MovieChat Forums > Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) Discussion > 6.1 out of 10 star rating??? wtf!

6.1 out of 10 star rating??? wtf!


this film should be at at least 8.8. how can people rate this film low? this is one of the best friday the 13th films.

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I'm gonna have to agree. 8.8 sounds right.

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[deleted]

You'll get no argument from me about going to 9.2. The one is a treasure, in what is essentially a lost art, the slasher movie.

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but try telling these idiots on here and the movie db that. the things they don't understand dumbly, is you can't rate the friday the 13th films against important films like the godfather or the matrix because the friday the 13th films don't have to have great acting, great directing, great plots, great character development, or great dialogue because they are slasher films.

slasher films have to have very few film elements working at a high level in order to be great. they have to have interesting, fun, entertaining characters, a tough, resilient, intimidating, imposing villain, great music that sets the tone for the scenes and what happens, funny, entertaining, and memorable lines, and great make-up effects, and not great but interesting and entertaining, and original plots.

also did the filmmakers accomplish what they set out to do when making a friday the 13th film? the answer is yes. oh and are the friday the 13th films great enough when compared to other slasher films, the answer again is yes.

but why is it a lost art? i know, it's so sad how there are so few slasher movies made nowadays. and when they make them they all are too smart to be good, like they are made by just out of film school nerds who think they know more about films than anyone. i'm talking about movies like the cabin in the woods, the final girl, and tucker and dale vs. evil. these movies damage people's love and memories of slasher movies because they make us question what we love about slasher movies and in doing so we overthink them and then think of them as being bad.

friday the 13th part 2 is better than the original film. it's faster paced, it has more characters, it has more entertaining, more interesting, and varied characters, the characters are more multi dimensional and more to them than in the original, it has more kills, it has better kills, it has a great Jason, one of the best Jasons, it also has a more interesting heroine.

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"it has a great Jason, one of the best Jasons"

It has the worst Jason by far. He's small, he has hair, and the sack on his head is generic and sucks. If they had thought of Richard Brooker and the iconic goalie mask for part 2 it would have been way better.

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then how come everyone agrees almost unanimously that part 2 is one of the best friday the 13th films of all time? also, Jason doesn't have to be that big and strong or be bald, also his sack is not generic and doesn't suck, the sack was really dark and cool, and scary looking, especially because of the fact that you only see one of his eyes through one hole, that is creepy and scarier than him wearing a hockey mask.

another thing is jason is a human being and so him having a sack and being less hugely strong makes him more human than richard brooker in part 3, so it works better in a way for his character, it's more realistic, jason in part 3 and 4 works as an imposing, hugely strong guy as well but in a different way. but there's something scary and more lifelike and human about jason in part 2 than in part 3 and 4.

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"then how come everyone agrees almost unanimously that part 2 is one of the best friday the 13th films of all time?"

First, you haven't established that that's true, and even if it were true, that wouldn't automatically mean they also agree "it has a great Jason, one of the best Jasons," and even if they did agree, it would only be an opinion.

"Jason doesn't have to be that big and strong or be bald"

Jason is bald, as can be seen in part 1, as well as every other Paramount F13 movie aside from part 2.

"also his sack is not generic and doesn't suck"

Of course it's generic. It's just a sack. You can find one in pretty much every house in the world, in the form of a pillowcase or various other types of cloth bags/sacks. On the other hand, the goalie mask was a patented Fibrosport design, so obviously not generic (you can't patent something generic like a plain cloth sack). See here:

https://i.imgur.com/3jI6oFR.jpg

That's not the same model that they copied for Jason's mask, but Fibrosport patented all of their models. The exact model was the Fibrosport Elite, which can be seen at the top of this picture:

https://i.imgur.com/lPAstjT.jpg

"the sack was really dark and cool, and scary looking"

No, it wasn't. It was just a bag worn by a small, bumbling fool who gets kicked in the nads and falls off a chair.

"especially because of the fact that you only see one of his eyes through one hole"

That makes it even less intimidating. Someone who is obviously half-blind is a lot easier to defeat, especially when they are small, clumsy, and easily tricked.

"that is creepy and scarier than him wearing a hockey mask."

No. That particular goalie mask has an intimidating appearance, plus it offers full visibility as well as armor for his face, which makes it harder to effectively attack him. For example, trying to punch him in the face would hurt your hand more than it would hurt him, given that it's designed to handle being hit by a hockey puck at 100+ miles per hour.

"another thing is jason is a human being and so him having a sack and being less hugely strong makes him more human than richard brooker in part 3, so it works better in a way for his character, it's more realistic, jason in part 3 and 4 works as an imposing, hugely strong guy as well but in a different way. but there's something scary and more lifelike and human about jason in part 2 than in part 3 and 4."

Jason is undead; he's not supposed to be realistic. In part 2 he looks and moves like a normal guy, albeit a small and clumsy one. In part 3 he looks and moves like a freak, which is what he's supposed to be. They used prosthetic appliances to give him unnatural anatomy in the areas of his head, neck, and back, and Brooker's movements / body language were freakish as well. Watch the scene when he turns and walks away after he shoots the girl in the eye with the harpoon gun, for a good example of this. Even the way Brooker positioned his arms, hands, fingers, and the way he angled his wrists, were all freaky. A lot more effort went into the Jason character, both from the special effects department and from the actor playing him, than in part 2 when it was just a small guy with normal-appearing anatomy and body movements wearing a generic bag on his head.

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it's almost universally known and accepted that part 2 is one of the best friday the 13th films. ask anyone, anywhere and if they know anything about this series and anything about films they will say that part 2 is one of the best ever made. from a filmmaking perspective it's artistic, has a great and quick, swift pace, it flows really well, it has great directing, it has suspense, it's eerie and kind of scary, it's the last friday the 13th film which is actually scary.

it has great and memorable characters, one of the best jasons, it's mysterious with the story and the jason myth, it has great and memorable performances, a great ensemble performances and characters, some of the best kill scenes ever in a horror movie, one of the best scores in this series, great location shooting, and it has one of the best heroines and final girls in this series.

First, you haven't established that that's true, and even if it were true, that wouldn't automatically mean they also agree "it has a great Jason, one of the best Jasons," and even if they did agree, it would only be an opinion.? i didn't say that just because it's one of the best ft13th films ever made that they automatically think it has a great jason and one of the best jasons.

just because jason was bald in every other ft13th film doesn't mean he has to be bald, maybe at one time he could grow hair.

just because you can find any sack or pillowcase anywhere that looks just like his sack doesn't mean his sack is generic. who care is the sack is patented? that doesn't make it any less cool or authentic.

you're wrong. the sack was really dark and cool, and scary looking.

fuck you

that was realistic, it was needed.

you are really stupid saying the one eye showing makes a person less intimidating, did yiou look at jason in this fiml, he is really scary looking and having him only be able to see through a hole with one eye makes him even more scary, weird, and disturbing looking and being. he's not small, clum

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sy and easily tricked. jason is not undead in part 1, 2, 3, or 4. in these films he is a human being. you're wrong, he is supposed to be realistic in parts 1-4 as he is a human being it those films. did you even watch parts 1-4? obviously you didn't. he's not small or clumsy in part 2, fuck you.

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"it's almost universally known and accepted that part 2 is one of the best friday the 13th films. ask anyone, anywhere and if they know anything about this series and anything about films they will say that part 2 is one of the best ever made. from a filmmaking perspective it's artistic, has a great and quick, swift pace, it flows really well, it has great directing, it has suspense, it's eerie and kind of scary, it's the last friday the 13th film which is actually scary."

I've already addressed this non sequitur of yours, dumbass, so consider it dismissed out of hand.

"it has great and memorable characters, one of the best jasons, it's mysterious with the story and the jason myth, it has great and memorable performances, a great ensemble performances and characters, some of the best kill scenes ever in a horror movie, one of the best scores in this series, great location shooting, and it has one of the best heroines and final girls in this series."

This is a non sequitur as well, simpleton, as it has nothing to do with your assertion that...

"it has a great Jason, one of the best Jasons"

... and as such, consider it dismissed as well.

"i didn't say that just because it's one of the best ft13th films ever made that they automatically think it has a great jason and one of the best jasons."

Which makes it a non sequitur, because the only thing I replied to you about was your asinine assertion that "it has a great Jason, one of the best Jasons."

"just because jason was bald in every other ft13th film doesn't mean he has to be bald, maybe at one time he could grow hair."

Utterly absurd. He was bald as a kid, and he was bald immediately following the events of part 2. What do you think he did, shave his head? Jason having hair in part 2 was a stupid error on the part of the filmmakers.

"just because you can find any sack or pillowcase anywhere that looks just like his sack doesn't mean his sack is generic."

Yes, that's exactly what it means, dipshit.

"who care is the sack is patented?"

The point is, simpleton, it couldn't be patented even if someone wanted to, because it's far too generic.

"you're wrong. the sack was really dark and cool, and scary looking."

No, numbnuts, it was just a bag on his head, which looked ridiculous. If offered no protection for his face and it impaired his vision. And it wasn't even remotely realistic, because in real life that eye-hole would never stay centered over his eye, which is why, for the movie, they had to use double-sided tape to keep the eyehole centered over his eye.

"that was realistic, it was needed."

No, it wasn't realistic. See above, road apple.

"you are really stupid"

Comical Irony Alert

"saying the one eye showing makes a person less intimidating"

Of course it makes him less intimating, numbnuts. Someone who is half-blind is physically disabled, and physically disabled people aren't particularly intimidating.

"he's not small, clumsy and easily tricked."

Yes, he most certainly was. His mother was dead; he even had her head in his shack. And then, knowing full well his mother was dead, he was tricked into thinking ~20-year-old Amy Steel was his mother. And how was this trickery accomplished? She simply put on her sweater and told him she was his mother, and he believed it. Like I said: easily tricked. And it's easy to see that he's small and clumsy simply by watching the movie.

"jason is not undead in part 1, 2, 3, or 4."

Yes, he is. He died in 1957, moron.

"did you even watch parts 1-4? obviously you didn't."

Comical Irony Alert: Part II

"he's not small or clumsy in part 2, fuck you."

You already said that, Special Ed. See above.

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fuck you

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Your non sequitur is dismissed, sheep dip, and since you have no further arguments, your tacit concession on the whole matter is noted.

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It's probably the best of the series. Because no one with a British accent spends ten minutes of screen time contemplating the cheese in his bellybutton, the film isn't considered good enough for a high rating...

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Except for 1978's overrated "Halloween" (I prefer "Halloween 4"), slasher flicks are generally disrespected by critics and are therefore graded on a lower scale. A 6.1 average grade is actually pretty respectable for a slasher. But I disagree with it seeing as how "Part 2" is one of the best installments of the series, if not the best.

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part 2 is better than part 1. more action, more characters, more locations, more things happening. it seems like in part 1 they stay in one location the whole film. part 2 is a lot more entertaining. it's faster paced than part 1.

you disagree with the 6.1 rating? or you disagree with how critics rate slasher movies so low?

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I disagree with the 6.1 average rating. But I was a little surprised it was that high in light of how critics grade slashers on a lower scale than other genres, except "Halloween" (1978), of course, which is inexplicably exempt.

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Well, I agree pt. 2 is one of the best slashers ever made (in fact, I would say it's the best post-Halloween slasher of all time--no b.s., just hack and slash with no apologies and a pretty creepy ending with the whole dressing-like-mom routine the final girl goes through). I respectfully disagree with the assessment of Halloween as 'overrated.' There would be no F13 films at all without the success of that first Halloween movie.

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exactly, i mean if you know anything about slasher movies or horror movies you have to know that Halloween is one of the best not just slasher films of all time and not just horror films of all time but films of all time. it created a genre in the process of being made and making so much at the box office. it created a formula that all slasher films followed after it. oh, and you have to say because this is really important, it didn't copy or follow in any way any other slasher or horror film before it unlike friday the 13th which had Bay of Blood and Twitch of the death nerve influences.

we wouldn't have had friday the 13th without halloween. it's all about making money with slashers that get theatrical release. i just found out by watching eli roth's history of horror that the formula that slasher had in them was there just because viewers demanded seeing these things. i always thought the formula was just a rule system in place that all slasher movies have to have.

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Well, to be completely fair, Halloween wouldn't have been what it was without Black Christmas, which influenced Carpenter quite a bit.

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i thought about black christmas possibly halloween being a rip off of when i was writing that but i don't know anything about halloween ripping off black christmas unlike friday the 13th. i find it really interesting how almost every film that has ever been made was either ripping off or being influenced by another film before it. there's almost no film you can say is completely original because you have to watch movies to know how to make movies but i wish filmmakers would not rip off or be like other films with their films.

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True. Carpenter wasn't willfully ripping off BC the way Sean Cunningham admitted he was ripping off Halloween, but we know there was a conversation between Carpenter and Bob Clark in which Carpenter asked him what kind of sequel he'd make to BC if he had the chance and Clark described Halloween and even said he'd call it Halloween. I think it's a coincidence that JC was asked to direct The Babysitter Killer and the producer of the film came up with the title, but there is little doubt the opening of Halloween was inspired by the opening of BC, when the camera takes the killer's POV and sneaks into the sorority house. The use of shadows, suspense, the nihilistic ending, etc., are all very similar between the films. I'm a big fan of John Carpenter, but I can't pretend he didn't do his homework before shooting Halloween and Black Christmas was, as far as I can see, his main textbook.

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so bob clark had the storyline thought up himself? he had the blue print for halloween?

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Here's their conversation, roughly--

JC: If you made a sequel to Black Christmas, what would it be?

BC: The killer would escape from an asylum and return to terrorize more young women.

JC: What would you call it?

BC: Halloween

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But John Carpenter was not the one who came up with the title and theme of "Halloween." It was Irwin Yablans, the executive producer. John Carpenter and Debra Hill had written the screenplay "The Babysitter Murders" for Moustapha Akkad and Yablans. As a matter of fact it was Akkad and Yablans who came up with the idea of a killer who stalks babysitters and commissioned Carpenter to write and direct it after seeing Assault on Precinct 13. So Bob Clark was lying.

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Everyone involved agrees the conversation took place. Some research might help ease your mind on the matter. Do note that I've included links below. It's very possible the official story behind the making of Halloween is true. That doesn't mean the conversation between Carpenter and Clark didn't take place.

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I already read your links before I replied. They are all hearsay based on what Bob Clark said. The Snopes thread, which is over a decade old, gets key details wrong. One of the other ones doesn't even mention the fact that Yablans came up with the name and theme and that the script was originally titled "The Babysitter Murders." The Wikipedia page for Black Christmas makes the same mistake and cites the same articles you just linked to.

If there is a video or audio interview where Carpenter confirms he alone came up with the idea after speaking with Bob Clark then I'd believe it. Other than that Clark was apparently just excited to connect his name in some way with Halloween. It's true that Carpenter was inspired by cult films like Black Christmas and Dario Argento's films, just like it's true that Carpenter directly took aspects from Rio Bravo and Night of the Living Dead for Assault on Precinct 13. Doesn't mean Bob Clark never talked to Carpenter, but the actual verified facts are that Akkad and Yablans came up with the basic plot idea for Halloween, and Yablans came up with the name and Halloween motif. That is how most successful films get made, a marketable idea is developed and great talent is employed to make that idea.

Everything else is hearsay, including that guy who said Carpenter stole his short film's plot to make Halloween when they were all at USC in the early 70s. There is no reason for a coverup, especially considering that Carpenter is a pretty no-bullshit blue-collar guy which is why he didn't last long in Hollywood.

It's like if Carpenter suddenly came out and said "Dan O'Bannon stole my idea for Alien!" Too suspect, although everybody knows O'Bannon was motivated to develop that screenplay because he wanted to make a scarier, better Dark Star.

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Read Blood Money, by Richard Nowell.

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when i saw BC i read it as Bob Clark. lol, isn't that interesting that Bob Clark's initials are BC like Black Christmas?

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I like "Halloween" (1978) and give it a 6.5/10. I realize its success was the impetus for the slasher craze of the 80s and that the Friday the 13th series probably wouldn't exist without it, at least as far as the slasher formula it uses.

But let's not overstate its originality in light of the numerous horror flicks that obviously inspired it: "Psycho" (1960), "Dementia 13" (1963), "A Bay of Blood" (1971), "Silent Night, Bloody Night," (1972), "Home for the Holidays" (1972), "Torso (1973), "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974), "Black Christmas" (1974), ""Schizo" (1976) and "The Toolbox Murders" (1978).

Whilst I prefer the "Friday" films, "Halloween" has more class than many slashers that followed, like the unimaginatively blunt "The Slumber Party Massacre" (1982). It also keeps the proceedings deadly serious unlike ones that added humor and camp, such as "Friday the 13th Part 3" (1982). It establishes some quality atmosphere with the raining sanitarium escape and the Halloween night sequences. The creepy ambiance is helped by Carpenter's moody score.

Yet there are some glaring flaws: The setting is Illinois, but the trees clearly reveal that it's not late October (obviously because it was shot in a Los Angeles neighborhood).

Other problems include a tedious lack of drive and some weak dialogue, like the girls' conversation walking home from school, which doesn't ring true. Speaking of the girls, they're decent, but not nearly as good as those in the "Friday" films, no disrespect to the iconic Jamie Lee Curtis. Nancy Kyes (aka Nancy Loomis) is arguably the best as Annie. Another dubious part is the doctor hiding in the bushes by the abandoned Myers' abode speaking portentously.

I much prefer the outstanding "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers" (1988), which IMHO is superior on all fronts. It (1) fixes the weak points of "Halloween" and (2) improves upon its strengths.

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so you talk about the importance of keeping the tone serious in slasher films but you still like the friday the 13th films more than the halloween films? why is this? ok, no one in the history of the world has ever said they think halloween part 4 is better than halloween. i'm not insulting you or putting you down, i'm just perplexed about this.

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I don't mind silliness/camp in slashers, I just prefer when they take the more serious/realistic route. When too much goofy amusement is introduced it takes away from what the genre is mostly about -- horror. Sure, you'll laugh and be entertained, but you'll hardly be horrified.

As for "Halloween 4" being superior to "Halloween," as I said, it fixes the problems in the original and improves upon its strengths.

For instance, while the original takes place during Halloween in Illinois, you certainly wouldn't know this by the footage since it clearly looks like summer. Part 4, by contrast, definitely looks like the fall and has an all-around superior Halloween ambiance with trick-or-treaters and so forth. Another example is the original's lack of drive and the fact that Michael only kills a few teenagers and doesn't seem all that formidable whilst 4 features a mounting build-up of suspense and potently conveys Michael's deadly formidableness while upping the ante in the body count.

Other advances include the lack of lame dialogue (like when the girls were walking home in the original) and Dr. Loomis has much more interesting things to do than lurk in the bushes by the Myer's dilapidated abode speaking ridiculously ominous words. When Loomis speaks portentously in 4 there's great reason to believe him (take, for instance, the shocking events of the Police Station).

Yet another (arguable) improvement is the women: Although Jamie Lee Curtis, Nancy Kyes and PJ Soles were fine in the original, "Halloween 4" has winsome Ellie Cornell as Rachel and hottie Kathleen Kinmont as Kelly and the movie wisely takes advantage of their presence in a classy way. Rachel may not strike you as anything special at first, but as the story progresses she emerges as an attractive and noble final girl.

Despite all of these improvements, I realize 4 will never get the respect of the original because it came out 10 years later and is the second sequel of Myers' story arc.

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Keeping the tone serious in the Halloween Movies is what made the Halloween Franchise so bad that they can retcon the rest of the original series twice and nobody cares

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The Halloween series is generally serious, except that part 5 (1989) introduced some blatant camp with the two goofy deputies and got seriously comic booky with the mysterious man-in-black and the corresponding twist at the end.

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so you think it should be a lot higher than 6.1? what rating would you give FT13th part 2? you know that the critics aren't usually on here rating movies, this website is rated by regular people?

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I give Part 2 an 8/10.

you know that the critics aren't usually on here rating movies, this website is rated by regular people?


When using the term "critics," I don't just mean professional critics, but anyone who views a film and offers their feedback, including the time it takes to vote on IMDb or wherever. Anyone who does this is criticizing the movie -- positively or negatively -- whether they realize it or not.

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It's formulaic trash.

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I think what makes a horror franchise like Friday the 13th so great is that everyone can have their favorite film in the series. Personally I have an affinity for Part V(even though Jason technically is not the killer) Also Part VIII because it was the first F13 film I saw.(I was 5)

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spoiler coming:
i love part 5. and i never thought it was bad it wasn't jason, because to me he was jason because he looked just like jason in every way. i also love part 8 because even though it wasn't that good of a film it still has that great ft13th '80s campy feel so even though it's critically not as good as jason goes to hell or freddy vs. jason or jason x i love it more than all these films because none of them feel like a friday the 13th film,(especially freddy vs. jason) because they don't have that ft13th '80s feel.

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It would make sense Jason goes to hell and the others you mentioned didn't have that Friday 80s feel, because they weren't filmed in the 80s lol...also I agree. Even tho Jason is not the killer in part V I still felt it was Jason through out most of the film.

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The formula is way too similar to the original, basically a clone of the first but with Jason now doing the killing. Its middle of the pack for the franchise - ok in the top half but not one of the best

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what do you mean ok in the top half?

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There are 12 F13 movies if you include the reboot and Freddy vs. Jason. I'd put F13:2 in the top 6 (top half)

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6.1 isn't that bad of a score.

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yes it is. that means it's only an average, middle of the road, mediocre, not great horror movie. that means that most horror movies are just as good as it.

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It's a 10/10.

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How can it be a 10 rating when Jason doesn't wear the hockey mask yet?

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It seems a lot of people think a movie has to be an epic drama to be worthy of a 10/10. Then again the meh films 300 and Sin City were in the top 250 for a while and I don't get how they should be considered better film making than Friday the 13th movies. I like the Friday the 13th movies but I can't say they should get the same rating as films like the first 2 Terminator movies, the original Star Wars movies, The original Indiana Jones movies (though I don't like Temple of Doom), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Forrest Gump, The Green Mile, or Shawshank Redemption. Also 6.1 is pretty good cause most of them get below a 5 on imdb.

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