Friday the 13th
Directed by Marcus Nispel
Starring Derek Mears, Jared Padalecki, Julianna Guill, America Olivo, Amanda Righetti, Danielle Panabaker
Rated R
Release date: February 13, 2009

Friday the 13th, the latest horror classic to get the Platinum Dunes treatment, is not just a remake but also a reboot and in several ways a re-imagining. Directed by Marcus Nispel, the same dude who helmed the unnecessary 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the latest installment in the kill-tastic adventures of Jason Voorhees takes some of the most memorable elements of the first four movies and remixes them while bringing a few fresh ideas of its own to the table. Best of all, it brings Jason back to where he truly belong, stalking horny teenagers in the woods surrounding Camp Crystal Lake. After all, when the guy’s been killed more times than Rasputin, traveled the universe from New York City to deep space, and battled fellow franchise slasher Freddy Krueger, what else can he do?

I’ve been a fan of the series for years and I have to say that each Friday movie has always been addictive viewing for me. Ever since I watched the original on the local horror movie show “Dr. Gruesome’s Movie Morgue” when I was nine years old I rarely pass up an opportunity to watch Jason strap on his facial armor and go kill crazy on some dumbass campers. The movies are tons of fun for the undiscriminating horror fan. Some are more violent and gory than others but in a way the Friday series has always been pretty nihilistic. We can be assured that most of the characters in each movie will be dead as fried chicken by the final frames and as fans we can’t help but get a deranged charge from that. This is pure Grand Guignol theater gone mainstream, and like any addiction we just can’t get enough.

One interesting panel at this year’s New York Comic Con was the one for the brand new Friday the 13th re-imagining. The movie opens in less than a week, which isn’t the kind of movie you see at the conventions, but consider it a little appetizer to the film — something to make you hungry for Friday, February 13, 2009.

Right off the bat, they showed the trailer for the movie and director Marcus Nispel introduced stars Jared Padalecki and Jason Voorhees himself, Derek Mears.

Next up was right into the exclusive footage, where they showed the first six minutes or so of the movie. There’s not a whole lot to describe because everyone needs to just go see it, but let’s just say they go right into the pre-marital sex and violence and there’s a hell of a lot of screaming involved. All the ingredients that help make Friday the 13th what it is. If you really must know what transpires in the beginning of the film, then check the bottom of this post for the spoiler.

After watching the beginning of the movie, was the audience Q&A session.