Slashers in the Woods Part 1

There is nothing I enjoy more than a slasher film set in the woods. There is something great about some campers being stalked as they are in the isolated woods. Now, there are a lot of horror films which are set in the woods but the ones that I have chosen are slasher movies. I don't include supernatural or demons or ghosts or anything. These films are usually about a group of young people who are heading into the woods for a fun weekend or to go to a summer camp and you just know that they are there to get killed. A killer is waiting to dispose of those people who set foot on his/her territory for various reasons.

So, the first movies I will discuss are the Friday the 13th movies. We all know the story about Jason and his mother and they are all mostly set at Camp Crystal Lake. The first film is different to the others. It is better made and it is so iconic and Jason isn't even the killer. He is a minor character. Adult Jason wouldn't appear until part two and the iconic hockey mask wouldn't be seen until the third movie. The setting of the woods is great as Jason can move around unseen and watch the poor counselors who are going to die. His mother meets her end in the first movie and Jason takes over as the antagonist for the rest of the franchise. I don't need to tell you the plot or how the story changed over all those films. They are the ultimate woods slasher movies and I love them all.

Jason Voorhees is one of the best villains in horror and it all started at Camp Crystal Lake. Jason would go from there to Manhattan and to space and to Hell but there is nothing that beats the woods and the camp that is so iconic. Apart from the first film, I really like 2, 3, 4, 6,7,8 but not 9 for obvious reasons, and Jason X isn't bad either. Five was a bit of a failure for me. I didn't really like it but I do consider it part of the franchise even without real Jason. There are more recent entries into the Friday the 13th franchise but I will always go for the old ones. They vary in quality and some of the plot twists are ridiculous but if you want some great 80's slashers, then you can't go wrong with Jason in the woods with his machete. There is nothing better. I will be back with a part two where I will discuss some lesser known forest slashers.