Tonight, I watched Friday the 13th, the 2009 remake starring an adorably non-Hunter-ish Sam Winchester...uh...I mean...Jared Padalecki. Anyway, I figured this was an easy place to start with my horror re-education because it had a lot of actors I already knew in it and that might help me ease into things again. And I liked it. I tweeted throughout, keeping my heart light while still jumping at the appropriate jump-out-moments--EVEN though I am a writer and most of them I saw coming. Sometimes my body betrays me. Two things struck me about the film: one, the incredible range of emotion suggested by a character with no face (really, I'm serious, I'll get to it,) and two, the ending scene, a prototypical WILL THERE BE MORE flash before cut to black. Granted, these are observations from a student still in Horror 101, so bear with me if all my ramblings are painfully obvious to you all.
ONE, or, the many faces of Jason Voorhees:
Clever meme by Cyberii at Deviantart.
Ok, all jokes aside, I was really impressed with the expression of a masked/faceless killer. There is emotion in this man whether there is meant to be or not, whether it's body language or the way he holds his head, and it seems to me that this adds to the terror. The emotions of a face unable to express itself are inherently paradoxical. How many horror movies can you count off the top of your head that have masked killers in them? How many have unmasked killers? Which is more terrifying, the mask or trying to figure out who the hell is behind it? It seems to me that one of the biggest things about horror is not just the fear, but also the fear of the unknown. The fear of being helpless, of not being able to do anything to stop what's coming.
TWO, or, a horror movie is never actually over when it says it is:
On a similar note, horror movies never seem to end. Right when you think it's over, the killer always comes back for more, leaving the movie open for possible (and significantly lucrative) franchise status. But again I think it goes back to the idea of no matter what happens, there's nothing any of the characters can do to stop it from continuing. As soon as Clay and his sister Whitney push Jason's body into the lake and take a breath, the sun coming up on what promises to be a new beginning....something erupts from the water and everything gets crazy again.
P.S. Is it a coincidence I watched this on March THIRTEENTH? Hrm........
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