Greetings, and welcome back to October Horror Fest! Today marks the second to last installment of the series, and I’m proud to say, as of now, we did it! I have no plans of quitting now, and I am one day away from finally completing my challenge. Thank you all for reading and reviewing alongside me. Today, to celebrate the three killers of Halloween, we take a look back into one of the greats. As we venture back into his world, remember, don’t stay at the camp on Friday the 13th. Without further ado, sit back, relax, turn off the lights, grab some Candy and Popcorn, and let’s review…

Friday the 13th: Part 2

We start our terrifying tale with a child singing outside in the rain. The boy sings Itsy Bitsy Spider, as he is called inside his house by his mother. We watched the puddle he was standing in, as a new pair of boots walked across the pavement. This man walks up to a house, and looks into an upstairs window. In the window, we meet up with one of my favorite final girls, Alice Hardy. She is having a nightmare about the horrific events of the first movie, and it provides us with a bit of a recap. We see multiple clips of Pamela Voorhees, as the poor Alice becomes more and more terrified in her sleep, screaming and rolling around while unconscious.

Alice awakes after we see the ending scene of the previous film, and she is terrified. She goes and washes her face, and begins to recollect herself. Her mother calls her, and she says that she is worried about Alice. Alice is trying to put her life back together, as we see drawings that she has created. Alice begins to undress and gets into the shower. In a pretty terrifying scene, the camera flies towards the shower curtain in a homage to the Psycho shower kill. Alice came out, and was not hurt. The phone rings once more, and she walks towards it to pick it up. When she picks it up, she hears breathing. Alice then begins to walk around her house, and the music picks back up. She runs around, fearing the worst. She grabs a knife, and opens the door. A cat jumps in, scaring our girl. She goes to feed the kitty, and as she opens the fridge, the decapitated head of Pamela lies in the fridge. Alice screams, and Alice is grabbed from behind by the man walking towards the house in the beginning. He grabs her, and drives a screwdriver into her head, ending the life of one of my favorite horror movie characters. This made me VERY upset, especially because she went out so brutally. The cat runs away, and the man places his hand on the boiling teapot, and moves it, feeling no pain.

We pick up in the exact same town that the original film started in, as two teenagers run up to a telephone to call a man named Ted. We see the town crazy Ralph from the first film watching the teens, as they call Ted. The two teens, Sandra and Jeff, stay on the phone, as Ralph comes up to them. He said he tried to warn the others, and that they are doomed. As Ralph leaves, Ted gives Jeff the address of a location on the phone. While this happens, Jeff’s truck is towed away in the background. The duo chase their vehicle down, only to find Ted, who made the entire towing situation to get his friends to him. We cut to the trio riding down the road, talking about where they are going. They find a fallen down tree in the road, as Sandra is watched from the trees. Sandra picks up an old sign, and sees it reading Camp Crystal Lake. The trio get back into the car, as “ki ki ki ma ma ma” starts once more.

We cut to the destination, which is a counselor training camp near the old site of Camp Crystal Lake. Here we meet our main cast of characters. Paul Holt, the leader of the school, his counselors, Terry, her dog Muffin, Scott, Vickie, and Mark. Mark is in a wheelchair, as we cut to the road leading up to the school. Ralph is on his famous bike, as a car that spews smoke with every foot it travels pulls up. It is driven by Ginny, another amazing character. Ginny is Paul’s assistant, and the two are in a relationship. Ginny’s car refuses to start, as Paul continues his speech about how to be a counselor. Paul “fixes” the car, as he is hit with a wave of smoke in the face. Ginny then drives off, joking with Paul.

We cut to the counselors at a campfire at night, as Paul gives them important information. Paul talks about the legend of Jason Voorhees. He says that Jason’s body wasn’t ever discovered, and that the old timers in the town say that he is in the wilderness, now fully grown. He talks about Alice (god rest her soul, yes I’m still sad about this), and how she was killed by Jason two months after the events of the first movie. There was blood everywhere, and no one knows what truly happened. It is now five years after the events of the first film, and they are the only people to set foot near the camp since. Paul scares the counselor even more, saying how Jason is still out there, that he’s hungry, and that he wants his revenge. Ted then jumps out in costume, scaring the group. Paul cuts out of his story, saying that he doesn’t want to hear anything about it. Jason drowned, Pamela is dead, and Camp Blood (Crystal Lake) is off limits. We cut to inside the main cabin, as all the groups of people have fun. From outside, we see someone stalking the group. This someone is Jason Voorhees. (we don’t truly learn this till the last 5 minutes of the movie, but it’s easier to just say the name of the man himself, and we all knew it was him, didn’t we?). Ginny heads out of the cabin to go to bed, as Jeff and Sandra talk about wanting to visit Camp Blood. Sandra wants to go there, defying Paul, but Jeff is on the fence.

At Ginny’s cabin, she gets undressed, and hears a knock at the door. In another very intense scene, she looks for an intruder. Suddenly, Paul barges in, scaring Ginny, but not for long. The two then begin to make out, as feet appear in the frame. We pan up, to find that the feet belong to Ralph. Ginny and Paul continue to make out, as Jason strangles Ralph to death with a cord. The next morning, Ginny wakes up with a handwritten note from Paul on the mirror, warning her of bears. We see the counselor running around and continuing their daily activities, as Jason stalks them from within the forest. Muffin, the dog, wanders away from the pack. She walks, and comes face to face with Voorhees. We cut away, and see Ginny using a chainsaw to cut wood as Ted cooks hotdogs for the group. Terry then goes to find Muffin, as she is stalked by Jason. Before he can attack, she is called away for lunch. Back with Ginny, she stores the chainsaw away in a cabinet in her cabin, as Jason once again stalks her. We cut to the counselors having fun in the lake, as Sandra essentially forces Jeff to come along with her and walk to Camp Blood. We see the counselors continuing to have fun, as the couple walk into the hunting grounds of Jason.They pass a tree, and Jason Voorhees begins to stalk them. The pair walk, Jason following, As they walk, they find the mangled corpse of a dog exactly like Muffin. They turn around in a scary scene, and find a police officer.

Paul lets his counselors go, only prohibiting them seconds for desert. The officer says he is too close to the camp, and that they want the camp to remain quiet like it was for the last 5 years. Sandra and Jeff rejoin their fellow counselors, as we cut to the officer driving through the forest. In a scene that legitimately shocked and terrified me, Jason darts across the road into the other side of the forest with insane speed. The officer jumps out, running through the dense woods. He stumbles across an oasis looking area with a pool of water, as he keeps running in an intense long take. He finally finds a decrepit cabin in the woods. He enters, as “ki ki ki, ma ma ma” plays once again. Inside, the cabin is totally abandoned and destroyed. The officer walks into a room that was locked, and looks inside. He is shocked and horrified, as Jason walks up behind him. He slams a hammer into his brain, as we cut back to the counselors.

Paul says that the other counselors (filler ones) can head out for one more night on the town, as some counselors stay at the camp. Ginny, Paul, and Ted depart for the town, as Mark, Vickie, Sandra, Jeff, Terry, and Scott stay behind. “Coincidentally”, all of these characters flirt/are in relationships with one another. We see the silhouette of Jason pass by, as we venture into the final act of the film. We are treated to some absolutely beautiful shots of the departed counselors driving off under the full moon. We cut back to Terry, who is walking by the lake, and calls out to Muffin once more. The counselors arrive at the bar, as we see another gorgeous shot of the moon and the lake with Terry. Terry then undresses, and goes skinny dipping in the lake. While she is in the lake, she is watched. We cut back to the cabin, as Jeff and Mark arm wrestle. Sandra then flirts with Jeff, dragging him away to the other room in the cabin. Vickie then begins to flirt with Mark, as they play a video game. Back with Terry, she continues her swim, as her clothes are dragged away. Terry exits the water, only to find Scott having stolen her clothes. The two play around, as Scott falls into a trap set in the woods. He is pulled up by a rope, and is hung upside down. Terry then goes to find a knife to cut him down, as he promises he will be nice. As she leaves, we see her being watched.

With Scott, he still helplessly hangs. Jason then comes up behind him, and slits his throat with his iconic weapon, and one of the most iconic in horror. His machete. Terry is scared in the cabin, but finds a knife to cut down Scott. Once she returns, she finds his lifeless body. She is terrified, and she screams. She runs around, and faces the camera, as she wails even more. Her screams continue, as we get an absolutely insane transition of her screams merging with a guitar song at the bar. At the bar, Ted, Paul, and Ginny talk to each other. Ginny seriously thinks about the legend of Jason, and says he may be real. She says that he may have seen his mother killed, and that the two loved each other very much. Paul still says that Ginny is drunk, upsetting our girl. Ginny says she is really serious, and Paul says that he is nothing more than a legend. At the camp, we see the “Legend” stalking the counselors. Mark and Vickie continue to flirt and play games, as Jeff and Sandra go upstairs. We learn that Mark lost control of his legs in a motorcycle accident, and that he is committed to learning how to walk once again, even though the doctor says he can’t. Upstairs, Jeff plays the harmonica, as the two begin to undress and begin the act. Downstairs, Vickie kisses Mark, and she wants him to stay with her tonight. Vickie then heads out into the rain, attempting to find a cabin for the two. Before she leaves, she breaks Randy’s 3rd rule from Scream, saying “She’ll be right back”.

At Vickie’s cabin, she spruces up, getting new clothes and spraying perfume, as Jason stalks her from the woods. Vickie hears noises from outside, and is startled. She leaves quickly after, as we see the Camera coming closer and closer to her searching for a hairbrush in the car. She finds it, as a harsh storm begins at the camp, just like the first film. We cut away to the Cabin, where Mark searches for Vickie. He wheels himself outside, and looks around in the rain, as we see the camera coming closer and closer to him from the back. In a terrifying scene, he sits helplessly, as Jason comes closer and closer. Jason then slams his machete into his face, and Mark’s body then rolls all the way down the stairs in the rain in a horrific kill.

We cut to Sandra and Jeff finishing the act, as they begin to kiss. Jason enters from the downstairs door, and picks up a spear that was inside of the cabin. He walks up the stairs, as the two lovebirds kiss and cuddle even more. Jeff collapses onto his lover, as the door opens behind them. Jason walks in, as Sandra notices him, and screams. Jason then plunges his spear through the couple and through the bed, with blood spurting everywhere. Always remember the #1 rule of Horror Fest, dear readers. Like Randy from Scream and I always say, in an 80s horror movie, and any horror movie in general, if you decide to do the act, you aren’t making it out alive.

We cut back to the bar, as Paul and Ginny leave Ted at the bar, and head back to the camp. They get into the car that miraculously still works, and drive away. Ted, drunk out of his mind, asks the other bar-goers for after hours places. At the camp, we meet back up with Vickie, who is shockingly still alive and breathing! She calls out for Mark, and can’t find him. She climbs the stairs and enters the vacant bedroom, where she calls out for Sandra and Jeff. The covers are over Sandra and the man next to her. Jason then jumps out of the covers, and slashes Vickie’s leg with his knife, as she bumps into the dead body of Jeff behind her. We finally get our first true look at Jason Voorhees. He wears a bag over his head, and has clothes reminiscent of a farmer. He raises his knife very similar to Micheal Myers, and slowly walks towards Vickie. He plunges the knife into the poor girl.

Back with Paul and Ginny, they arrive at the camp. They enter the cabin, as we see Jason dragging Vickie’s corpse down the stairs. The pair are extremely worried and confused at the state of the cabin, as Ginny heads upstairs. She screams, and Paul runs up. They both see the massive pool of blood on the bed. They become even more worried, as they continue to search for their counselors. Paul attempts to calm Ginny down, as they continue their search. Just like the first film, the two senior counselors are put in charge, and have to find their kids when the rain stops. However, before they can head out, Ginny says there is someone in the room in an absolutely terrifying scene. Jason pops out, and rushes Paul with a pitchfork. He misses, and the two men enter a brawl. Ginny, in shock, slowly backs away, calling Paul’s name. She runs when the room turns silent, and Jason gets up and faces her. She screams, and closes the door behind her as she runs into another room. Ginny is now our official final girl. This is funny, as the second I saw her earlier in the film when she first arrived, I said out loud, “Final Girl”. My senses are so attuned after 30 days of doing this, which I’m ok with!

Ginny feels she is safe in her room, and slowly backs away from the door. However, Jason bursts through the window, and she runs into another room. She grabs a knife, and waits by the door. Jason then attempts to get in, eventually slamming his pitchfork through the door. Ginny screams, and is hit with the dead body of Ralph. She screams more, and hauls herself out of the window to escape. She makes it to her car, which refuses to start, because of course. She panics, and Jason appears at the window. She screams as he disappears. 10 intense seconds follow, before the pitchfork and Jason’s hand are plunged through the roof of the car. Ginny then runs out, slamming the door and knocking Jason away. She briefly hides, and kicks Jason, buying herself more time. She runs and runs, sneakily hiding from Jason at every turn and in some extraordinarily intense moments. Jason jumps out of the bushes towards her, and misses, as she hides from him once again. We are hit with two beautiful shots of the moon, juxtaposed with the terrified face of the fleeing Ginny, and the emotionless face of Jason following her.

Jason then makes it to Ginny’s cabin, and begins to walk around, searching for his prey. Ginny is hiding under the bed, and is unnoticed by the madman. A rat then comes up to her at the absolute most convenient time, as “ki ki ki, ma ma ma” plays over and over again. The rat scares our girl, as she remains perfectly still. It then pees on the floor, because of course, and Jason turns around. Ginny then slowly gets out from under the bed, and is met with the face of Jason. He plunges the pitchfork towards her, and misses again. Ginny then runs, and in an amazing moment, she takes out the chainsaw from the beginning of the movie, hidden away in the closet. This move, and the ones we will soon see, put her as one of if not the greatest final girl from Friday the 13th, and the fanbase agrees. I will always love Alice, but Ginny is a true scream queen. She runs towards Jason, as he now backs away in freight. She nabs his arm with the chainsaw, and throws a chair over his head, knocking the killer out. Ginny then cautiously leaves the cabin, and walks further into the woods.

Ginny reaches the oasis setting from earlier. At night, it looks even more beautiful, and she takes a quick second to sit there. It is an amazing juxtaposition between the fear and the natural beauty of the environment, a technique that was used in the ending of the previous film. Ginny runs, and finds the decrepit cabin. She runs in, as she sees Jason advancing on her in the window in an absolutely horrific scene that shook me. She locks herself in a room, and sees a terrifying sight. Jason has made a shrine to Pamela. Her axe, her sweater, and her decapitated head all sit on a table surrounded by candles. Surrounding the shrine are the dead bodies from the film, blood and guts everywhere. Ginny is horrified and screams, as Jason brutally hacks at the door to get in. Ginny then cements herself as my favorite final girl from the franchise, at least in the two movies I’ve seen so far. And yes, she joins the scream queen tier of final girls. My fun little side quest “Horror Fest Final Girl Tier List” has a new member, right up there with Laurie Strode, Sidney Prescott, Alice Hardy, and Ellen Ripely. Welcome, Ginny! Ginny makes her absolutely amazing move, and cements herself as a scream queen, as I said. She kneels down, and through the fear and disgust, wears the sweatshirt of Pamela. She takes Jason’s machete, and adjusts her hair to look like the decapitated head of Jason’s mother.

Jason then bursts through the door, and Ginny begins her absolutely amazing plan, and pretends to be Pamela. Jason is taken aback, and for once, we see through his eyes. Ginny’s face is being replaced with that of his mother’s, and her voice is as well. Jason, although standoffish, kneels before Ginny, or to him, Pamela Voorhees. Ginny then readies the machete, and raises it towards Jason. Jason then looks behind Ginny, and sees the decapitated head of his mother. He realizes the ploy just in time, and blocks Ginny’s swing. He then slashes Ginny in the leg with his pickaxe, as the one and only Paul comes back into the cabin. The two men engage in a brawl once again, and Ginny picks up the machete. She raises it high, and slits Jason’s throat through the bag. He falls down onto the floor.

Paul is ok! He raises himself up, as Ginny removes Jason’s bag. We don’t see his face, but they are horrified. Paul then picks up the wounded and exhausted Ginny, and carries her back to the cabin, passing the mini oasis once again, as heroic music plays. Ginny is sobbing, and Paul enters the cabin with her. This is where the ending takes place, and it is still being debated to this day. But, dear readers, make sure to remember rule #2 of Horror Fest as well. Horror is subjective!!! Ginny is placed on the bed, as Paul tries to comfort her. We hear a noise from outside, and the petrified Ginny holds up Jason’s pitchfork towards the front door. Paul readies himself, and steps towards the door. He opens it, and finds Muffin!!! (wait, isn’t Muffin dead?) The pair are overwhelmed with Joy, as Ginny tries to walk to the dog. However, when she does, Jason Voorhees bursts through the window. His machete is still embedded in his shoulder, and his zombie-like face on full display. He grabs Ginnie, and carries her out the window. We cut to the outside in the daylight, as Ginnie is on a stretcher being taken away, asking where Paul is. We see no sign of the young man. Ginny is placed in an ambulance, and the car drives away. We cut back to Jason’s shack, as the camera comes closer and closer to Pamela’s rotting head, haunting music playing. Pamela Voorhees may be dead, but Jason is still out there…

That concludes Friday the 13th: Part 2! I apologize for the length of this article as well, but I need to finish strong! This also ends the story of Jason Voorhees for October Horror Fest. Today is the second to last day, and I am so, so excited to finally finish and win the challenge! Before I go, I want to thank you all so much for reading for the last 30 days. SEE YOU TOMORROW, AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! Always remember, At Camp Blood, You’re All Doomed…