Tuesday, March 8, 2005

Friday the 13th Meets Pulp Fiction?

Today I read an entertainment news story that rather disturbs me. Quentin Tarantino, director of Resevoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, is talking with New Line Cinema to possibly write and direct an entry in the Friday the 13th franchise. He is meeting with New Line executives later this week. If the deal goes through, it will be the first movie Tarantino will ever make outside of the Miramax studio.

I have to admit to having very mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I am a big fan of Quentin Tarantino's films. Resevoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction rank among my favourite films and I enjoyed the two volumes of Kill Bill (especially volume one). It is hard for me to see Tarantino making a bad movie. On the other hand, I abhor the Friday the 13th movies. Quite frankly, I think they are dull, uninspired rip offs of Halloween. Indeed, I cannot understand how Jason Voorhees has become a horror icon. Quite simply, to me he is simply a killing machine with no personality whatseover. It is hard for me to see any Friday the 13th movie being a good one.

For me the question is whether or not even Tarantino could take Friday the 13th and turn it into something viable. I am not sure he could without drasticlaly altering the franchise. And I am not sure that New Line, even as desperate as they may be to revive the franchise, would be willing to go along with such changes. And if Tarantino could not alter Friday the 13th, then I am afraid that all we would be seeing is another boring Friday the 13th movie, but with better direction. Quite frankly, I would rather Tarantino tackle something like a Kill Bill sequel or the next Bond movie (too bad they turned him down...).

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