Friday the 13th, the film that almost killed the franchise

THE Friday the 13th Universe is a beloved horror series originally from the 1980s, but an installment more than 20 years after the original film nearly killed the franchise. There are 12 films in the Friday the 13th franchise, although some are loosely related across different timelines and universes. Although hockey-masked killer Jason Vorhees became a beloved horror character, some of the later films aren’t exactly what people expected. In fact, many of the later slasher era films are considered so-bad-they’re-good horror films, exploiting well-worn tropes.

With Jason being such a recognizable and iconic villain, Friday the 13th It has had many robberies since its creation. But one film came to be considered almost a parody of itself, poking fun at all the typical movie tropes. Unfortunately, many took the film seriously upon release, which dramatically affected the public’s opinions on the franchise’s trajectory. It wasn’t until two years later that Jason returned to the screen in Freddy x Jasonthis time having to have an even stronger gimmick to attract the public to return.

Jason X Isn’t Like Any Other Friday the 13th Movie (And It Almost Killed the Franchise)

The film changes Jason like never before

Jason X recycles the same villainous plots as the rest of the series, but with a twist, adding that Kane Hodder’s Jason Vorhees is now a cyborg instead of an undead serial killer. In the film, Jason has been cryogenically frozen for 445 years and wakes up on a spaceship in 2455. The concept was a turning point for the series that was derided by many audiences at the time, deterring dedicated fans of the franchise. The project was a huge departure from the typical in that no more direct sequels to the film were made.

Jason X it only has 20% on Rotten Tomatoes and received mostly negative reviews at the time of its release. This contrasts with the original film, which is also the highest-rated film in the franchise, with 66% on Rotten Tomatoes. Jason X it underperformed at the box office, grossing just $17 million on a budget of $11 million. Since its initial release, Jason X has received a bit of a reappraisal, especially from younger audiences, who are now evaluating the franchise as an entire rewatchable series rather than installments scheduled for theatrical release.

How Jason X Turned Into A Friday The 13th Comedy Sequel

The film added jokes and comical deaths

When it was originally released, Jason X was taken more seriously, following the intense themes of the other films. However, deep down, Jason X it’s comical, poking fun at the absurd direction the franchise has taken over the past 21 years. Jason’s deaths became much more inventive and almost humorous, like a character with a frozen and crushed face. There are also more overt jokes, which became a staple of horror films of later eras, which understood that many of the tropes now needed to be subverted to be entertaining.

There were also more overt jokes and blatant readings that the Jason X film writing and production were more aware of horror film tropes. Jason X it had to stand out since the genre was very diluted with other horror content. The film was willing to break standard conventions, adding jokes that would be out of place in other films. THE Friday the 13th the franchise had become very self-aware at this point and couldn’t help but poke fun at itself, forever changing the tone of the beloved original series.