Horror as Tragedy: Mother Dearest, Part 1

Sorry I haven't written in so long, the school semester was kicking my butt.

So, a few months ago I finally watched Freddy vs. Jason (2003) for the very first time (Hard to believe, right? I've only seen it for the first time just now even though it's been out for a decade) and I realized that sequel has officially concluded both the Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street franchises for me. It's about time I finished! Both franchises have had their share of not so great sequels (especially F13th), both original movies have been remade (FYI: Avoid the Elm Street remake, it's awful), and both have faced off in the above sequel (which was alright). Hate them or love them, both villains have been iconic figures in the horror genre and, combined, have death tolls up in the hundreds, but, interestingly enough, both had tragic beginnings.

Jason Voorhees, famous for his crazy mother and his long machete (Hmm, I feel a Feminist interpretation coming on but I'll save that one for another time [I just took a film class called Cinema Theory and Film Criticism and Feminist Film Theory kind of blew my socks off]) hacking through camp counselors in sequel after sequel, is my focus in this post. Yes, Jason has created more elaborate death scenes than probably any other horror villain out there (part 7 literally had a sleeping bag death scene) and man, the number of victims is pretty dang high but his origin story is a sad one.

In Friday the 13th, we have Pamela Voorhees, a deranged woman who is killing sexually active camp counselors at Camp Crystal Lake where her only son, Jason, drowned years ago. Jason, unable to swim, wasn't rescued because the camp counselors who were supposed to have been keeping an eye out were having sex. Pamela, after killing all the characters after being spurred on by her loss and by Jason's voice (in her head), reveals to the last remaining character, Alice, the above details and why Jason shouldn't have died. Female villain is left to face off with younger, female victim, ahhh, fighting the urge to turn this into a feminist reading! I'm going to have to come back to this film (which could actually be an entirely different blog, actually) and analyze the Feminist undertones because I'm just itching to do so.

Beyond the bloodshed and terror, Friday the 13th is essentially the story of a broken mother who was unable to cope with the loss of her only child. She deals with her anger and sorrow by killing anyone who remotely relates to the professions of the previous, negligent individuals. Pamela is insane, of course, but the woman has her reasons. The voice in Pamela's head, which she believes to be Jason, is merely her way of giving voice to the immense pain she's harboring. Also, in murdering the camp counselors, she receives some semblance of retribution but it is not, and never will be, enough since children are irreplaceable. In a way, it lets you know how deep a mother's love for her kids runs. Through Pamela, there is a brief glimpse of the unique bond a mother shares with her child. As a male viewer, I am outside looking in and appreciating the maternal instinct (that's not to downplay fathers and paternal instinct whatsoever).

Pamela is out of the picture by the end of the first film, paving the way for Jason to take her place (supernaturally, of course). Jason officially becomes the antagonist in Friday the 13th Part 2 but his emotional attachment to Pamela remains present throughout the entire series. In Part 2, the protagonist, Ginny, is running away from Jason and stumbles upon a shrine he has built for his mother which includes candles, her severed head, and the infamous sweater seen in the picture to the left. Ginny slips on the sweater and pretends to be Pamela when Jason corners her, commanding him to "listen to Mother!" and put the knife down, which he does and it gives Ginny a chance to get away. Jason is hesitant during this scene but he listen to Ginny because his mother was probably the only figure in his life who treated him with kindness. Jason was a deformed kid and there is never a mention of a father so it can be assumed he wasn't a present figure in Jason's life. In fact, the surviving protagonist from the original film ends up dead in the beginning of Part 2, presumably killed by Jason to avenge his mother's death. In Friday the 13th Part 8: Jason Takes Manhattan, we are reminded that, as vicious a killer as Jason is, deep down he is still that helpless, vulnerable, motherless son when the characters trap him in a flooding tunnel and he reverts back to his childlike form (hard to believe, I know, but we are all the way up sequel #8 now, so bear with me). Even in Freddy vs. Jason, Freddy pretends to be Pamela in a dream, calling him "My special, special boy", in order to get Jason to start killing again. Also, Freddy refers to him as a "Mama's boy" and reiterates their bond when he sees Jason's face under the hockey mask and says "that's a face only a mother could love."

In conclusion, the Friday the 13th series leaves me with the sad desire that Pamela and Jason could have ended up happier. If only the stupid camp counselors could have been doing their jobs and rescued Jason from the water, this entire tragedy and the loss of countless lives could have been prevented, if only. After all, as Norman Bates (another demented mama's boy) reminds us, "A boy's best friend is his mother."