Friday the 13th Part 2

Friday the 13th Part II is a slasher film directed by Steve Miner. A sequel to Friday the 13th (1980), it is the second film in the Friday the 13th series. It was a moderate box-office hit, opening on May 1, 1981, in first place.

Development

Following the success of Friday the 13th in 1980, Paramount Pictures began plans to make a sequel. First acquiring the worldwide distribution rights, Frank Mancuso, Sr. stated, "We wanted it to be an event, where teenagers would flock to the theaters on that Friday night to see the latest episode." The initial ideas for a sequel involved the Friday the 13th title being used for a series of films, released once a year, that would not have direct continuity with each other, but be a separate "scary movie" of their own right. Phil Scuderi—one of three owners of Esquire Theaters, along with Steve Minasian and Bob Barsamian, who produced the original film—insisted that the sequel have Jason Voorhees, Pamela's son, even though his appearance in the original film was only meant to be a joke. Steve Miner, associate producer on the first film, believed in the idea and would go on to direct the first two sequels, after Cunningham opted not to return to the director's chair. Miner would use many of the same crew members from the first film while working on the sequels.

Reception

Like the first film, Friday the 13th Part 2 received great commercial success but was derided by critics.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave Friday the 13th Part 2 half of one star out of 4, stating: "This movie is a cross between the Mad Slasher and Dead Teenager genres; about two dozen movies a year feature a mad killer going berserk, and they're all about as bad as this one."