It’s the Booze Talkin’: Give us another Friday the 13th already!

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

February of 2015 brings something that I look forward to every damn time it comes around once or twice a year. February 13th falls on a Friday. While it may not be a holiday for everybody, I personally get out the Blu ray collection and entertain in a little Jason Voorhees slicing and dicing. As a completist, I love all of the FRIDAY THE 13th movies, even the crappy ones. This includes Jason going to space, Manhattan, a body jumping version of the killer and even the one where the masked maniac is some lame imposter. In fact, FRIDAY THE 13th PART 5: A NEW BEGINNING has seriously grown on me throughout the years.

What has always entertained me about these silly flicks is the simplicity of it all. F13 is what I like to call meat and potatoes horror. There is no deeper meaning than a nut job psycho running around killing camp counselors. Even when they expand on the premise, it is simply a T & A, gore soaked bit of horror fun. We have a bunch of obnoxious teens (well, usually teens), a plucky heroine and an unstoppable killer. That is the basic plot – or lack thereof – for pretty much every slasher film but for me, this franchise is one of the most downright trashy and entertaining of the bunch. So if it is so freaking simple, why are we about to have another Friday the 13th, but no new Friday the 13th movie?!

While a few fans had issues with the Platinum Dunes remake, it worked for me on a number of levels. Derek Mears was fantastic as the iconic Jason, and the supporting cast was mostly likable. Personally I think they should have done more with Kyle Davis (as the stoner redneck) who was a blast with his short time on-screen. And then there was that first twenty minutes or so which was about as good as you can get within the context of a film like that. The Marcus Nispel directed feature took a few odd missteps, but what the hell, it was great seeing Voorhees once again spreading mayhem to sex crazed hotties. To date, Julianna Guill is one of the hottest F13 vixens in the entire series so that in itself was worth the price of admission.

We as FRIDAY THE 13th fans aren’t asking for much really. A spooky Camp Crystal Lake setting. A hockey masked Jason Voorhies is a must. And a group of pretty counselors to add to the body count. That is all you really need. The 2009 remake/reboot was made for a reported cost of 19 million and it managed to make just over 91 million worldwide. This is a cheap franchise that doesn’t need a ton of spit and polish to work. It doesn’t need a found footage angle. We don’t need to know any more about the main antagonist other than he had some mommy issues and likes his machete. Why is this such a difficult thing to put together? There are numerous engaging fan films and spec scripts that would make for an entertaining sequel. Why has it taken so long? What is the problem here?

The good news is for FRIDAY THE 13th lovers is that we will not have to wait too much longer for a new flick. I recently sat down with Andrew Form and Brad Fuller to chat about their latest PROJECT ALMANAC – check out the full interview later this week on JoBlo.com. When I brought up a sequel, they had this to say.

“We are definitely talking about another Jason movie. We want to. We are working with a director, David Bruckner, who we love. We are developing that with him so we can get that movie going this year.”

I really happen to like these two fine gentlemen quite a bit, and they genuinely seem to be excited about the franchise. So possibly, maybe the wait is almost over? It appears so. Now let’s hope that some of the fun and campy elements of the original series return when FRIDAY THE 13th hits theatres this coming November 13th.

Maybe it’s the booze talkin’, but give us another Friday the 13th movie already! Man does November 13th seem far away! As a long time fan of this series, the wait for a new film has been far too long. The franchise works best when it is simple stalk and slash with Jason Voorhees terrorizing counselors. Keep it bloody, keep it fun and add gratuitous nudity and you’ve got yourself a winning combination. Since we’ve once again reintroduced Jason, let us hope that the next film sticks a little closer to what made the franchise work in the first place. Here is hoping that November 13th brings us a solid sequel. Until then, the 13th falls on a Friday for February – and March as well – so back to the originals I go.