So, with the plans for Tommy Jarvis to take up the mantle of villain scuttled, Jason was brought back, and longtime producer Frank Manusco, Jr. decided to take the series in a different direction. To that end, he hired Tom McLoughlin, who had one successful horror film, One Dark Night, and had a number of comedy scripts circulating, to write and direct, giving him carte blanche except that Jason had to be the villain. McLoughlin decided to take a cue from the old Universal Monsters,in particular Frankenstein, and added a supernatural element, making Jason a supernatural killer to match his near-invincibility in the other films. He also added a strong satirical element to the film, with it littered with jokes and memorable characters. John Shepard (now a born again Christian) refused to reprise his role as Tommy Jarvis, so Thom Matthews was cast, based on his work on another horror film Return of the Living Dead. Originally cast as Jason was Dan Bradley, but after one day, it was decided he was unfit, and was replaced with former Marine CJ Graham. This was notable as the only entry with no nudity, departing from a series regular, and McLoughlin had add more kills per the studio's orders, and had to edit the ending (involving Jason's father). Alice Cooper provided some of the music, including the theme "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)". The film had the best critical reception of the series yet (with even long-time opponent Gene Siskel admitting that it was the "least offensive" film), and was a box office hit, and is a massive fan favorite.
After the events of the last film, Tommy Jarvis (Thom Matthews) and associate Allen (Ron Palillo) go to Jason's grave to finally put an end to his recurring nightmares. They dig him, and Tommy, after a brief episode, stabs him multiple times with a metal fence. Sure enough, a lightning bolt hits the fence, and Jason (CJ Graham) decaying body is jolted back to life. He kills Allen, and puts on his signature mask (which Allen had brought with him). Tommy escapes, and tries to warn the police, but Sheriff Mike Garris (David Kagen) dismisses it, believing Tommy to be delusional and wanting to distance Crystal Lake (now Forest Green) from the old Jason killings. Tommy is kept in the local cell. Jason proceeds to get up to old tricks, killing two camp counselors Darren and Lizbeth (Tony Goldwyn and Nancy McLoughlin) on their way to a new camp. The next day, another group of counselor, including Garris' daughter Megan (Jennifer Cooke), and friends Cort (Tom Fridley), Paula (Kerry Noonan), and Sissy (Renee Jones) visit briefly stop by, and Tommy warns them. While they ignore him, Megan has a slight connection to Tommy. After being exiled from town by Garris to keep him away from his daughter, Tommy determines that he needs to bring Jason back to his first resting place. He needs to get back into town to stop Jason, and bring him to a final resting place.
In comparison to the more serious, horror oriented entries, this had more action and humor elements, clearly meant to make the series more distinct from its first few entries. This works, for the most part. I laughed a number of times, and despite it not being particularly scary, was incredibly entertaining for its run time. It has very memorable characters, very memorable kills, and never got slow or tedious for a second. I also liked that they added the supernatural elements, which makes Jason more intimidating and adds a sense of urgency to the proceedings.
That said, there were some inconsistencies with the other films (namely that Jason seems to be a legend, despite numerous deaths and the fact his body was at the morgue), which bothered me. Thom Matthews was also not terribly good, but that might be just that he wasn't given much to do until the end. It was also a little too short. I heard a lot was cut, so maybe the longer version would be better.
This is what Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 should've been. A fun, slight satirical romp that takes the premise of the series and turns it on its head. I honestly really enjoyed this film. It is the best of the ones I've seen so, and it isn't even the scariest. If you want a fun film in general, horror or not, this is the best possible example of it.
After the events of the last film, Tommy Jarvis (Thom Matthews) and associate Allen (Ron Palillo) go to Jason's grave to finally put an end to his recurring nightmares. They dig him, and Tommy, after a brief episode, stabs him multiple times with a metal fence. Sure enough, a lightning bolt hits the fence, and Jason (CJ Graham) decaying body is jolted back to life. He kills Allen, and puts on his signature mask (which Allen had brought with him). Tommy escapes, and tries to warn the police, but Sheriff Mike Garris (David Kagen) dismisses it, believing Tommy to be delusional and wanting to distance Crystal Lake (now Forest Green) from the old Jason killings. Tommy is kept in the local cell. Jason proceeds to get up to old tricks, killing two camp counselors Darren and Lizbeth (Tony Goldwyn and Nancy McLoughlin) on their way to a new camp. The next day, another group of counselor, including Garris' daughter Megan (Jennifer Cooke), and friends Cort (Tom Fridley), Paula (Kerry Noonan), and Sissy (Renee Jones) visit briefly stop by, and Tommy warns them. While they ignore him, Megan has a slight connection to Tommy. After being exiled from town by Garris to keep him away from his daughter, Tommy determines that he needs to bring Jason back to his first resting place. He needs to get back into town to stop Jason, and bring him to a final resting place.
In comparison to the more serious, horror oriented entries, this had more action and humor elements, clearly meant to make the series more distinct from its first few entries. This works, for the most part. I laughed a number of times, and despite it not being particularly scary, was incredibly entertaining for its run time. It has very memorable characters, very memorable kills, and never got slow or tedious for a second. I also liked that they added the supernatural elements, which makes Jason more intimidating and adds a sense of urgency to the proceedings.
That said, there were some inconsistencies with the other films (namely that Jason seems to be a legend, despite numerous deaths and the fact his body was at the morgue), which bothered me. Thom Matthews was also not terribly good, but that might be just that he wasn't given much to do until the end. It was also a little too short. I heard a lot was cut, so maybe the longer version would be better.
This is what Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 should've been. A fun, slight satirical romp that takes the premise of the series and turns it on its head. I honestly really enjoyed this film. It is the best of the ones I've seen so, and it isn't even the scariest. If you want a fun film in general, horror or not, this is the best possible example of it.
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