The stage curtains open ...
The legend of Camp Crystal Lake continues in this 2nd entry into the Friday the 13th franchise featuring a whole new crop of camp counselors for Jason to knock off. Jason Vorhees moves front and center now as the main antagonist and infamous killer. The opening sequence starts us off catching us up with Alice, the first movie's sole survivor and is the foundation for not only this movie, but pretty much all the movies to follow.
We flash forward 5 years into the future when we join a new counselor crew in a camp nearby Crystal Lake, and our young, unsuspecting bunch is stalked once more by a killer unseen. By now, the story of Jason Vorhees and his mother has become a local urban legend that is whispered around campfires. One of the camp counselors, Ginny, believes that it is more than just a story. She believes that Jason is real and that his story is not only tragic, but sad. But when the truth of it all hits too close to home, the sadness is replaced with the need to survive.
As sequels go, this one was pretty good. It continued the story effectively from the first movie as we are exposed to Jason, now fully grown and running around through the trees with a burlap sack over his head and a pitchfork in his grizzled hands. Yes, Jason actually runs in this movie - a brief time before he dons a hockey mask and plods heavily around through the underbrush. And watching Kirsten Baker walk through the woods in short shorts is worth the price of admission alone.
I recommend this movie at a solid 7 stars out of 10, the same rating I gave the first movie. I'm not saying it is on par with the original, but pretty close. There are some good jump scares, and memorable death scenes. The final sequence was well filmed, and the final scare was worth the wait. Dark tones, good visuals, and a fun scarefest. Friday the 13th - Part 2 delivers.
