Halloween (1978) singlehandedly launched the era of the slasher film, where the main character became the villain. Halloween soon became a popular series, creating thirteen movies, along with Friday the 13th that made twelve. Sequels in many other genres have never been nearly as successful as these franchises, which has left me wondering how these movies were so popular despite having much of the same plot. 

When it comes to Friday the 13th, it’s always the same thing: killer takes out a bunch of teenagers. Upon watching Eli Roth’s History of Horror episode on the slasher sub-genre, one of his guest speakers said something that sparked my interest. Elijah Wood said that the subsequent sequels to Friday the 13th became “who are these awful kids that we sort of hate and why can’t we wait for Jason totake them out?”. This was answered by Joe Hill, another guest speaker, stating that each movie of this franchise only ever included these one-dimensional characters (gang of teenagers with a jock, stoner, virgin, etc). This permits the audience from ever caring about them or falling in love with them, which makes it easier and more entertaining to watch them be taken out by a serial killer. My theory is that people go in to watch a Friday the 13th film expecting to see gore and many kills, especially of teenagers, but they are drawn in by the unique and creative ways in which they are all done by the oh-so-famous Jason Vorhees. 

The reasoning behind the Halloween franchise’s popularity however, is different. Halloween introduces the world to Lorie Strode, who was the first to begin the classic horror trope of the “final girl”. Contrary to Friday the 13th, you care about Lorie and don’t want her to die as she is the one that you relate to the most — the smart and logical one. Lorie Strode is the ultimate horror movie heroine because she represents all that is beautiful about humanity. She is a fighter and survivor, as well as the only one capable of finally ending Michael Myers. Although Michael Myers’ motivation to target Lorie is partially revealed in a couple of the sequels by the fact that she is his younger sister, what made the first film so good was the fact that you have no idea what makes him want to focus on her. 

Lorie Strode is only in seven out of the thirteen movies in this franchise, so, what makes Michael Myers such an interesting killer that you’d wanna see him in so many movies? An article from digitaltrends.com stated that “no matter what film he’s in, Michael is always a formidable force of nature that is almost impossible to defeat in the Halloween franchise.” He’s the human that just ain’t human, and the living description of The Boogey Man. By being faceless, he appears as less human while also allowing viewers to associate him with the abstract concept of evil itself. The fact that he never says a word even further adds to this effect. 

I believe that this is what the directors of Friday the 13th wanted to bring into their franchise, as Michael Myers and Jason Vorhees are not all that different. Both Jason and Michael have remained the face of their franchises throughout almost every movie, whereas other franchises have had to rely on additional antagonists to keep their stories fresh. The killers’ abilities to carry forty years of cinema by themselves further distinguishes them from their murderous colleagues. 

 

 

Sources Cited:

Farrell, 07-04-2020 by D., & Kalifa, 06-30-2020 by P. (2013, March 19). Why I love Michael Myers: An essay. somethingawful.com. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from https://www.somethingawful.com/news/michael-meyers-halloween/

Joiner, L. (2022, February 16). Here’s what makes Friday the 13th popular enough for 12 movies. MovieWeb. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from https://movieweb.com/friday-the-13th-movies/

Murrian, S. R. (2022, October 12). John Carpenter’s 1978 ‘Halloween’ is one of the best, Scariest Horror Movies of All Time-Here’s why – parade: Entertainment, recipes, health, life, holidays. Parade. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from https://parade.com/606101/samuelmurrian/7-reasons-why-john-carpenters-halloween-is-one-of-the-most-beloved-horror-films-of-all-time/

Osborne, J. (2022, October 14). Jason Voorhees explained: Who is the Friday the 13th movie killer? The Digital Fix. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from https://www.thedigitalfix.com/friday-the-13th/jason-voorhees-explained

Roth, E. (2018, October 21). Slasher Part 1 . Eli Roth’s History of Horror. Episode 2. Season 1

Zimmerman, D. (2022, October 3). The 10 best things about Halloween’s Michael Myers. CBR. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from https://www.cbr.com/michael-myers-halloween-best-things/