a screwdriver to her temple. I think this is the catalyst for what the franchise is known for; gruesome and humorous deaths.
Set five years after the original, another stubborn entrepreneur decides that he wants to re-open a camp next to Camp Blood on Crystal Lake. He hires a dozen teenagers to work for him and as they all show up for orientation and do what teenagers do (get naked, drink, etc.), they are eliminated one by one. It seems no one learned a lesson from the previous occupants, but Ginny (played by Amy Steel) is the only one who is at least scared from the stories and inevitably confronts the terror of Crystal Lake.
Friday the 13th: Part 2 is the first movie in the franchise to have Jason Voorhees himself as the killer. His mom handled the dirty work in the first, but he is a big boy now and he takes matters into his own hands. He uses his trademark machete for the first time, some barb wire, and even an antique spear (!!!!) to impale coupling teens. You will also notice that this is the only movie with Jason as the star where he does not have his trademark hockey mask. He fumbles around for most of the film with a simple hood over his face to cover up his disfigurement.
I can't honestly say the acting is good in Friday the 13th: Part 2 because honestly, after the first film, no one cares about the story anymore. It is all about the gore and the amusing deaths these dumb teens find themselves in. Although, Part 2 does flesh out who Jason is a little more when you see his shack in the woods with a shrine to Mama Voorhees.
After you are done watching Friday the 13th: Part 2 and probably laughing the whole time, there are few extras to keep you occupied. The original trailer is in HD and few documentaries about the cast and crew, as well as the lasting effects of Friday the 13th are there too. If nothing else, it makes for a little extra for genre horror fans. Since this is the Blu-ray release, you might ask if you need to see that much gore in higher definition. Well, I most certainly would, but other than a bit of color correction, I don't notice any HD transfer. There is still grain on the film as well as celluloid marks as if it were in theaters. Some people enjoy a more "authentic" experience, but I wanted a remastered version for my Blu-ray collection.
Jason's first outing is a memorable one, but is also a drastic shift in tone from Part 1. Setting numerous examples of how to make a slasher film in the 80's, Friday the 13th: Part 2 is great for genre horror fans (myself included), but those looking for more suspenseful moments from Part 1 might be disappointed. If you consider yourself a fan of horror movies, then you need to own Friday the 13th: Part 2 as well as the others in the series, but don't feel rushed to get a Blu-ray copy.
