Everett Collection
It was recently announced that Jason Vorhees, the hockey-mask-wearing killer would be rising out of the waters of Crystal Lake again — this time for a Friday the 13th television show that would be a re-imagining of his story. And while horror on TV is back, what with the success of the American Horror Story series, we’re not quite sure that Jason is the right choice for a series. In fact, his big screen rival Freddy Krueger, of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, would have been a far better choice to reboot.
Krueger would be an infinitely more interesting character to watch on TV. He’s got moxie, wit, and (if you look past his molten skin) charm. He’s very expressive, wry, and cunning. Vorhees, on the other hand, is dull and plodding. The only reason he seems to catch people is because they all inscrutably develop two left feet when they are running away from him. His only form of expression seems to be ripping people’s limbs off… though we guess his method of execution can be… creative.
What it really boils down to is that the surrounding cast would have to carry the show, performance-wise, with Friday the 13th. There’s only so much audience attention that someone who walks around wearing a hockey mask and doesn’t speak can garner. On the other hand, Krueger would have been riveting to watch. He could have narrated, done asides to the viewers, and of course speak a lot of witty dialogue to the people he is about to kill.
There is the possibility that this new vision of Jason might be completely different than what has been shown before, but that also wouldn’t feel like the movies that drew the audience that would be interested in watching this at all. This may turn out to be a nightmare of a decision for the producers of this show.
