A project I've long wanted to tackle is a reimagining of Friday the 13th. As a teen, I was a big fan of the series, particularly of the first five entries. As I grew older, I came to realize the series … wasn't good. The original is very likely the best, and it's still only a cynical cash-grab designed to capitalize off the success of Halloween. Still, I believe the bones of a good horror story are present beneath the fat.
My reimagining of F13 would be a tetralogy, a period piece spanning the '80s. Right from the start, Jason Voorhees would be established as a supernatural being, having drowned as a child in 1957 then returned to life a year later, corrupted into a psychopathic killing machine with enhanced strength/regenerative capabilities by a dark force living within Crystal Lake. Jason would be the primary antagonist for the first half of the series, then he'd be killed and replaced by Tommy Jarvis, who'd become possessed by the evil which inhabited Jason.
Friday the 13th 1980
Set in 11-14 June, 1980. A mashup of Parts I & II with a few elements from III, greater emphasis would be placed on characterization, particularly Alice’s, who'd be revealed as a single mother who abandoned her 3-year-old daughter to the care of her parents to start her life over. The primary antagonist would be Jason. Crippled by social anxiety, Jason would be incapable of assaulting anyone able to see his face, restricting him to stalking and sneak attacks. Only after obtaining his iconic goalie mask would he become the aggressive predator we're most familiar with. The secondary antagonist would be his mother, Pamela. She kept Jason in isolation since his resurrection, doing her best to protect him and others from him to diminishing returns. The film would finish with Alice setting fire to Jason and the Voorhees home, Pamela’s decapitation, and a depressing twist ending.
Friday the 13th 1984
Set in/around 13 April, 1984. A mashup of Parts III & IV. Rob would be reimagined as Alice's brother.
Friday the 13th 1985
Set in/around 13 September, 1985. A more-or-less faithful remake of A New Beginning. Most of the patients at Pinehearst would be deaged, including Tommy, who'd only be a year older than he was in the preceeding chapter. There'd be more scenes focused on Tommy, his mental deterioration, and his growing rapport with Pam. Roy wouldn't be the killer, but rather the director of Pinehearst, Matthew, who'd be revealed at the end as a sadistic psychopath who'd abused a number of kids in his care and had decided to advance to serial murder, using Tommy's past with Jason as a cover for his crimes.
Friday the 13th 1989
Set in/around 13 October, 1989. Tommy, now fully possessed by the evil he inherited from Jason, would return to Crystal Lake, renamed Forest Green in the years after the murders. Pursuing him would be his sister, Trish, who'd be desperate to find him and free him of Jason’s curse. She'd meet Elias Voorhees, Jason’s father, who'd reveal the truth of Crystal Lake to her, of the evil within the lake which corrupted Jason and moved into Tommy following Jason’s final death. He'd offer her the key to freeing Tommy, but there'd be an ulterior motive for his help; he'd believe Jason’s spirit lives on in Tommy, ready to return to his original body, which Elias secretly saved from cremation and had buried in a secret plot….
