Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
Average Rating: 4.4/10
Reviews Counted: 30
Fresh: 10 | Rotten: 20
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 1
Fresh: 0 | Rotten: 1
liked it
Average Rating: 3.1/5
User Ratings: 66,411
My Rating
Movie Info
Two months after the events of the original Friday the 13th, Alice (Adrienne King), the lone survivor or Mrs. Vorhees' killing spree, meets a grisly end in her city apartment. Five years later, a new group of co-eds converges near Camp Crystal Lake, scene of the original massacre and the drowning of Jason Vorhees that preceded it. This time around, the horny collegians attend a nearby training school for camp counselors. As half the group parties in town, an unseen assailant picks off the other
May 1, 1981 Limited
May 23, 2006
Paramount Studios
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Amy Steel
Ginny -
John Furey
Paul -
Adrienne King
Alice -
Kirsten Baker
Terry -
Stuart Charno
Ted -
Warrington Gillette
Jason -
Walter Gorney
Crazy Ralph -
Marta Kober
Sandra -
Tom McBride
Mark -
Bill Randolph
Jeff -
Lauren Taylor
Vickie -
Russell Todd
Scott -
Betsy Palmer
Mrs. Voorhees -
Steve Daskawisz
Jason's Stunt Double -
Rex Everhart
Enos the Truck Driver -
Jaime Perry
Extra Counsler -
Tom Shea
Extra Counsler -
Cliff Cudney
Max -
Jack Marks
Cop -
Jerry Wallace
The Prowler -
David Brand
Extra Counselor -
China Chen
Extra Counselor -
Carolyn Louden
Extra Counselor -
Jill Voight
Extra Counselor -
-
-
ADVERTISEMENT
All Critics (33) | Top Critics (3) | Fresh (12) | Rotten (23) | DVD (17)
[Blu Ray DVD Review]If you're looking to complete your Jason collection in HD, then this is without question the version of this film to get.
Basically only for completists looking to see Jason take center stage for the first time. [Blu-ray]
The oddball ending (be sure to watch the disc's accompanying featurettes) begs for a sequel, which, unfortunately, we get. Again and again. (Blu-ray Edition)
The new camp counselors are interchangeable with the old ones. Different faces, same basic people.
Not as good as the original, but still pretty fun, it serves up more of the same and continued to be fresh enough before its many other sequels got too silly.
Perhaps the least interesting of all the Friday the 13th films, since it tries to be a "sequel" to the first film, referencing themes and storylines.
cannot be defended intellectually, yet, the film's very simplicity and directness gives it a kind of folkloric power, albeit power that works only if you give yourself over to it
Even crude techniques, when properly employed, can be effective, in a lowest-common-denominator kind of way.
Friday the 13th Part 2 is more existential than mumblecore art house cinema, paring life down to the basics: f****g and death.
Friday the 13th Part 2 never aspires to be termite art.
A solid first sequel and the truly chilling jump scare at the end gives the original's a run for its money.
a carbon copy sequel
Its general competence remains a surprising improvement, albeit not one strong enough to elevate it into the realm of recommendation.
All things considered, it probably should have been a whole lot worse.
Audience Reviews for Friday the 13th Part 2
Super Reviewer
Stylistically, the film is nearly identical to the original. The direction of the film borrows heavily from the Italian slasher films that came before it. In this case, borrowed heavily is a gross understatement. Steve Miner, the film's director, went on to lift scenes directly from Mario Bava's, "Twitch of the Death Nerve". The most notable example is when Jason drives a spear through a pair of lovers. The scene is a shot-for-shot ripoff of the one that originated in the Bava film a decade earlier.
Plagiarism aside, there are plenty of other things in the movie that annoy me. The body count rises so it doesn't seem quite as slow as it's predecessor. Still, it's downright brutal watching the counselors, literally killing time, in between meaningful scenes. In "Friday the 13th: Part 2", we get to see counselors playing chess, arm wrestling, and screwing around with vintage handheld video games. All the while, engaging in tediously forced dialogue.
The plot holes that became a staple of the franchise are also very evident here. What's always bothered me, is how Jason ended up discovering the "Alice" character from the previous movie. I don't understand, did he just look her up in the phone book, or what? Well, he must have, because she received a creepy phone call, just minutes before her life was ended with an ice-pick. But that would have meant that Jason called her from within her own house, right? Or, maybe she had another deranged stalker. You'd think she would have explored some witness protection options. I don't know why I'm trying to apply logic here.
Speaking of Jason, he was far from perfected at this point. Watching the character run is awkward. While watching him struggle to overtake the "Paul" character in a wrestling match is shameful. Aside from that, when Jason's on camera, he is no more intimidating than any other inebriated imbecile with a pair of overalls and a bag over his head.
In case you haven't already figured it out, I'm not a very big fan of this chapter. I suppose it's taken on some sort of cult following, but that doesn't mean it's good. If you're set on watching all of the "Friday's", I suppose this is a necessity. If you just want to see a good slasher film, might I suggest, "Twitch of the Death Nerve". The makers of this film sure must've enjoyed it.
Super Reviewer
-
- Ginny: Come to mama.
-
- Paul: I don't wanna scare anyone, but I'm gonna give it to you straight about Jason. His body was never recovered from the lake after he drowned. And if you listen to the old-timers in town, they'll tell you he's still out there, some sort of demented creature, surviving in the wilderness, full grown by now... stalking... stealing what he needs, living off wild animals and vegetation. Some folks claim they've even seen him, right in this area. The girl that survived that night at Camp Blood, that... Friday The 13th? She claimed she saw him. She disappeared two months later... vanished. Blood was everywhere. No one knows what happened to her. Legend has it that Jason saw his mother beheaded that night. Then, he took his revenge, a revenge he continued to seek if anyone ever enters his wilderness again. And, by now, I guess you all know we're the first to return here. Five years... five long years he's been dorment. And he's hungry. Jason's out there... watching... always on the prowl for intruders... ready to kill... ready to devour... thirsty for young blood.
-
- Crazy Ralph: (to Jeff and Sandra) - I told the others, they didn't believe me. You're all doomed. You're all doomed.
-
- Ginny: It's more fun when I use that child psychology on you.
-
- Vickie: What does the winner get?
- Mark: What does the winner want?
- Vickie: Guess.
-
- Terry: (to Scott) - I ought to let you hang, you pervert!
Discussion Forum
There are no discussion threads for Friday the 13th Part 2 yet.
Latest News on Friday the 13th Part 2
July 12, 2006:
Cast Lines Up for the "Day of the Dead" RemakeAfter Zack Snyder's "Dawn of the Dead" remake impressed a bunch of people and made a bunch...
November 1, 2005:
Miner Tapped to Direct "Day of the Dead" RemakeVariety reports some good news/bad news for the horror fans. The bad news is that Millennium Films...
What's Hot On RT
Bradley Cooper's Best Movies
Fast & Furious 6 is Certified Fresh
Fast & Furious cars gallery
Blockbusters ranked!
Featured on RT
- Critics Consensus: Fast & Furious 6 is Certified Fresh 22
- Red Carpet Photos with Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Gina Carano and More 0
- Video: The Hangover Part III Cast Interviews 0
- Total Recall: Bradley Cooper's Best Movies 38
- Parental Guidance: Epic and Beautiful Creatures 2
- Comic Book Movies You Can Watch Online 9
- In Pictures: The Cars of Fast & Furious 0
Top Headlines
-
Evan Peters Joins X-Men: Days of Future Past
0
-
Toby Jones Talks Captain America: The Winter Soldier
0
-
The Poltergeist Reboot May Actually Be a Sequel
8
-
Will Forte Promises MacGruber 2
1
-
Universal Plans Timecop Reboot
2
-
Return of the Jedi Turns 30
1
-
Vin Diesel Says Fast & Furious 7 Will Take Place in L.A.
0
Fresh Links
Featured
Star Trek Movies Ranked
HitFix offers their own take on the worst-to-best of the Enterprise crew's cinematic adventures.
Top 10 Star Trek Villains
Rolling Stone unveils the Enterprise's most irksome adversaries.
Celebrity Yearkbook Flashback
We'll bet you never realized how many stars were cheerleaders and high school athletes!
50 Most Classic Movie Moms
In celebration of Mother's Day, TimeOut offers up 50 iconic matriarchs from the big screen.
Weirdest Movie Siblings
From Twins to The Royal Tenenbaums, Moviefone explores cinema's oddest siblings.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
Foreign Titles
- Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) (DE)
- Friday the 13th Part II (UK)
