Rating: R | Runtime: 87 minutes
Release Date: May 1st, 1981 (USA)
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Director(s): Steve Miner
Writer(s): Ron Kurz / Victor Miller (characters)

Second act needs work.

While I wasn’t surprised to learn the series did retroactively move from a Psycho homage to a Halloween slasher retread after abandoning their original anthology idea once audience response demanded a direct sequel, I definitely didn’t expect it to go the Evil Dead route by becoming a soft reboot.

Yes, that Sam Raimi comparison loses merit considering Friday the 13th: Part 2 isn’t a comedy, but it was kind of funny watching them turn Alice’s dream into a reality. That not finding “Jason” becomes never finding the real Jason. Add talk that Alice did in fact fall in the water and Steve Miner and Ron Kurz are consciously blurring the line between what we knew and what they’ve deemed to be canon instead.

Like its predecessor, the lack of story and subpar acting make this a bit of a slog. The kills and first-person camera work do elevate things, though. I still can’t get over the continued lack of Jason’s iconic goalie mask, but the machete is in full force here. And that coincidental glimpse of a broken hockey stick in the shack had me pointing at the screen despite being alone in the room.

I can’t, however, excuse that atrocious ending. In an attempt to mimic the surrealistic final shot of the first film—the one this sequel undercuts by existing, we find ourselves wondering if we had a stroke. Do they explain that wild jump cut in Part III? Were they going to if Amy Steel returned? Will I ever watch it to find out?

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Amy Steel in FRIDAY THE 13TH: PART 2.