Fascination with actors who play Jason

[Pjwulfman]

I'm not a GIANT fan of Friday the 13th. I've enjoyed a few, seen almost all of them (except for Jason Takes Manhattan and 1 or 2 more) and I thought Jason Goes to Hell sucked. Hardcore.

So my question is, why do some of you out there have a preference for certain actors that have portrayed the man in a hockey mask? He never talks, does little more than mechanically follow his victims, slicing and stabbing and carving them up with no emotion or even any evidence that he is aware of what he is doing. You never see his face (except maybe for a few brief seconds in one of the films?) so there is no visual cues to distinguish who is playing him.

I'm not judging, or criticizing, or even teasing. I'm genuinely curious as to this preference. I've seen or heard heated debates about who is better, and in a previous post about a new F13 remake, people were saying they'd only want to see it if particular actor was playing Jason.

I'm just looking for people's personal input into why they prefer one guy over the other.

[walk]

Kane Hodder once said:

"Attitude is everything when it comes to the character. I'm real natural when it comes to looking scary. If you're not seriously trying to frighten people, then the fear these movies are intended to generate doesn't come across. I truly try to scare the shit out of people all the time. Between takes, in the make-up trailer, you never know when I'm going to scare you."

I respect this point of view.

[Get Some]

I 100% agree with that Walk. Kane was amazing as Jason. Just something about his portrayal makes it that much better

[WickedNik]

I think everyone is a fan of Kane. He is my favorite. I just like him as a person. The quote that Walk posted says it all. He gets into his acting, even when he's not in front of the camera. Any big guy could put on a mask and walk around, but to actually scare people with just body language is different.

[Freddy316]

Most people agree that Kane Hodder was the best Jason and I agree also. His size was perfect and the way he moved was different then the other Jason's in a good way. He also had much more intensity then the other guys who played Jason.

[IrishG3nt]

Kane all day...I know this has been a topic multiple times on here...met the guy he was really cool...actually wants to interact with his fans..was down to earth...got the famous picture with him where he chokes you...told him not to hold back "choke the shit out of me" is what I said...he started laughing...my fuckin friend took his sweet time takin the picture..I thought I was going to pass out he was chokin me so damn hard

all in all KANE is the best Jason and an even better person!

[Darkgod]

Kane rules... And the thing I love is he has a huge respect for the horror genre and doesn't look at it as a gig, he's a true fan.

[strtfghtr]

Despite what you may think Pj, playing a masked killer actually takes some acting talent. You have to be able to portray emotions without the use of your face. Kane is without a doubt in my mind the best Jason actor. He can actually portray anger and give a sense of dread simply by walking. The others aren't necessarily bad, just different. I think Ted White did a solid job in part 4, and Derek Mears (while an awesome guy in person) played him with less anger and I didn't even feel a connection with him.

So to answer your question, yes it matters who plays the masked character that does not speak and there are plenty of good reasons for it.

Also, wanted to agree with everyone's take on Kane in person, he is one of the coolest celebs I've met and was very nice to me both occasions I spoke with him and he actually loves what he does and has a passion for it.

[ThreadKiller]

I have not seen any of F13/jason films but I would say that it's all to do with body language when we can't use the usual markers of conversation we return to primal fears and I think this kind of horror is the both the hardest get right and hardest hitting to the viewer. But it also takes a degree of understanding of body language to be understood and feared, in effect making mute stalker killers a niche market.




Going underground

[strtfghtr]

I have not seen any of F13/jason films

wow...didn't think I'd ever see that on a horror movie forum :elstare:

You should check them out, some VERY heavy influence on the industry and in most cases they are just plain good fun

[Darkgod]

:elstare:

[Halcon Loco]

Exactly what Walk said and Strtfghtr said. And I want to meet Kane as well, lucky to those that did. No one or nothing interesting ever happens in this state.

[IrishG3nt]

never seen one of them...not sure how thatis entirely possible

Def need to free up a day and watch from start to finish

[WickedNik]

Two people? I don't know how that's possible not to see at least one?

[IrishG3nt]

Two people? I don't know how that's possible not to see at least one?

I have seen them ALL...I was just restating SirHandles comment...I love me some

[Darkgod]

If u were a child of the 80's it's almost mandatory

[IrishG3nt]

some went to church on sundays...I watched F13 with my mom great memories!

[Darkgod]

I remember the mom and pop video store having .99$ rentals on some tapes and most of the ft13ths were part of it. We used to all get some change and rent them during our summer vacation

[IrishG3nt]

won't ever miss the 80's style but I will always miss the horror flicks that came out of that decade...I mean of course I can go back and watch them but not the same...there needs to be a director that can duplicate that style to a T damnit

[Fulcento]

I've never understood the whole Kane Hodder mania either, it's a guy in a mask walking. It's not exactly a hermetic role to play!
Just look straight ahead and walk!
My fave Jason was from part 6, but not because of the man behind the mask, because it was the best film!
I could play Jason, my next door neighbour coud, anyone who doesn't mince along like a drag queen and is tall enough to ride the fucking rollercoaster could play Jason.
Plus, while I'm goiing off on a rant-lite another fan boy obsession that perplexes me is the whole fucking Danielle Harris attraction. Yeah, she was cute as a button in Halloween 4 and I like her as a horror movie victim but WTF people? The whole Danielle Harris fixation definitely needs its own thread so I'll wrap my mini-diatribe up now.