Every film franchise has devoted fans. But it takes a special kind of horror aficionado to spend Labor Day weekend where a Friday the 13th movie was filmed—and where a man dressed as slasher icon Jason Voorhees roams the grounds with a machete. Pat Cassels is one of those aficionados. For Oxford American, he unpacks his pilgrimage to the darker corner of the psyche.
Most horror fans fall into two camps: those scared of ghosts and those scared of slashers. These fears, I think, expose deeper beliefs. Those who are scared of ghosts are optimists. They worry unseen forces have the power to manipulate our reality. Malevolent forces? Sure. But, to quote The Big Lebowski, “At least it’s an ethos.” I fall into the latter camp. Slashers like Michael Myers and Leatherface and, of course, Jason Voorhees are what keep me up at night. Cold and uncaring chaos that cannot be reasoned with through a Ouija board, or exorcised, or paid off by completing their unfinished business. It’s the more nihilistic point of view. Perhaps someday I’ll be lucky enough to be scared of ghosts.
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