Clayton George Wickham - final thesis

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The only elements of the information provided that appear in the previous
films are his name, his mother’s name, the fact that he drowned at Crystal Lake as a
boy, and that he is a serial killer. Aside from that, the other information is created to
resemble a precise journalistic report that is not verified in the earlier films, and
Duke’s revelation about Jason changing bodies sets up both an explanation for his
incessant returns from the dead and a driving plot point to create an alternative to the
strict narrative forms developed by the series. This manner of introduction becomes
disadvantageous to both the new and the franchise viewer. The new viewer is given
a thin grasp onto the character and significance of Jason. The story of his drowning
sounds only peripheral and the simple fact that he is a killer is all the motivation
provided. The possession of the coroner and Duke’s description of Jason changing
bodies provides them enough information to glean that Jason kills because he is a
supernatural form of evil. The franchise viewer can potentially be disoriented by this
sudden change in mythology. While the franchise viewer may be more thoroughly
familiar with the character of Jason, the revelation that he can change bodies has the
potential to undermine the franchise viewer’s loyalty by reinventing the mythology
and the format of the narrative. Jason X, however, removes this new mythology
established in Jason Goes to Hell, returning to the narrative established by previous
films.
I have written about the opening credits sequence to Jason X in Chapter 3,
and aside from establishing mood and setting, namely a dark mood used to show
medical experiments and detainment of Jason, there is no background information
provided. Following the credits, Jason is shown in extreme long shot on a platform
in chains in a large, dimly lit, open room. This is followed by a series of close ups of
the chains on his body, finally revealing his masked face. At the bottom left of the