Friday Conversation: Jason and the Kiddies
This has been a long running debate that has been listed here on this site in the old forums and continues on in forums on other Friday the 13th and horror websites. However, while talking with a friend about the two Halloween movies with the Jamie Lloyd character, Halloween 4 and 5, my friend determined that all psychopathic killers would indeed kill children. They pointed out that Michael Meyer’s sole motivation in those two movies was to kill his little niece. I agreed that to be true, but the basis of that motivation was family and not the fact she was a kid. Of course, the conversation turned to Jason and if he had ever killed or would kill a kid. I said that he had not and that I don’t believe that anyone involved in the making of the movies would ever allow that to happen.
Now, there have been two instances in the franchise that have given Jason the chance to kill a young kid. In The Final Chapter, Jason has a moment where he can decide to chase after Tommy or chase after Trish. He, of course, chooses Trish and Tommy is left to shave his head. In Jason Lives, Jason is walking through the cabins at the camp and happens across a frightened Nancy that is awake and is very aware he is watching her. Jason leans in towards her, but then is quickly interupted by the cops pulling up in front of the camp and then Jason quickly leaves.
Jason, with a choice, went after the teenager and left the child behind. What would Jason do without that choice? Would he choose to kill the first kids he sees in sight. Would Nancy have survived if Sheriif Garris had not arrived at the camp?
Interesting post. I think that Michael Myers can’t understand humans, and feels no sympathy towards them, hence he would kill Jamie Lloyd if he had the chance. Jason on the other hand, can feel sympahty for human beings. Especially his mother, and in The Final Chapter he actually stops for a moment when he thinks he sees himself as a kid(in Tommy). So I would say, at the very least Jason is somewhat sympathetic towards kids, because he can acknowledge his own youth and the trauma that came with that.
So I don’t think he would kill a kid.
Jason was a kid when he drowned. A helpless innocent being neglected by those sexually active teens. So i think, in Jason’s eyes, kids aren’t a threat. He only wants revenge on the teens and adults who were responsible for his drowning and his mothers decapitaion.
So i believe the kids to be safe…until the hormones kick in. then they’re toast.
I do agree that this is a very, very interesting subject to discuss.
However, while I agree that I wouldn’t want him to ever harm a child on screen (it’s a Friday the 13th film, for Christ sakes; not Murder Set Pieces unrated), I actually believe he WOULD harm a child in the series.
Think about this: He sure enough rammed through and grabbed the young 12-year-old Tommy Jarvis sure enough, didn’t he? And I doubt he was just bear hugging him for shits & giggles. Also, he indeed contemplates going after either him or Trish for a brief moment.
Then, there is the sequence in Part VI in which he burst through the cabin door in which all the (rightfully so) child campers are hiding from him, to now no luck. Of course, we’ll have to ask writer/director Tom McLaughlin what his intentions were. However, if this big time Friday fanatic were to shake the Magic 8 ball and ask it the big question, I feel all signs would point towards ‘Yes’. Just my two cents.
I don’t know, really, and I think the fact that they left it open leaves it creepier!
If we saw Jason purposely leave little kids safe, then campfire tales would lose their cache. Kids would say “Well, we are only 10, we are safe!”
But, it is unsure. Jason might be there, peering in the cabin windows, wondering what to do… MUCH creepier!
Well, in the case of Michael Myers, he was an unstoppable killing machine who’s main goal was to kill his family…no matter what the age. But let’s not try to question all of his motives. He let people live. Prime example was the boombox guy in part 2 (the real part two, not the Rob Zombie mockery). The guy bumped in to him and that is a kill-worthy trespass in most instances. I think of Michael as an enigma.
I think Jason would kill kids if nobody else is there, or if they posed a serious threat. I always thought of the Jason Lives scene more of Jason looking in wonder and not exactly trying to kill her.
Jason wouldn’t do it.
it’s tough. I think the final chapter Jason, who I view as the most ‘animalistic’ incarnation, probably would’ve killed Tommy, unless he was just using him as bait to get to trish.
but in general it goes against the ‘mythology’ for him to harm children. Freddy is the child killer, Jason is the “child trapped in a man’s body”.
Well, in the comics, Jason has no problem killing kids that pick on the more helpless kid. I think it’s all a matter of if they deserve to be killed or not.
But that’s the comics. In the movies, I don’t believe Jason would kill a child. That would mark him as a hypocrite. lol, but seriously, No. I don’t believe Jason would kill a child.
Right first things first.Jason is a remorseless killing machine whom i beleive to have no preference to whether his victims be young or old.However you’d have to be some kind of a sick puppy of a director to show him killing kids on screen.That sort of stuff is better left to the imagination…………..KI,KI,KI,MA,MA,MA.
i dont think Jason would Michael maybe Freddy always but not Jason
I don’t think Jason would, but some of you folks are making good arguments. Kudos.
NES Jason kills kids. Remember?
i remember jason kill the kid
My personal opinion:
I thought, “Jason had the priority level to killing”.
He gave priority to teen-agers more than children, and gave priority to “Person who cursed him” more than the teen-ager.
Moreover, he will try never to kill if there are “Sleeping person” and “Person who faints” in the presence of Jason.
Jason sees Nancy that offers the invocation. It was hesitant. It was an action that was not able to be understood for him.
If she did not pray, and the policeman did not arrive, Jason might have killed Nancy.
I dont think he would ever kill kids, I know Kane hodder said that he would never kill a child or animal, because its wrong.
So, no, i just think hes intriged by the kids and thats it.
But very good meantion!!
he certainly picks and chooses his kills with somewhat of a conscious. i mean come on, remember how it was when he walked right past those punk kids in Times Square in Manhattan and just spooked them by lifting up his mask.
or the beginning of part 6 when the couple in the punch-buggy has Jason standing in the road essentially blocking their path. Jason didn’t immediately rush the vehicle and attack. he didn’t do anything until he was provoked by the guy with the gun.
so this relates to the question of whether he would kill kids or not. i believe he wouldn’t kill kids simply from the only evidence we have of a situation involving a “chance” to kill kids (which takes place in part 6). he didn’t touch a single one of the cabin-full when he certainly had a chance to.
He would hard children!
I want to think he wouldn’t harm a kid… but I dunno if I can believe that. I mean, wasn’t it the other kids who made fun of him, teased him, and picked on him because of his looks? (FvJ) Also, being a kid with deformatys…. I am sure he was picked on a lot… hence the reason “ONLY HIS MOTHER LOVED HIM.”
So, I want to say he wouldn’t harm a kid… but I don’t think it makes sense of the context of who he is.
I want to add…
Though I think he would, there is no sense to ever show this in a film. It isn’t needed…
Hard to argue that Jason has a moral compas, but I too dont believe he would kill a child. His mindset is that of a child, and for that reason I think all kids under the age of like 14 or 15 would be safe.
The only exception is Corey Feldman in Part 4, I think Jason if given a chance later in the movie would kill Tommy Jarvis because Tommy was trying to kill him, survival mode would kick in.
So I guess what I’m saying is if your a kid dont mess with Jason and he wont mess with you, provoke him and your screwed.
I figure Jason doesnt hurt kids because they arent teenagers. If somebody drowns in Crystal Lake..its the fault of the camp counslers…either having sex or smoking weed. But lets not forget there were 2 situations it looked like Jason was going to hurt a kid. One was in Part 5 (which I know is actually Roy) it looked like he was going after Reggie when he finds Him hiding. And then the baby daughter of His neice in Jason Goes To hell. But other than that I think He was just curious, like when He leans towards Nancy. I mean cmon if He wanted Her dead Hed do it without haste.
Yes, Jason would kill a kid – if he/she was annoying enough! Once they quit putting the cute kids in front of him, his true colors will come out! Tommy threw him off with the shaved head (Jason is easily thrown off). Put an annoying little turd in front of him and the machete will swing!
Said this yesterday in another forum.
If you ask me, Jason would totally kill a kid, but seeing as how the Friday series is widely distributed, by a major company (at the time) they would never allow that to happen in one of the movies. There are lines that American mainstream horror movies won’t cross (again at the time). Thats what is so scary about a lot of the horror films coming out of Korea now, they approach subjects like necrophelia, incest, and other subjects too taboo for a major studio like Paramount to address.
If you think about the Friday series, it’s actually quite conservative. They kill kids that do drugs, have sex, and…well mainly those two things. I think the reason we have never seen Jason kill a kid is more of a reflection of the studios values than Jasons own.
Absolutely Jason would have killed Tommy in pt.4 if he had gotten his hands on him. I think it’s totally in Jason’s character to do something like that, but the studio would never allow it to happen.
The only legitimate “revenge killing” Jason had in the whole series was Alice in the beginning of pt.2, everyone else has been purely for his own sadistic pleasure.
I doubt he’d kill a kid. I think that’s another one of his ways of honoring his mother, who was killing because hse thought he was dead and because she thought she was protecting children from a similar fate. Everyone else is just a victim to Jason’s rage from their ‘trespassing’.
What about in New York? Or the space ship? Jason was a tresspasser, and he still killed people. He wasn\’t protecting any thing then.
Whether or not Jason would kill a child, for me, is not the point. I don’t want to see that…ever.
Leave the child killing to frakin’ loser Freddy.
de*d-fuck:
Actually he wasn’t trespassing in space.
If someone took me from a comfortable state of cryogenic sleep, packed me up, loaded me on a ship and then proceeded to cut me up and experiment on me… you bet your ass I’m going psycho on somebody
As for NY, well they sailed that boat onto his turf and he just happen to stay on board. As for switching ships, well he didn’t have to but hey the man deserved that much need vacation
-mWd-
I agree with Chris ver. II. There are many aspects of Jason’s character open to interpretation, but I firmly believe he would never kill a child – not because he’s got a conscience, but because Pamela loved children and Jason is playing by her rules. This doesn’t make him less evil or remorseless; it’s more like a killer who butchers a waiting room of sick people but won’t light up until he’s outside because there’s no smoking in hospitals. It’s a reflexive compulsion, not a conscious choice. At least, that’s how I see it.
I think he wouldn’t kill a child, but as de*d-fuck says, just for being too much severe for the studio and audiences.
To tell you the truth, call me sick if you wish but, I think Jason should do all that sort of things like kill children ( I dont mean I would like to see it, but is too much friendly for my taste to make him look like a child protector) and touch women with sexual intentions, like it was hinted in part 3 and like it was said in the interviews of the final chapter dvd that Jason would touch Trish breasts, I mean, we are talking about a maniac! that sure will add a lot to the horror of the character. But sadly as I said, I am sure that this will never happen.
I’m undecided, though I tend to lean more towards the argument that he would not harm children.
I still think it’s creepy that he was implicit in killing an unborn child in part 3, and thats what makes me wonder. In his defense, he wasn’t to know, but it still creeps me out.
Haha! -mWd-,I guess you do have some points.
Honestly though, i do think it is a decision that comes from the studio. Thinks change in this series movie to movie, and until they actualy show Jason kill a kid you have to assume he doesn’t. Personaly though…..I think he would.
I don’t think jason would kill a child because he was once a child.Right i mean his soul reson for killing was revenge for his mom death.A kid did not kill his mom adult did.So maybe that’s why he would not kill a child.
Everyone has great thoughts and ideas on this subject. Like i mentioned in my post, I think this topic is always going to be debatable until a new movie comes along that either flat out says Jason doesn’t kill kids or he actually kills one off.
If Jason actually kills a kid in a movie, it will be a much talked about occurence in the horror or Friday community.
He would kill kids because he knows they will grow up to be horny teenagers!
Just like Michael I believe Jason would definately kill them if they got in his way, I always wondered what Jason was gonna do to Tommy when he saw him with the bald head at the end of part 4, either he was gonna examine his face or snap his neck one time.
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the reason jason didn’t kill kids was because when he drowned the counselors were not watchin him and he tries to get revenge on every teen he sees
Michael big ol yep! he is a machine Jason you betcha not a doubt his woods are for him and his mothers memory you go in you dont come out, most certainly he goes after the presumed biggest threat first but as many have stated Tommy was on his chopping list. the bigger question is when do we get to see it… prob never for the Kane Quote him as a person would refuse to act out a child murder because of “KANES” ideals not Jasons. hes also prob done as Jason due to his unwillingness to do what is asked. but child killing is a big taboo for movie makers which is why you dont see it often.
If the Friday the 13th series was made by an italian studio in the 70´s or early 80´s than Jason surely would have kiled a couple of kids .. because kids also died in italian giallos. However, as stated what someone else said here a couple of posts ago: Friday teh 13th is distributed by mayor american studios who would never allow such a thig (UI think the MPAA wouldn´t be very keen on Jason murdering kids as well).
About “Kane Hodder said that …”. Well, considering that Hodder also said that “Jason never runs” although he did in parts 2-4 (and a bit in 6 as well) he isn´t exactly an expert on Jason and Friday the 13th.
Okay, for the sake of fanboy-thinking: Would Jason kill a child? I guess not every child, because he somehow sees himself as a child (“the child trapped in a mans body”) and he MIGHT have sympathy with “outsider”-kids (this is how I interpret Tommy tricking Jason in the TFC finale).
.
But, as you know, “kids can be so mean”. There are bullies everywhere and I guess Jason was not only bullied at Camp Crystal Lake (as suggested in the FvsJ-nightmare sequence) but his entire life. If he saw a kid that behaved as a bully (e.g. being mean to others) he would probably hack it up .. that is if this happened in an italian giallo of course
I’d have to lean toward the side of Jason not killing kids.
Now, I saw people bring up 2 occasions, the kids pushing him around in the FvJ flashback and when he busted into the cabin toward the end of pt 6.
With the kids pushing him around in FvJ, I don’t think Jason would take that memory and hate kids enough to kill em cuz they bullied him. I think all he really remembers is that the teenage counselors were having sex and just let him drown, and that it was a teenager that killed his mother. So, I think those 2 memories that drive him to kill.
With Jason crashing into the cabin with the kids. All they showed was the kids moving backward from being scared. Then they quickly cut to Megan yelling to Tommy, and suddenly Jason crashing through the cabin wall. It could be possible that Jason just was gonna scare the kids, which would cause Megan to come into the cabin and Jason kill her once she got in. But when he heard her yell out Tommy’s name, he might have gotten angry and didn’t want to wait anymore.
Hmm. you know the more I think about it myself I completely believe he “would” kill a kid. Well maybe not the “zombie” Jason but the part I – IV one would.
I mean Tommy showed no threat in the Final Chapter and only said “remember” and you can clearly see that hand extend and if not for Trish that would have been his throat.
Plus we have all seen him kill a kid. In V you see him kill Tommy in the “nightmare” scene. Yeah…. maybe it wasn’t real, but didn’t it look so natural?
But do I want to see him kill a kid? Nah… young half naked girls are just fine by me
-mWd-
If he killed a kid he be one bad motherfucker after all he fell in the water because of the kids forced him to or pushed him in.
Ok, I’ve read the debate, and I don’t think Jason would kill a kid. John you brought up Jasons mother, Jasons mother was a sick woman who was the direct cause of all of Jasons problems. Now it was never really shown, but if you go by the books or for some the comics, well then when Jasons father walked out on them, Pam, for fear of losing her son, told him that he would never be excepted or loved. She put that fear in him, you really can’t say what would have happend had she not done that. In part 6 and 4 he did have a chance to kill Tommy and Nancy but he didn’t cause he had no cause to do so. Even if he did I don’t think he would there not the direct cause of his death. or his mothers
hey guys Jason killed some kids in the comic How i spent my summer vacation check it out just buy the comic