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Sunday 15 September 2013

Friday The 13th

I was originally gonna post this one on a Friday the 13th but I missed it.  Damn I feel so stupid.  Anywho, What started out as a knock off of Halloween became one of the greatest Horror franchises in the world.  This has had 10 movies, 1 Reeboot, 1 crossover event with Freddy Krueger, an infamous NES game (See AVGN for that nonsense.)  and a shitload of Novels and Comics. This was made by the other half of the Last House On The Left Team Sean S. Cunningham.  The first half being Freddy's own creator Wes Craven.  When people think Friday The 13th they think of this series.  While I do claim spoilers on this, if you don't know this by now, you must be living in a cave.

The series goes like so.  The year is 1958 on Friday the 13th and an unknown assailant stalks the grounds of Camp Crystal Lake in Wessex County, New Jersey.  Said assailant checks on the sleeping children before stalking two counselors who were just moments away from having sex.  Gotta hand it to this killer, doesn't even wait for them to get started.  Most of them just wait till the deed is done.  21 years later Camp Crystal Lake is undergoing renovations by Steve Christy of the Christy family who owns these grounds.  He enlists the help of 6 teenagers who also double as counselors.  This camp was named "Camp Blood" due to a series of disasters that plagued it since 1957. Among them are a boy drowning, the murders of the mentioned two in '58, a series of fires and poisoned water in the '61.  As if that weren't enough some of the locals discourage anyone to go near the place.  Including local nut Crazy Ralph, who stalks the grounds to warn everyone of the "Death Curse".  One by one, Steve and each teenager bites the dust (including the iconic arrow in the throat courtesy of Tom Savini and Kevin Bacon.)  until one remains, Alice.  As she searches for aid she runs into a kindly old lady, Mrs. Voorhees.  While showing the nice lady the results of the massacre, she laments a story about the boy who drowned, his name was Jason.  It was then and there she slowly reveals herself to be the killer and it becomes a fight to survive.   Alice gets her in the end, but that just makes things worse.  For Jason, who miraculously survived and is an adult witnessed the whole thing.  This in turn, starts a path for him to become the undead killer we know and love. 

Now for the fun part.  Could It Exist In Real Life?

First let's start with the location, Crystal Lake.  Not only does it exist, but like Elm Street there is more than one.  But to be specific, there is a Crystal Lake Park in New Jersey.

Second is Mrs. Voorhees.  While there is not a specific example, what she is could exist.  She's not a deranged psychopath as her reasons for her actions are very sane.  She is a mother.  Believe it or not, a mother is the most dangerous animal known to mankind.  They can be any species, any shape, size you name it and the instinct is still the same: Harm their child in anyway and nothing can stop them.

Third and finally is Jason Voorhees himself.   Now when it comes to Jason Voorhees, there are a few factors to take into account.  First and foremost what he was in life. Many mediums have pointed out that he had both the physical disfigurements and mental disorders before his drowning.  He has an abnormally large heart as seen in Jason Goes To Hell.  More visibly though is his facial deformity.  He suffers from Hydrocephalus, also known as Water On The Brain. Which is because of an abnormal amount of the natural brain fluid that keeps the brain from hitting the skull. This in turn causes the head to swell, sometimes in uneven spots. This also has been known to be a leading cause of mental disorders due to the fluid's pressure on the brain.  Which explains Jason's rather simplistic mentality as he has no remorse for killing, but is highly resourceful in his methods. The second factor to account for, is the circumstances surrounding his drowning.  Now many people would argue that he died then and there and resurrected, but I say otherwise.  There is a well known phenomenon known as Mammalian Diving Reflex, in which mammals can survive long periods of time underwater even with water in the lungs.  In Jason's case he survived long enough for the lake's natural current to wash him up to the nearest shore.  Hence why no body was found when the cops investigated his drowning.  As for how he survived all those years, Paul in the second movie said it. ".....stalking, stealing what he needs living off wild animals and vegetation."  As for how he survived 2 and 3 that can also be explained.  Much of the wounds Jason sustained have been nonfatal,  even the axe in his head in 3.  See the excess fluid in his head also doubles as extra padding, not to mention the partial protection from his hockey masks.  Those things were designed to have a 100 mile an hour hard rubber puck to hit you in the face with no harm.  Due to that he only sustained a flesh wound.  It wasn't until Final Chapter when Tommy Jarvis (Future vampire hunter Corey Feldman) put him down for good.  That was until the 6th movie that is.  Now we get into the final factor, his resurrection.  Now this was debated over and over but there is a rather subtle clue which actually cross over into another series I may soon cover later on.  In Jason Goes To Hell, while investigating the Voorhees home, there was a basement.  Inside it was a bunch of ritualistic items, one of which was a book.  Specifically Necronomicon Ex Mortis aka the Book of The Dead of evil dead fame.  This was later expanded upon in the Freddy Vs Jason Vs Ash series, implying that Mrs. Voorhees tried to use it to bring Jason back.  It didn't work because he wasn't dead yet.  It wasn't until part 6, when Jarvis accidentally completed the unseen ritual that not only brought Jason back, but also made him stronger than ever.  This made Jason a Wendigo, a demonic entity that can possess humans living or dead which exists in legends most of them attributing to cannibalism.  However due to how sloppy said ritual became, rather than be fully posessed, Jason retains it's powers of immortality and strength making him only half.  It wasn't until Jason Goes To Hell that he became a full Wendigo possessing humans before getting his own body back through his bloodline.  However unlike most examples of Wendigo, Jason is no cannibal.  As for the Necronomicon, wait till I cover Evil Dead on that subject.

As usual, debate argue and let me know what I missed.  Stay Tuned For More and be warned.  Jason's out there.  Ki...ki...ki....ma...ma...ma.

16 comments:

  1. Despite that this certain article was written several years ago, I've stumbled on your blog just now and decided to express my thoughts. Better late than never, so to say.

    First of all, I want to say that it's my luck to find your blog, because defictionalization is one of those themes that I'm very much into and also do some research myself. And Friday the 13th happened to be one of my No.1 interests, specifically the main villain, Jason. All things written here are very interesting and informative, but I'd like to add something.

    As we know, there are horror films inspired or even based on a true story. Friday the 13th doesn't seem to be one of them. But... not so long time ago I read one interesting thing (let's concentrate on horror films for now) - some things that are supposed to be fictional in fact aren't that fictional after all and portrayed to be fiction for masses to avoid public panic and whatnot. In fact, it said that horror films in some way warn us about supernatural threats. Ok, that I can understand, but one thing caught me in shock: it said that the story of Jason Voorhees is one of those cases that is reality, presented as fiction in films. Personally, I don't really believe in that statement, and it doesn't sound real to me. But... there is one "but". I found a few real life stories, told by people who have experienced encounters with non other than Jason himself. They still hope it was just a prank (which I think is most likely), but it was a traumatizing experience for them.

    If you're interested in more details, I can provide links to websites where I found this information.

    Have a nice day!

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    1. You have no idea how long I've waited for a comment like this. First of all I want to say thanks for commenting on my site. Much appreciated. I do videos on the subject now, well did, my Mic's busted so it'll be a while till I can do that again. Your theory on fictional mediums warning us about Supernatural threats, reminds me of a Wild Mass Guess I did on TV Tropes a while ago. I had a theory that many of the Games from the classic library of Nintendo. Specifically the ones made by Shigeru Miyamoto as well as his recommended associates, were secretly training us to fight evil. My theory was based on the fact that many of the heroes Miyamoto made were exaggerated versions of average people. Link is a drifter and works odd jobs (Blacksmithing, ranching and so on.) Mario being a plumber, Star Fox being a soldier, Samus being a bounty hunter and so on. So what you said struck a chord for me.

      I will be happy to receive any and all information from you and I hope to count on you in the future should I not be able to dig up anything on my end.

      Elina Predaliena, you are now an Honorary CIEIR.

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    2. Yes, I've seen your Youtube channel and hope that soon more interesting videos come out. I'd be happy to help as much as I can. Indeed, I do a lot of searching, just sometimes typing in Google some seemingly unrealistic things, and find intriguing stuff. Actually, for most part it happened this way.

      Returning to Jason topic. The two stories that I managed to find. They are from forums. Of course, there will always be skeptics (which, to be honest, annoy me like hell) who claim that this is made up, but anyway, here goes:

      https://www.reddit.com/r/LetsNotMeet/comments/573g0j/jason_voorhees_scares_a_girl_scout_troop/

      And the second one:

      http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/topic/294568-camp-encounter/

      What's amusing, that in the state of New Jersey there is a Voorhees town, and I heard that people often come there on Friday the 13th to "celebrate" this day, all because of Mr. Voorhees :) There is a funny video about this, how the locals are interrogated about their superstitions, but some told about rumours that the murders really happened, and that NJ started to get bad reputation, and that's why in later Friday films they moved the location of Camp Crystal Lake to another state. There are just rumours, but frightening nonetheless. This is the video I'm talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1W83evRJbI

      Oh, and one more thing. I mentioned about finding information that Jason not just might be real, but he actually IS real. This was written on "Mystic Investigations" site. To be honest, I don't believe in all the things they write, including about their own team, but, considering that now we talk about Jason, here is what I meant:

      http://mysticinvestigations.com/paranormal/jason-voorhees/

      http://mysticinvestigations.com/paranormal-news/jason-voorhees-resurrected-on-friday-the-13th/

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    3. It will take me some time for me to look through all this but I have it bookmarked. Thank you so much. I will look into this all.

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    4. Oh, and I nearly forgot, there's another article I found about Jason, and I had to delve into Portuguese websites to get info. Here is the original article: http://nerdicesaparte.blogspot.si/2011/06/mitos-reais-13-jason-voorhees.html

      And here is the translation (made by me):

      Mitos reais 13: Jason Voorhees (Nerdices a Parte.blogspot.si, 01.06.2011)

      No, you did not wake up on the wrong day: Today is Wednesday 1, not Friday 13. However, more attention should have realized that this is the 13th edition of our Mitos reais. Of course, as good nerd that I am, I could not let the occasion go unnoticed and therefore the myth chosen to be confronted with science today is nothing less than the myth of Jason Voorhees.

      The myth

      It is said that Jason was born on a Friday, on June 13, 1946, the son of Pamela and Elias Voorhees, with strong mental and physical deformities. However, he died as a boy, drowned in a lake, by sheer negligence of the counsellors. In revenge, his mother on the night of June 13, 1958, also a Friday, killed the two counselors that should be watching Jason at his death, along with seven other counsellors, and stopped only when she was beheaded by one of them. According to legend, when he saw his mother being murdered, Jason returned from beyond with a single purpose: to kill everyone he could find. In addition, the legends describe three natural features of Jason: he has superhuman strength and physical strength; he cannot be killed; and he can handle any kind of weapon masterfully.

      The reality

      If Jason exists in real life, two things must be taken as fact: it probably is not called Jason and he is not dead. In fact, Jason in the real life, has always been and will always be very much alive, and ready to kill anyone who appears before him, just as the legend. Jason in real life, only differs from Jason presented in movies with these characteristics. In others, it is just as killer, so cruel, so cold and so frighteningly immortal as in Jason legends. How could this be possible?

      The science

      Jason in real life is not human. It has the appearance of a human. He has the skills of a human. But to say that he is human is to play on the ground any claim that science can do about humanity. First, Jason's body is ridiculously strong and resistant factors aided in their survival over the years. Second, Jason in real life can regenerate any part of his body, however, great was the damage, just like a starfish. Unlike starfish, however, an arm that has been torn does not give a rise to a new Jason. Third, the brain of Jason is the brain of a man the killer caves, which means that he learned to use any weapon for his purposes, which, unlike the cavemen, not hunt for food, but kill. Fourth, Jason did not need to eat: your body absorbs energy, mainly the blood of his victims, which is drained through the pores and used as vital fuel. Fifth, despite all your skills, Jason's body does not need much energy to continue working: if Jason does not absorb any blood at some time, your body goes to a standby state, as he searches for his next victim. Sixth, Jason does not age: the same regeneration system that allows him to die does not allow him to continue living and with the same characteristics forever. To date, no one knows when Jason was born, and even if one day he will come to die.

      The cache

      How to explain that such a mortal creature has gone unnoticed by the eyes of human beings? The answer to this is very simple: just as in the movies, all or nearly all humans who came to see him sometime died brutally murdered. How to study a creature that kills all those who dare to get close to it? How to explain, without evidence, that a friend's cousin's brother swears his feet together that saw Jason massacring an entire family? Mysteries like these should remain like that: as mysteries. And, meanwhile, Jason still prowling around, looking for new victims. Do not look now, but he's behind you.

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    5. Ok in relation to your preivous article links. I gotta say this is pretty shocking. Even those commenting on it seem to have trouble comprehending whether or not it's the real deal or some fantastic hoax. As for this one. That describes what's known as the tulpa effect. Where if something is believed in hard enough, it will exist for real. Many urban legends have often been brought to life like that and since Jason in the movies was considered a modern day legends and a boat load of scared children and adults believe him to be real he becomes real. He's immortal because we believe he is. Ergo if we believe in a weakness we may be able to take him down.

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    6. I've heard about Tulpa effect many times, and I must say it's really one fantastic thing and it shows how people underestimate the power of mind. I know one such example from Scotland, where owners of one castle made up a story about a ghost to attract tourists, and it worked pretty well - the tourists became interested in this seemingly "haunted" castle and arrived there. The owners made good business from it. The further, the more rumours and beliefs surrounded this story until the owners began sensing the presence of something in castle where they lived all their life, it actually belonged to their ancestors, so this is about inheritance. Realizing that a ghost indeed inhabits the castle, they tried to get rid of it, but the spirit started showing aggression towards them, and in the result they were forced to leave the castle and find another place to live. This spirit that they have made up and brought to life has become too strong to be taken down, and it was too late to do anything about it. So yes, that's how many urban legends come to life. The more you believe and fear it, the stronger it becomes and finally gains total independence.

      Similar situation is with Jason. After those films came out, Friday the 13th (I mean the day itself) is strongly connected with his name, and I wouldn't be surprised if people believe that on this day(s) Jason comes to hunt his victims. When I hear the words "Friday the 13th", the first thing that comes to my mind is Jason, and I can't do anything about it. By the way, this theory that he absorbs energy when spilling the blood of his victims, and it serves as some kind of fuel, to me it pretty much makes sense. I think we all know well, that Jason is definitely a monster. He was human only before drowning as a boy. And if he's strong enough, I don't know if it's even possible to take him down.

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    7. Not just that either. The reason why F-13 the date became associated with Jason in the first place, was because in the first movie, they foreshadowed bad luck by having the final scenes take place on Friday the 13th during a full moon.

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  2. True. Also, today I found a site about Jason's psychology, a detailed analysis. There are many things explained why he is what he is. Makes sense, by the way. https://btmfiles.wordpress.com/

    Oh, and just a small addition from me personally: I encounter Jason in a dream plane periodically, as well as many other monstrosities, and no one ever showed aggression towards me, including Jason. I met his mother a few times, too, and promised to help to find Jason for her.

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  3. I found this article some time ago: http://ihorror.com/unsolved-lake-massacre-real-life-friday-13th/ Things happened in Finland, but it's all eerily similar to what Jason usually does with campers.

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    1. That's pretty fucked up and did this happen before or after the making of Friday The 13th?

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  4. Strangely enough this happened long before the first F13 film was made - 20 years before, in 1960.

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    1. I see. Just 2 years chronologically after the first two murders of the movie series. In the first Friday The 13th, Pamela Voorhees killed 2 counselors as a means of keeping the camp closed. She did this in 1958, 1 year after Jason's drowning. Funnily enough among the many incidences between 1957 and 1980, there was mention of fires in the 60s and poisoned water in the 70s. Makes me wonder if these movies are trying to point out real crimes.

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    2. Pretty possible. Although the film creators haven't claimed that F13 was based or inspired by real crimes and whatnot, but this particular case gives material for speculation.

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    3. Well the warning at the end of every movie said it best. "This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental." It wasn't just some warning they slapped at the end of movies, it was an "I'm not responsible if this story turned out true." Thing.

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  5. True. They aren't responsible if the story turned out to be true. There's also a possibility that some of film creators' team knew something but didn't confess. No one can know. We can't get into peoples' minds and fin out what they were thinking while writing the script for the film.

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