Grade: C

Friday the 13^th shocked audiences back in 1980. It was a top notch slasher and had a twist ending while not really fair in that it introduced a new character – still surprised viewers. The series went on to spawn more sequels than nearly any horror franchise and often allowed the film makers a lot of creative freedom. This film lacked that and according to HorrorYearBook.com the studio pandered to test audiences.

A major flaw with this film is that it has no identity. Despite what non-fans may say the Friday the 13^th entries were always very distinguishable. In the Jason Voorhees saga we had Mrs. Voorhees slicing up consulars, introducing Jason when he was previously thought dead, funky themes mixed with 3D visuals, Jason at the mercy of Corey Feldman, Roy as the killer, the introduction of zombie Jason, a “final girl” with telekinetic powers, Jason in Manhattan, Jason as a worm demon, Jason in space and finally in a match with Freddy Krueger. I’m not sure of Friday the 13th (2009)’s identity.

Even with the bundle of remakes in the last 6 years I am not sure I have seen a movie packed with so much familar material. In recent horror films characters seem to always have a dead mom. In the last decade or so horror films seem to inject the “Dawson’s Creek” moment where we hear about the dead mom ordeal. This movie is no different than other offenders like Scream and Freddy vs. Jason. This film has a drug subplot similar to Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2003. That was a low point for the 2003 remake. Another staple from the remake factory known as Platinum Dunes is the hick locals and they find their way into this slasher.

Friday the 13th (2009) is not all bad, though. As usual we get a pack of goofy young people and at times they’re funny. In fact save for some hack hockey humor, the punchlines work. It doesn’t hit like a comedy film but it’s not supposed and it keeps things interesting. There’s also a scene that really shows that Jason has been the biggest cock block of the last 30 years. Another positive is a death that surprises. The final chase takes a page out of an earlier Friday film that was one of the high points of the original series.

The first 6 Fridays are quintessential and top notch. After that Paramount half assed it and the films became cheap. When New Line took over they sent Jason to space (!!!) after turning him into a retarded worm. This film isn’t nearly as good as the first 6 but not quite as bad as the last handful. The film lacked a vision and put too much stock in what test audiences wanted. There wasn’t a whole lot to make it stand out – good or bad. This happens when there’s too many cooks in the kitchen. Ultimately it was a miss opportunity to restart the series and return Jason to his glory days