A Nightmare from Friday to Halloween - Friday the 13th Part III (1982)

The three most prominent American horror franchises (Halloween, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street) have influenced American cinema even beyond the horror genre. As of 2021, there are exactly 31 movies across all three franchises, and I am going to attempt to watch all of them, for this Halloween, one per day.

I went into this not knowing that it had been filmed for 3D, but when a random guy the new prey (I mean, teenagers) meet along the way sticks a severed eyeball out at us into the screen, I could make an educated guess. This eyeball scene was probably the most subtle scene in the movie. It trades in so many stereotypes (fat theater geek, the people of color being unsavory types, etc.) that I felt like I was watching Reagan’s America in a microcosm. I found myself losing patience with this movie, and the only moment that really stands out would have to be Jason’s first appearance in his hockey mask. This movie also very much really trusts that we can believe that people can be this stupid. No wonder Jason has become something of a superhero to horror fans. I mean, anyone can look like a genius with people this easy to kill. I don’t particularly like that I’m starting to see the victims of Jason as just excuses to see people get killed in creative ways, but Friday the 13th really encourages this attitude. Even Halloween II, a movie that frankly bored me, at least feels some sympathy for its victims and it still had Laurie Strode, the best final girl. This one doesn’t have a single character I can remember or root for.