10 Most Underrated Slasher Movie Villains

5. Bag-Head Jason Voorhees - Friday The 13th Part II

Maniac movie
Paramount Pictures

Jason Voorhees? Underrated? Surely not. As the number one killer of the Friday the 13th franchise (not counting the entries with his mom, and Part V's copycat killer), nobody could ever suggest that Jason Voorhees doesn't get enough love from the horror community.

But what do we think of when we think of Jason Voorhees? First and foremost, it's that hockey mask.

It's easy to forget that Jason's hockey mask didn't actually appear in a Friday the 13th film until 1982's Part III. Before that, Jason was forced to make do with a heavy burlap sack, a piece of string and one eyehole. It's not as slick or instantly iconic as the hockey mask, but Part II heralded the arrival of Jason good and proper.

Clad in dungarees and a plaid shirt, and doing away with victims using a pick-axe, pitchfork and his trusty machete, Jason's Part II look really nails the heart of the character - Jason Voorhees; hulking menace, man of simple pleasures and a bit of a hillbilly. The hockey mask is great, but we should be careful not to forget the character's grimy roots

Contributor
Contributor

A film critic and professional writer of over ten years, Joel Harley has a deep and abiding love of all things horror, Batman and Nicolas Cage. He can be found writing online and in print, all over the Internet and in especially good bookstores.