#23 - Friday the 13th (2009)

 

(dir. Marcus Nispel)


Despite sharing a title with the original Friday the 13th, this is really a remake of the first several films in that series.  In fact, it starts almost exactly like Friday the 13th Part 2, only instead of being set 5 years later, 30 years have gone by.  Jason also gets his iconic hockey mask here, which didn't happen until the third film in the original series.  Considering how similar the different entries in this series are, combining them into one film makes a whole lot of sense.

This is actually a pretty good slasher, and better than most (if not all) of the original films.  Jason is hulking and scary, but not quite the supernatural killing machine he became as the old series went on.  Also he might be a pot farmer - at least there is a lot of weed growing by his house, which is what lures the first unlucky group of campers out into his neck of the woods.  He's not a very chill guy though, so I doubt he partakes himself.

Nispel also directed the 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, another "reboot" of a classic series that I really enjoyed.  He clearly understands what people love about the originals, but also isn't afraid to go off and do something a little different.  If you like slashers, I highly recommend this one.

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