Friday the 13th Part 2: Deluxe Edition – DVD Review

Film, Reviews

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Sequels have a sordid past and are often looked down upon for being inferior to their predecessors. Most of the time we as fans can’t even begin to catch some sort of a break and receive a film that doesn’t insult our intelligence or make us feel cheated. Yet horror fans have it a bit easier when it comes to sequels because we almost expect the films following the original to be cheesier. The problem there is that we will still watch them because that’s the whole fun of the horror genre. Don’t use your mind too much and think about things but sit back, get frightened out of your wits, and enjoy some bloody gore. Well, that’s what you get when Jason Voorhees arrives on the scene so mission accomplished.

Five years after the events at Camp Crystal Lake left a handful of young counselors dead, new owner Paul Holt is looking to reopen the camp and bring in a horde of new helpers and kids for the summer. The locals aren’t exactly fond of his decision but he’s made up his mind and knows that the events of the past are simply sporadic and unlikely to happen again. Paul even goes so far as to make jokes about the legend of Jason Voorhees and hopes his new counselors will chime in on the fun since they are looking to have a summer full of booze, good times, and sex. Little do they realize that a creepy hooded person is lurking through the woods keeping an eye on all that goes on at Camp Crystal Lake and they are not happy about it.

Alright, so essentially we have the exact same film in Friday the 13th Part 2 that we had in the first film with a new group of kids and different names. The premise is EXACTLY the same and the only difference now is the ending which I’m not going to give away but you people should know it by now. There are some cool murder scenes and deaths. Some annoying kids who you just know are going to bite it simply because they deserve to die.

The second film in the series isn’t nearly as good as the first, but having almost an identical story still makes it a lot of fun to watch. It also truly introduces one of the greatest horror icons of all time in Jason Voorhees, although his patented hockey mask is still nowhere to be seen. Enjoy your time with this sequel because they progressively get worse over time and eventually become quite laughable. I still watch all of them, but it is almost a guarantee that the casual fan will probably give up after Part 3 or possibly Part IV.

Our second venture at Camp Crystal Lake is shown in a 1:85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen format that has slight improvement over its recent versions, but nothing too drastic has been doe to fix it all up.

The film is heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound but doesn’t do much at all with the surrounding speakers and almost all the action comes through the central speaker in the middle.

Inside “Crystal Lake Memories” – Peter Bracke is the author of the book “Crystal Lake Memories” and this is an interview with him is quite informative and fun to check out. Bracke is obviously very versed in the ways of the Friday the 13th franchise and gives a lot of inside information that even some of the most hardcore fans may not have known. (10:46)

Friday’s Legacy: Horror Conventions – If you have the new uncut release of the first film, then you’ll have seen a panel interview from Scare Fest 2008. This feature shows more clips and candid shots with the actors and crew from that same convention. (6:27)

Lost Tales From Camp Blood Part 2 – Also, if you got the first film’s new release then you saw the first part of this featurette which is quite confusing and pointless as to why it is included. That remains the same for Part 2 here because it is nothing more then two more people being stalked and killed. (8:02)

Jason Forever – This is by far the best feature even though it is close to five years old from the 2004 Fangoria Convention. Peter Bracke moderates a panel with a number of the actors who have played Jason over the years including the phenomenal Kane Hodder. Interviews are thrown in between the segments and it is really a fun piece that gives a lot of insight into just how the masked man should be played. (28:43)

Theatrical Trailer


Alright, so the second film wasn’t as good as the first one but it did give us the first view of Jason as the killing machine we all have grown to love. It’s still an iconic film and great fun to watch no matter how cheesy it is or how many times it comes on basic cable. As for calling this DVD a “Deluxe Edition,” well, I’m not entirely sure about that because the special features leave a lot to be desired – much like the new release of the first film. Some of the extras are just there and rather dull. There is no audio commentary here and the only one that is really worth much is the feature which isn’t even specifically aimed at the second film (“Jason Forever”) but more so the franchise as a whole. If you’ve already got a previous version of this film then don’t really bother, but if you’re going for your first kill then this is the one you want.

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Paramount presents Friday The 13th Part 2: Deluxe Edition. Directed by: Steve Miner. Starring: Amy Steel, John Furey, Adrienne King. Written by: Ron Kurz. Running time: 86 minutes. Rating: R. Released on DVD: February 3, 2009. Available at Amazon.com