Introductions, Nostalgia, and a new Friday the 13th

I’ll be honest. I’m terrible with introductions. Seriously, just ask my wife. If I had a nickel for every time I screwed up an introduction I’d have… Well, I’d have less than a dollar. I mean it would be a larger amount but I just don’t know that many people. You’ll just have to trust me on this one. I’m awful when it comes to the formalities. Hell, I didn’t even start this with a proper greeting. Let me start over. 

Hello! 

That’s better. I added an exclamation point so you know I really mean it. 

My name is S. Louis King. The S stands for Steven but I prefer to go by Steve. I am the writer and half of the art team of the horror webcomic The Saturday Night Slasher. However, if you’re reading this you might know me from my two guest appearances on Invasion of the Podcast. If not then let me just say that I’m just a guy who loves Star Wars, horror movies, and comic books to a possibly unhealthy degree. Joe and Paul were nice enough to ask me to contribute to the Invasion of the Podcast blog. From time to time I’ll be chiming in here with whatever is on my mind. I hope you’ll join me here and check out all the cool content Paul and Joe are putting together. 

Oh, I almost forgot. It’s very nice to meet you. 

See, I told you I was terrible at introductions. 

Earlier this past week there were reports that production is ramping up on a new “Friday the 13th” movie.  As someone who considers himself a fan of the series I was excited to hear the news. Now, I won’t lie here. I don’t love every movie. In fact if I was to average the series out as a whole it would most likely have a pretty dismal overall rating. Still, there’s something about another return to Camp Crystal Lake that excites me. If hard pressed as to why it excites me I suppose it would be because I find the movies fun. At their heart they’re thrill rides. But that’s really just the surface level. Under that surface my desire for another Friday is really based in nostalgia.  A desire to return to the days of my teenage years when many of my late Saturday nights were spent watching these movies on basic cable. As someone who was once told he was Mr. Nostalgia I guess it’s a fitting enough reason. Nostalgia however, or too much of it, can of course be a bad thing. I don’t watch “South Park” but the term “member-berries” has become a part of the cultural lexicon. I can’t help but wonder though if there is there a way that nostalgia can be a good thing. Can that nostalgia benefit new works in the series? If you’re still reading this then you probably already knew my answer would be yes. With that in mind let’s take a look at how nostalgia could work for this new Friday the 13th.  

Oh, I should also mention that these are just observations I’m making as someone who enjoys the movies. I’m not looking to play armchair producer here. I think there is way too much of that out there as it is. The movie is in production and running full steam ahead. Whatever this new movie is going to be has already been decided. So this really is just for fun at this point. Let’s get started, won’t you?  

1. Own your nostalgia. Right from the start I say own up to the fact that you’re a child of the eighties. There’s equity built into the era from which that hockey mask and machete come from. Instead of worrying about modernizing the character and/or the story for contemporary audiences I say set the movie in the 1980s. Put Jason (and possibly Pamela) in the time where they were at the height of their cinematic dominance. Don’t use it to wink at the audience but treat the film as a period piece. Look at Netflix’s “Stranger Things” use of period and how it informed the story they were telling. From a production standpoint I imagine most of the story will take place at Camp Crystal Lake which probably would look the same in 1987 as it does in 2017. The wardrobe and props department might have to work a little harder to match the era but it could be worth it. Think of it like a long lost sequel that no one has seen. The marketing possibilities alone could make it worth doing.

2. Don’t reboot and just forget about continuity. Really this goes hand in hand with owning your nostalgia. While it is yet to be confirmed I believe that this film is another reboot. Whether it's a soft or hard reboot will be the question. But does it have to be rebooted at all? I say no. If I go back a bit to my introduction to the franchise I started with Part 4 which at the time was unironically titled The Final Chapter. I can unequivocally say that I was undeterred by not having seen the first three movies. More importantly, the campfire montage at the beginning of that movie was the most effective introduction I could have had. It told me everything I needed to know and made Jason out to be the ultimate boogeyman. The opening to Freddy Vs. Jason used a similar device to reintroduce us to the character and set up that film’s premise to great effect. And let’s not kid ourselves here. One of the more ridiculous aspects to the series was its half hearted attempts to keep continuity between its entries. Instead of worrying about retelling the origin or trying to fit both Mrs. Voorhees and Jason into the story like the 2009 reboot, take a note from part 4 and use the 12 existing films cache to your advantage. You have over thirty years of brand recognition. Use it. 

3. Jason is your star!  I’m going to jump genres here for a second but if you look to 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens," whether you loved the film or not, you can’t deny that the film gave its characters great introductions. From “Chewie, we’re home.” to ending the film with nothing but the silent gaze of Luke Skywalker; the returning characters were given wonderful reveals to the audience. Jason deserves the same in this new film. People should cheer when they first see his face. Or rather mask. In retrospect I think the best example of this was the teaser for “Jason Takes Manhattan.” A genius piece of marketing to be sure yet I can’t think of a moment in the films with a payoff like the one in that trailer. When it comes to this new film keep that teaser trailer in mind. Seriously, Jason is your star. Treat him as such. 

4. Leave the origin alone. Part of using nostalgia to your benefit is realizing that some things should be left alone. Many of the reports about this new film seem to indicate that Jason’s father - Elias Voorhees - is going to be a part of the movie. Again, I realize these wheels are already in motion. Nonetheless I feel this is a mistake. Perhaps this new film will prove me wrong on this point. The history of similar film series however say otherwise. Remember when Michael Myers went from being the shape to having a convoluted backstory involving the cult of Thorn? Or when Freddy Krueger suddenly had a daughter and we found out that his true origin involved him making a deal with some poorly animated dream demons? How about when Jason was blown up and started possessing people and could only be stopped by… Oh you know this one? I’ll leave it alone then. The point I’m making here is that Jason already has a pretty good origin. Leaving it alone may be for the best.

5. Let your effects crew go nuts! This seems like it should go without saying but one of the hallmarks of the series was the inventive ways in which Jason dispatched his victims. One might even argue the same could be said for the way his final girls (and Tommy Jarvis for that matter) dispatched Jason. Nevertheless, even the weakest entries in the series had at least one great special effects moment. “Jason Goes to Hell” starts with our goalie obsessed maniac being blown up so spectacularly it would make Michael Bay hard. Part 8 features a wonderfully tongue in cheek boxing match that ends like a game of Rock’em Sock’em robots gone terribly wrong. And who could forget that awesome liquid nitrogen head dunk from “Jason X”? Say what you will but these were memorable moments that stand amongst the best in the franchise. I realize that its fashionable these days to scream for the use of practical effects. I also realize that it’s just not that simple to do. The cost of practical effects is high. It makes the life of your cast and crew significantly harder. If I can play devils advocate for just a second though maybe just consider the benefits to using practical effects.  Look at Fede Alvarez “Evil Dead” remake. That movie pushed the limits of in camera effects. There’s no CGI in that movie. That decision worked not only artistically but it also excited horror fans to see the movie when they might not have otherwise. “Evil Dead” made triple its budget domestically and almost matched that total overseas. Sounds pretty good doesn’t it? My point is that there are many talented effects people out there who would knock this movie out of the park. Take a chance (ie spend the money) to see what amazing work they could pull off. You might even get more than one of those memorable sequences I was talking about above. I for one am looking forward to see what they can come up with.

The thirteenth “Friday the 13th” movie is slated to be in theaters on October 13th 2017.* 
I’ll be in the theater that night. I hope to see you there. 

Okay, that about wraps up my first blog here at Invasion of the Podcast. I don’t know when my next blog will be going up but I hope that I’ve made enough an impression that you find yourself wanting a little more. 

If nothing else we at least got the introduction out of the way.  

Sincerely, 

Steve

Shameless plug time! Don’t forget to head to www.thesaturdaynightslasher.com to check out the webcomic from myself and Ryan Kacsandy. We’re on a break right now but we have the first thirty pages of the story up on the site to read. 

Also…

You can also reach me at slking13@gmail.com or yell at Paul and Joe. They’ll pass it along to me I’m sure. 

*UPDATE: Two days after this blog was posted the film was canceled and put on hold indefinitely. If the film goes back into production the next available date specific opening would be April 13th, 2018.