Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter
Directed by Joseph Zito (1984)
Have to use Jason’s birthday to give a shoutout to the 1994 Jason vs. Leatherface comic book series. It makes no sense continuity-wise, but it takes a story that could’ve been nothing but gimmick and uses it as an actual exploration of abuse and the relief that comes from finding someone with shared trauma.
Jason actually notices the abuse that Leatherface has undergone and it conjures up memories of his own abusive upbringing (where we get the first flashbacks of Elias Voorhees ever) and because of that the two feel a sort of kinship toward one another because of not only their similar behavior, but their similar upbringing.
Jason is taken in by the Sawyer clan when they see how adept he is at killing, but his methods are completely at odds with theirs. He doesn’t conserve meat, he doesn’t leave much to make a meal or furniture out of and they can’t abide by that. Jason also literally breaks the Hitch-Hiker’s hand when he walks in on him trying to hit Leatherface.
This is still a nonsense idea, but I love that it was depicted as a story of a bond formed between two monsters who began as victims, that crumbles under Leatherface’s inability to be anything but loyal to his family.
