Friday the 13th Part 2 (Steve Miner, 1981, USA)

Friday the 13th Part 2 is the second entry in the Friday the 13th franchise. This time the direction was taken on by Steve Miner, a producer on the first film in the franchise. Miner's first entry into the series shows that the formula has been established. Once again we are returning to camp counselors in training, and an unknown stalker is killing the counselors. The film has a bigger budget than the first in the franchise, and as such the sex and violence are amped up considerably more than the first film.

Strangely enough, Jason does not yet appear as the hockey-mask-wearing killer in this film. He instead is wearing a burlap sack over his head throughout most of the film. The action of the film takes place 5 years after the first film, although this sequel came out only a year after the first film was shot - does it take place in the future? The characters are largely forgettable. One of the main complaints regarding Friday the 13th Part 2 is the loose ends regarding some of the characters. The goofball character in this film - one of the most universally disliked characters - ends up at a bar and goes throughout the entire film unscathed. 

What Friday the 13th Part 2 lacks in originality compared to the first film, it makes up for in the pacing and overall inventiveness. The film is not good cinema by any stretch of the imagination, but it largely works. The alter to Pamela Voorhees feels like something out of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and overall Friday the 13th Part 2 feels more indebted to Tobe Hooper's film than its predecessor. Bonus points go toward the filmmaker for the nice Connecticut scenery - the film was shot largely in Eastern Connecticut.

6/10