40 years ago, the third entry in the Friday the 13th series hit theaters. Already a heavy hitter in the slasher scene by 1982, the series had yet to fully develop its own identity. The director of the first movie, Sean S. Cunningham, has even since admitted that the original Friday the 13th simply served as a way to rip off John Carpenter's Halloween. The first film involved a faceless killer stalking a group of would-be counselors as they attempt to re-open a summer camp. The killer was revealed to be Pamela Voorhees, a woman who is seeking vengeance for her son who drowned there in the fifties.
Pamela's son was of course named Jason, a name that would become synonymous with horror. The second film saw Jason Voorhees front and center, yet he still wasn't the character fans now know. It wasn't until the third movie hit the scene that Friday the 13th would fully begin to form its identity. In more ways than one, Friday the 13th Part 3 is arguably the most important movie in the series. It is also perhaps the most impactful on the horror genre, and here is why.
The Face Of Horror
As stated before, Jason wasn't the killer in the original movie. In fact, he wasn't even in it except for some flashbacks and a nightmare scene. Jason didn't officially appear until the second movie, and he was a far different character. The most obvious difference is his appearance. He wears overalls over a plaid shirt. His clothing has him resemble a farmhand more than anything. Jason also wears a burlap sack over his head with a single eyehole cut out. This is a reference to the killer from The Town That Dreaded Sundown, one of the early slashers.
Jason also acts more territorial as opposed to a mindless killing machine. This Jason is clearly only provoked when trespassers appear on his home turf. The third film sees Jason wear clothing a little closer to what fans are used to. He wears a green shirt and simple blue jeans, attire he would keep throughout most of the original series. Also gone was Jason's burlap mask. He goes a good chunk of the movie with his face hidden. That is, until he receives a new mask a little over halfway through the movie.
This new mask would finally complete Jason's signature look and create horror history in the process. One of the characters in Friday the 13th Part 3 is named Shelly. Shelly is a prankster who carries around a box of props used in his hijinks. One of his props is a hockey mask from his hometown hockey team. Shelly wears this mask in an attempt to scare a girl, and Jason takes a liking to it. At exactly an hour into the film's runtime, Jason Voorhees appears wearing a hockey mask.
This hockey mask would become a horror icon almost immediately, and propel Jason into legendary status. In addition to finally sporting the classic mask, Jason also acts closer to what fans expect. He is far from being a supernatural zombie, but he does kill less on instinct and more with primal necessity. This Jason is angry and violent, and he will take out anyone in his way.
The Friday the 13th series is known for creative and violent kills, and this is the film where they truly began to appear. The first two films had tamer kills save for a handful, but Part 3 holds nothing back. Kills such as someone getting their eyes popped out and a man getting bisected straight through the middle are just precursors to the mayhem the series contains. This is the first movie in the series that truly feels like its own thing, and would set the stage for the following entries.
A New Dimension In Terror
Even though it was only the third movie, Paramount knew they had to do something fresh with Friday the 13th Part 3 in order to make it seem fresh. Each Friday the 13th movie was released less than a year apart from each other and there were countless other slasher movies in the '80s coming out constantly. Something had to be done to ensure this film stood out from all the rest. In order to help pave the future of slasher movies, they looked to the past.
A popular gimmick throughout the 50s and 60s was 3D. Paramount decided to bring back this gimmick and make the audience feel they were in on the action. After much trial and error, the third Friday the 13th movie was released in 3D. This gamble proved to be worth it, as it was a massive success. Thanks to the success of 3D, other horror movies also began to adopt the gimmick throughout the '80s.
Afterwards, films that were on their third entry were typically released in 3D. Examples include Jaws 3D and Amityville 3D. Today, these 3D movies are seen as ridiculously cheesy. The actors are constantly poking objects directly into the camera, and it is just awkward. However, Friday the 13th Part 3 can still be seen in 3D, as most home media copies of the movie include a 3D mode. This classic red and blue 3D may not hold up today, but it was still a huge deal at the time (and influenced the new wave of 3D in the 2000s). Friday the 13th was instrumental in bringing this gimmick back, and that just adds to the impact it had on horror.
The Legend Of Jason Voorhees
Perhaps the most important thing this movie did was formally introducing Jason Voorhees to the masses. He was a major part of the film, but this is where he truly took shape. Following this film, Jason would return eight more times, save for the fifth film. Jason and his hockey mask are among the most iconic things in all horror. Suddenly, slasher movies weren't trying to rip off Halloween. Now, the main goal of studios was to create a new horror character they could build a franchise around. Even Michael Myers began to act more like Jason as the '80s and '90s went on. Some were successful such as Freddy Krueger, but most were one-hit wonders. It was clear that nobody could touch Jason Voorhees.
The film itself may not be the best of the series, but its impact on the franchise as well as horror cannot be ignored. The Friday the 13th franchise has been tied up in legal disputes for six years now, meaning no new content can be released. Fans are looking back on the series with longing, patiently waiting for the day Jason can officially return. There are tons of things for horror fans to love about the Friday the 13th series, and many of the things they love the most may have started with the third movie. Four decades later, its tremendous impact is still felt, and hockey masks have never been looked at the same way.