“Crystal Japan”: The Evolution of Jason From Shack To Barn
There are a few inconsistencies in the series and last week we discussed the ending of Part 2 and if it was a dream or not a dream. Fans are divided on that topic and have their own perspective on those events. Adding to that topic are the events that follow into the next movie, Part 3. Why does Jason travel great distances to change clothes and why did the filmmakers decide to go with an overall different look for Jason?
In the beginning of Part 3, Jason has now removed the machete from his shoulder and slides away from his shack in the woods. He leaves his shack, I am assuming because Jason knows the police will not be far behind investigating the murders. He then travels to a local restaraunt/convenience store to, basically, change clothes. Jason then kills the local residents that own the establishment. Why he kills these people is beyond me. They weren’t visitors to the lake and this breaks from Jasons M.O. I guess it made for a great opening scene and I will not complain about Jason in action at anytime.
Once Jason makes it to Higgens Haven, he spends half of his time in the barn. People complain about Jason Takes Manhattan taking place mostly on the ship, so you could call Part 3 Jason Takes The Barn? It has been pointed out that Jason did not want his face to be seen, which is why he spent so much time in the barn. It was not until he got the mask from Shelly that he emerged from the barn and began his killing ways.
So, knowing all of this, what do you think of these events? This is the transition to the Jason we all know. Do you think the men behind the camera wanted to make the Jason character more mainstream in look and not a hillbilly killer? Or did they just have dumb luck?
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Jason’s non-sack/over-alls look is way more intimidating. I love P2, but part 3 & 4 Jason are probably the best look for a killer.
Even when Jason wore the sack & over-alls, I don’t think he looks like a hillbilly. He just looks like an outcast/survivor.
Either way, I definitely wouldn’t just call it “dumb luck”.
p.s. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to see this one in 3-D at a theater. Behind us sat some “tweens” that kept calling it the “Barn of Death” and yelling that at the screen. It nearly ruined the f’n show.
“Barn of Death” is funny, but that sucks that they were continuously shouting at the screen. I have seen Part 3 in 3D at the theater and it is awesome. What a great experience!
Considering I was watching part 3 last night, I did notice what Jasonfury pointed out. I think the ending of part 2 is a dream thus Jason face was just a dream. Then he pulls the machete out of his shoulder and takes off to the other side of the lake to the vegetable store and get a change of clothes considering you can see clothes hanging to dry you can assume thats where he got the new clothes from. Since the sack was removed from his head in the end of part 2, jason hides a lot in the barn and other dark places waiting for his victims. Its obvious thats Jason like to hide his face ( sack part 2) (mask part 3 and onwards).
Almost every horror movie legend has a distinc weapon and usually wears a mask I guess the directors sinc it was the third film in the franchise wanted to give their killer a unique look and decided that an old detroit goalie mask would be kind of creepy. Maybe it was part luck part thoughts that gave us the maniac we all know and love
I think those movies (part 3 and on) established Jason’s iconic look. The fact that the early movies with him in the mask were so popular made the “look” what it is today. I don’t think the film makers of pt. 3 made a conscious decision to have the hockey mask be the definitive look of Jason however. I believe they exhausted his look in pt. 2 and simply needed another look for Jason in the final reel of the “formula.” Shelley was the perfect character to pull that off and they executed it beautifully.
A for Jason spending too much time in the barn, I don’t think it’s anywhere near JTM. The barn is in close proximity to all of the events happening in pt. 3 and it makes perfect sense why he’s in there. Plus it makes for some great atmosphere and creepy stalking moments.
Also I believe Higgin’s Haven is on Crystal Lake (in the Friday universe) so Jason didn’t travel that far from his stomping (or should I say stalking) grounds. As a matter of fact he is only probably a couple of miles from the councillor training facility of pt. 2. Good point with him wanting to get away from the police at the beginning of pt. 3 but I also believe he has a blinding rage for revenge that caused him to stay around the Higgin’s Haven area and not stray too far. Plus it’s “his” woods, “his” camp grounds and he would stay nearby just to make sure no one messed around there.
It’s in the first few movies featuring Jason where he is the most mysterious and I love the fact that that mystery is there. I can only wish that we could return to that creepy mystery once again. One can dream I suppose.
I really like this article, and some of the replies. I think the end of Part 2 was a dream sequence, as was Jason’s Warrington Gilette look. Jason is bald under the sack. I agree he never left the shack in part 2 and was fleeing in the begining of part 3. As to the Barn, the change of clothing, and the grovcry store folks, Jason was injured, badly. He needed fresh clothing, possibly some sort of aid to his injuries, maybe food. I agree Higgins Haven (in the Friday universe) is very close to crystal lake. Isn’t it the lake where we first see jason with the hockey mask? He didn’t travel far, and he needed time in the barn to heal up and hide from the fuzz. Great article, i love to try to make these films make sense chronologically, there are so many inconsistencies for a fan to deal with.
Maybe he hid out in the barn so much for some horse loving (nah, im joking) and to rest and recover from his injuries from pt2? He could have got some med’s and stuff from the store at the beginning, and used it to help himself. If the director showed it, it could have whimped Jason out a little.
I think the reason they changed Jasons look is because of an actual serial killer in Texarkana who wore a sack on his head. You might remember a movie called The Town That Dreaded Sundown. That movie was based on the events. According to Steve Dash (Jason part 2) He got burns on his eye from the tape they used to kind of close it off. In His own words He said “I knew they werent going to use that sack again after what happend to Me”. Why Jason went so far to change His clothes, maybe He wanted to get as far away from Crystal Lake as He could. And why He killed Harold and Edna, He probably figured “as long as Im here why not”. Plus if You notice, Jasons alot taller in part 3 and He cut His hair and shaved his beard. And I do believe Jason hid in the barn for most of the movie, because of His looks. It couldnt be because of that pathetic make no sense dream sequance Chris had, that was just lame. But personaly I find the hockey mask more intimidating then the sack. I was never scared of sackhead Jason, although I will admit in the remake the sack they used did look intimidating. Either way Jason rocks.
Cool article Jasonsfury! I believe that Jason did run from the shack. Ginny knew what Jason was wearing so she could describe him and his sack! He goes to the general store and gets the change of clothes and then takes Shelly’s hockey mask. New look so cops won’t know who to look for. Just throwing that idea out there! I still don’t know why after all the time the Jarvis family lived on the lake that it took so long for him to come after them in part 4 and why they never heard of him? Just a thought!
I love Jason’s look in part 3, from the neck down he looks like some guy on his way to work in his Big Mac shirt and gray slacks- you can even see the folds in his pants where they were folded in the department store in the machete crotch cleave scene. From the neck up he’s this crazy bald guy with a mask- that would scare the hell out of me.
I noticed Terry Crews in “Everybody Hates Chris” wears a Big Mac to work, but its a newer one the sort of spruce green color.
Everything about his look in part 3 is perfect. I can’t put my finger on why his look works for me; it just does. It’s creepier and more realistic. I don’t think their dicision had anything to do with being mainstream. In fact, I think the only real consious choice they made, was making him much larger. Probably to make him seem much more imposing. I think the clothes and especially the hocky mask was luck. I don’t believe anyone would’ve expected that to take off like it did.
No secret that look lasted the longest.
The pants and shirt stayed the same in parts 3-4 and 6-7 with only small differences.
It was the same look in all of those films with Part 7 being mostly black due to dissolving.
Part 6 was the same cloths with the gloves and utility belt added.
scary thought…what if the cops did show up? If they did, he may have been killed right there. Which means NO Tommy, no New blood, or even JX (yeah I said it) …talk about a close call huh?
“I still don’t know why after all the time the Jarvis family lived on the lake that it took so long for him to come after them in part 4 and why they never heard of him?”
@ Jonathan
Parts 2, 3 and 4 all take place within two or three days of one another so the chances of the Jarvis’ hearing about Jason would be slim. Although Mrs. Jarvis is reading a paper about the pt. 2/3 murders in one scene. But it isn’t touched on again until Trish and Rob talk in his tent. Interesting.
i think that everything after part 2 is a dream.
like, that chicks dream is jasons life.
he really died with that machete, but shes dreaming everything else
I read the book for part three years ago and if I remember right Jason actually fled because police were arriving to the scene of the crime at the end of part 2, Jason was not able to be found, police were on his trail and tracking him down, Jason needed to get out of the clothes he was in because blood hounds could pick up the scent so he needed to change clothes, but I do not recall as to why he killed the couple from the store.