10 Things Everyone Always Gets Wrong About Jason Voorhees

Another cinematic giant when it comes to silent, unstoppable slasher villains is Halloween's Michael Myers. The 1978 John Carpenter classic redefined horror, introducing many slasher film conventions we now take for granted. It has stood the test of time, often heralded as one of the greatest horror movies ever made.

The comparisons between Michael and Jason are understandable; they both cover their faces, never speak, and refuse to let serious injury or even death stop them in their bloody quests.

However, underneath the masks, these are two very different beasts. Jason invites sympathy from the viewer; a child, bullied for being different, who met a watery fate in Crystal Lake due to camp counsellor negligence. Having somehow survived this traumatic incident, he then witnessed his own mother decapitated by another counsellor. His distaste for those who organise scout camps and school trips makes sense, even if he takes it way too far.

Michael, on the other hand, decided to murder his own sister when he was six years old, for no apparent reason. He was institutionalised, then escaped years later to return to his hometown and hunt down innocent babysitters.

He also eats a dog at one point.

While Friday the 13th is blatantly and admittedly ‘inspired’ by Halloween, Michael and Jason go in different directions as characters. Their similarities are skin-deep.