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FRIDAY THE 13th & Jason Voorhees - A True 80's Slasher Icon

We take nothing away from those that came during the same period. The 1980's in horror history was ripe with great practical non CGI special effects and some of the cheeest, goriest and greatest slasher movies of our lifetime. Nods are always paid to the likes of global phonemes like Freddy Krueger and Pinhead but Jason Voorhees was a living breathing piece of the 80's and a staple for many of us.

Set at Camp Crystal Lake in the 1980's, the FRIDAY THE 13th series was dripping with 80's culture references. From stone washed jeans, to dabbling with drugs and sex, F13 encompassed what the decade was all about. You had Crazy Ralph warning the camp counselors of their impending doom and a mother that loved her son so much she was willing to do whatever it took to garner revenge on those that let her son tragically drown.

Jason Voorhees, the hockey mask wearing unstoppable force took over the 80's by appearing in 8 slasher movies during the decade and even appearing as a guest on The Areno Hall Show (CLICK HERE), which was a stunt to promote the insanely 80's drenched film FRIDAY THE 13th: Jason Takes Manhattan. It doesn't get much more 80's than that Bidites.

Jason and the FRIDAY THE 13th series defined the 80's and became a stable of what the slasher boom was all about. You had a killer that wore an iconic hockey mask, which still sells more than any other mask for Halloween, and it's even instantly recognizable to even non-hororr fans. You can't get much more iconic than that. While Jason's enemy Freddy Krueger was also an 80's staple, Krueger is still a distant second when it comes to world wide recognition when it comes to both hardcore fans and the casual movie goer.

You can't talk about the 80's without mentioning the franchise and the legendary slasher icons that were born out of the decade. Thanks, or no thanks, to the films we have seen remake and remake of FRIDAY THE 13th, HALLOWEEN and A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, all trying to capture what the 1980's could, combing cheesy acting with terrific kills and special effects.

The best thing about a slasher film is they are trying to make a solid film, that's what they don't get with the remakes. You can't replicate something that was so bad, yet so good at the same time. All the studios are trying to accomplish is triggering our fond memories that we have of a franchise. The unfortunate part is you can't replicate memories. No matter how bad those films might have been we still remember them as being fantastic. Trust us, they weren't. But we remember them that way. Nice try Hollywood but it doesn't work.

Also a shout out to our personal favorite Jason, Kane Hodder. Derek Mears made a great remake Jason, he's a fantastic guy and a friend of the te but there will be only one true Jason and Kane takes the cake.

Happy FRIDAY THE 13th Bidites, we hope you're having as much fun as we are!

http://youtu.be/hvNA6VICsfA

this is the best horror series by far just because Jason is in it, hes the greatest horror character ever created. I remember watching this films on tv nce i was 5-6 years old playing with my tmnt casey jones figure pretending it was Jason, part 6 was the first friday movie i watched and nce then my favorite!

Jason Voorhees is my favorite Icon, he is strong, kills stupid people, has style and mply the best of the best.

this is the best horror series by far just because Jason is in it, hes the greatest horror character ever created. I remember watching this films on tv nce i was 5-6 years old playing with my tmnt casey jones figure pretending it was Jason, part 6 was the first friday movie i watched and nce then my favorite Haha I would pretend that Casey Jones was Jason as well!

I made hockeymasks out of cartboard or thick paper...Friday 1 was my first movie of the franchise, until i discovered there were 7 movies at the time. Part 6 came on tv on BBC1

( brittish channel) that was the second movie I saw..and from then on I drew the Jason mask on my schoolbag or my organizer. Everything about the series I love..from characters, geography, muc, the kills, ofcourse..I used to record audio pieces of the movies onto cassette so I could listen to the muc/ movie samples. When I was about 12, I got my first Friday the 13th soundtrack..but again got surprised: it was the score to the televion series. Bedes the movies, I still have to go see the series..just to know how they are. Jason Voorhees...he's my ultimate hero in some weird way. 20 years after the first watching-experience, I still watch these movies on regular bas...I do not have that feeling with, lets say, Titanic or Wizard of OZ hahahaha