Voorhees (Born on a Friday)

Chris R. Notarile second 'what if' horror prequel has Pamela Vorhees just learning of her son Jason's accidental drowning at Camp Crystal Lake. She doesn't take the news very well and seeks out one of the camp counselors that were tasked to keep an eye on the special child.

Notarile's respect and love for the Friday The 13th films is highly evident in the fan short and the acting is pretty good. I enjoyed the short very much. And am glad he didn't go in a direction where Mrs. Vorhees goes after the little kids directly responsible as that would've been much to dark. (In the short a small deviation from the original film is that he was pushed instead of merely drowned) All in all Chris proves once again that he's a rising talent that is hopefully destined for big things in his future.

Voorhees (Born on a Friday) (2011)

*** (out of 4)

Chris R. Notarile's second film in a trilogy playing the "what if" game to some of horror's biggest franchises. This one here takes place a year after Mrs. Voorhees (Monica DiNatale) has been told that her son Jason drowned while at camp. Mrs. Voorhees has tracked down the councilor (Dana Jesberger) who was supposed to be watching him and demands answers as to what happened. This short film isn't meant to be some sort of big-budget prequel but there's enough imagination in it to at least put a smile on the face of those who enjoy the Friday THE 13TH series. Needless to say, it's going to really help that you are a fan and can connect the events of this film to that 1980 thriller. The series made it clear why Mrs. Voorhees went on a killing spree but I thought the meeting between her and the councilor responsible for Jason's death was fairly well-written and you can't help but smile when you see how the mom being told is played out. Clearly the director is a fan of the series as there are a couple nice little nods to the film but the most impressive thing is simply the story itself. It really does a nice job being a prequel to the events and I think it's done well enough to where you could really watch this film as part of the series. DiNatale is decent in her role but it's Jesberger as the victim who really stands out.