Friday the 13th: Blood Ties
Genre: Horror
Director: Patrick Lussier
Writer: Jack Brown
Based on the Friday the 13th franchise
Cast: Allie Marie Evans, Amber Heard, Daniel Cudmore, Ryan Hurst, Stefanie Scott, Austin Abrams, Larsen Thompson, Luke Benward, Jacob Lofland, Eduardo Franco, Kane Hodder, E.G. Daily
Plot: The silence of a quaint rural trailer park is shattered as Pamela Voorhees (Amber Heard) and her husband, Elias Voorhees (Ryan Hurst), are in the midst of a fight. Elias, towering and gruff, shouts at Pamela for minor issues around the home. When Pamela comments that she didn't grow up living in a trailer, Elias belittles her dreams and slaps her across the face. He storms out of the trailer to go out drinking. Pamela collects herself. She hides some money in a tin box behind a loose floor panel in the trailer and it is clear that she has been saving up for some time to escape her current existence. Pamela discovers she is pregnant, bringing a mix of emotions, and hoping that the baby might change Elias.
Unable to hide the baby growing inside her womb any longer, Pamela prepares a special dinner one stormy night to share the news with him, but when Elias comes home he's drunk and in a foul mood. The dinner turns violent when Elias dismisses the pregnancy news, accusing Pamela of trying to trap him with a baby. He launches into a violent tirade and threatens her with a machete he keeps around for chopping wood. As Elias beats on her, kicking her in the stomach, Pamela grabs the machete from him and, in a frenzied and desperate act, brutally kills Elias. Flashes of lightning from outside illuminate Pamela's blood-soaked face.
Shaken and covered in blood, Pamela stumbles out of the trailer, leaving Elias' corpse behind. She runs through the rain-soaked trailer park, hitchhiking on the deserted road until a trucker stops to pick her up. Pamela doesn't say much, just that she needs to get as far away as possible. The trucker drives her through the night to a small town, Crystal Lake. Pamela checks into a small run-down motel. She starts to hear a voice in her head. At first she believes it's the voice of God, guiding her. The voice tells her to stay in Crystal Lake. Pamela takes a job as a short-order cook at a local roadside diner, working hard and keeping her past a secret. However, she is haunted by the memories of Elias and the murder. Pamela soon becomes convinced that it wasn't God telling her to stay in Crystal Lake, but rather her unborn baby is who wanted to stay there.
At the diner, Pamela meets David Christy (Kane Hodder) and his wife Louise (E.G. Daily), who are about to open a summer camp in the area, Camp Crystal Lake. They offer her a job as the camp's cook. As they are setting up the camp for the first group of children, Pamela goes into labor. David and Louise rush her to the hospital. As Pamela gives birth, it becomes apparent that something is wrong. Her baby, a son she names Jason, is born with severe physical deformities. Despite this, Pamela cradles him lovingly, whispering to Jason that he is her perfect baby.
Present Day:
A group of college film students drive in a van towards the familiar scenery of Crystal Lake. Ari (Austin Abrams) is the director of a film project that will be based on the infamous murders at Camp Crystal Lake riding in the passenger seat. He grows excited as they get closer to the shooting location that he believes will make his film legit. Millie (Stefanie Scott), the project's makeup artist, is seated in the middle row, quietly mixing colors on a palette as she listens to the others, trying to get the perfect shade of red for the film's fake blood. Bella (Larsen Thompson), the aspiring starlet, lounges in the backseat flipping through the script. As the project's "final girl" she mockingly practices her scream queen face. Ken (Luke Benward), an acting student cast as the male hero in the project, watches Millie work on the makeup. Dustin (Jacob Lofland), Ari's best friend and the one playing the villain in the film, is in the backseat next to Bella. He has a hard time keeping his eyes off of Bella's cleavage. Victor (Eduardo Franco), a stoner who volunteered for all the extra jobs, munches on snacks as he drives the van.
When the group arrives at the abandoned Camp Crystal Lake, Ari is the first out of the van. He excitedly takes about how, by shooting their film where the murders supposedly happened, it is going to make their film feel so authentic people won't know if it is real or fiction. Millie chimes in, more cautious, and asks if shooting there is really a good idea. Dustin waves her concern away, insisting that they are making a horror movie so the creepier the setting is the better. Ari finds the old sign reading Camp Crystal Lake half hidden by overgrown bushes. He pulls the branches away and asks Victor to clean the sign up more, insisting it will be a crucial piece of set dressing.
The students set up their base in one of the larger cabins, which still has some old furniture inside. They decide to split up to explore the camp and scout locations for the film. Ari is fixated on finding the perfect spots for the key scenes of his story, while the others are more interested in exploring. Millie and Ken find a large cabin near the lake, but don't find anything except for dust and cobwebs. Bella and Dustin stumble upon an old boathouse and rickety dock leading out onto the lake. Dustin pretends to be attacked by something in the water, causing Bella to scream. Dustin compliments her scream, telling her to save it for the cameras. Victor heads into the woods for a quick smoke. As he relaxes, he hears strange noises - branches snapping, distant footsteps - but dismisses them as animals.
As night falls, the group gathers around a campfire near the lake. Ari tells the group the urban legend of Jason Voorhees, a tragic figure who drowned due to negligence of the camp counselors and the subsequent rampage of his mother Pamela. The group is only half-listening, more interested in roasting marshmallows and drinking beer, but Millie is noticeably uncomfortable. Suddenly, a splash is heard from the lake. The group falls silent, peering out into the darkness. Ken volunteers to check it out. As he walks along the dock to get a better look, a large fish suddenly jumps out of the water, startling him.
The next morning, the group discovers a dilapidated cabin deep in the woods. Ari, excited by the find, insists they all check it out. Inside, they find old tattered clothes, a bed with filthy, blood-stained sheets, and in the corner, a crude shrine with a rotting human skull perched on top. Millie is horrified and wants to leave immediately, but Ari thinks the location is the perfect set piece for the film. The others are uneasy, but are swayed by Ari's enthusiasm. Unbeknownst to them, Jason Voorhees (Daniel Cudmore) is watching them from the shadows. His gaze focuses on Millie. The group leaves the cabin, deciding to return later to film. Jason's large, menacing figure emerges from the darkness, stepping into the cabin, enraged that they have disturbed his mother's shrine. He picks up an old, rusted machete from the corner, his grip tightening.
That night, Bella wanders off to the boathouse to take some selfies to increase her social media presence. She doesn't notice the dark figure stalking her. As she sets up her phone's camera, she hears a noise behind her. As she turns, Jason runs his machete straight through her chest. Bella tries to scream, but blood comes gushing out of her mouth instead. Jason peels Bella's body away from his machete, dropping her body into the lake, her blood staining the water.
The next morning, the group discovers Bella is missing. They initially assume she's playing a prank or exploring on her own, but when they find her phone they worry as Bella never goes very far without it. Ari dismisses the group's concern, declaring that they will shoot scenes that don't feature Bella until she returns. In between shots, Millie and Ken continue to search for Bella while Dustin and Victor help Ari setting up equipment. Millie and Ken venture into the camp's kitchen cabin where they hear a rustling noise. They freeze, exchanging nervous glances. They open a pantry door, finding Sally Thomas (Allie Marie Evans) huddled inside, wearing an old, tattered sweater that once belonged to Pamela Voorhees. She's dirty, bruised, and her eyes are wild with fear and madness. Millie tries to assure Sally they mean her no harm. Ken tries to asks Sally what happened to her. Sally, in a deeply delusional state, clings to the sweater muttering about her "brother" Jason and "mother" Pamela. Millie and Ken help Sally out of the pantry and out into the exterior of the camp. Ari is excited that they have seemingly found a survivor of Jason's rampage, wanting to exploit the situation for the film. Millie protests that Sally is in no shape for anything like that. As Millie and Ari argue, Sally suddenly snaps. She pulls out a sharp kitchen knife and stabs Dustin in the throat,. The group is horrified as blood sprays from the hole in Dustin's neck. Without another word, Sally turns and bolts into the dense woods surrounding the camp. As Sally flees deeper into the woods, she hears Pamela's voice, urging her to protect Jason.
The group retreat to their base cabin. They try to make sense of what has happened and plan their next move. Ari is pacing back and forth, but his focus is not on escaping - it's on salvaging the film. He proclaims that they cannot leave without the footage - what is happening to them is the real story. Millie holds onto Ken for support. She says that they need to make a break for the van. Ken nods in agreement, trying to tell Ari that the film is not worth their lives. Victor chimes in that he never really cared about the film anyways, so they need to focus on getting away from Camp Crystal Lake alive. Ari looks through footage he has shot so far, fixated, but they finally manage to convince Ari to leave, but he insists on taking the camera with him as it can be proof of what's happened.
Before they leave the cabin, they arm themselves with makeshift weapons - Millie wields a heavy flashlight, Ken a wooden board, Ari a camera tripod, and Victor a heavy branch. They move outside, staying close together as they navigate the darkening camp toward the van. As the group nears the van, Jason emerges from the shadows. His hockey mask glints in the fading light, and he wields a rusty machete. Ari freezes, fumbling for the camera. Ken pushes Mille forward, urging her to run as he swings his wooden board at Jason, who easily deflects the blow, knocking Ken to the ground in the process. Victor, in a panic, bolts in the opposite direction, away from the van, clutching the keys in his hand as he runs into the woods. Jason swings his machete at Ken, who manages to roll away, narrowly avoiding a killing blow, but is stabbed in the shoulder in the process. Millie and Ari manage to reach the van with Ken, but they realize that Victor has disappeared - and the van keys with him. With no way to start the van and Jason closing in, Ari, Millie and Ken are forced to flee on foot toward the main road.
Victor, having fled into the woods, is quickly cornered by Jason, who grabs Victor by the head. Jason twists Victor's head around 180 degrees before finally tearing it off completely with his bare hands. As Ari, Ken, and Millie make their way through he woods and toward the road, they suddenly encounter Sally, who emerges from the darkness. She lunges at the group with her knife. Ken, injured, tries to defend them. Sally slashes at Ken, cutting him across the arm before turning her attention to Millie. Millie screams as she is overpowered by Sally. Ari swings the camera tripod at Sally, hitting her hard in the back. Ken pulls Sally away from Millie. In the struggle, Sally manages to stab Ken in the side, sending him collapsing to the ground. Millie hits Sally with her flashlight, shattering it. Sally is on the ground, bleeding and disoriented. Ken urges Millie and Ari to get away while they still can. Millie pleads with Ken to come with, but he is too injured to continue. Ari and Millie flee into the darkness. Jason emerges in front of Ken. Ken tries to crawl away as Jason towers over him. Jason swings his machete at Ken, severing his body in half, killing him. Jason then helps Sally back up to her feet.
As a violent rain storm falls down over Crystal Lake, Ari and Millie continue moving through the woods, but they can't see where they are going on end up back along the lake. Jason approaches, marching slowly toward Ari and Millie. Sally emerges as well, holding Pamela's skull in her hands. She murmurs to the skull, then tells Jason that "mother" says it is time to finish them. Jason begins moving faster. Ari swings his camera tripod at Jason's stabbing him in the shoulder with one of the aluminum legs. Jason removes the tripod with a groan, and swings it at Ari, sending him to the ground. Millie makes a run for it, but is intercepted by Sally, who slams her against the side of the boathouse. Holding the skull inches from Millie's face, Sally hisses that "mother" says Millie isn't welcome here. Jason raises his machete, slashing directly through the middle of Ari's skull, splitting it in half. Sally smiles as she watches Jason finish Ari off. In a desperate act, Millie summons all of her courage and addresses Sally and Jason, pretending to be Pamela Voorhees. Voice trembling, Millie commends her children for protecting their home. Jason pauses, his head tilted as if he's trying to comprehend what Millie is saying. Sally, however, is not so easily fooled. Sally lunges at Millie, but Millie manages to shove her aside and make a break for it. Jason remains rooted in place, still processing the information. Sally chases after Millie, screaming in rage. Just when it appears that she has lost Sally, Millie trips over something - Victor's headless body, still clutching the van keys. Millie grabs the keys, knowing it is her only chance to escape. Millie races to the van. She fumbles with the keys as she starts the van's engine. Millie pulls away from Camp Crystal Lake, pushing on the gas pedal as hard as she can.
As Millie reaches the road, she lets out a sigh of relief. Suddenly Sally emerges from the back of the van, strangling Millie from behind. Millie struggles to break free. The van swerves violently as Millie loses control, careening into the path of an oncoming truck. The impact is devastating as the van is smashed against the truck, Sally flies through the windshield. Millie, meanwhile, has been impaled by a piece of metal from the oncoming truck. Jason steps out of the woods and onto the road, silently observing the aftermath of the crash. He collects Pamela's skull from Sally's lifeless hands before he turns and disappear back into the woods.
Jason continues trudging through the woods until he gets back to his cabin. He places his mother's skull back on its shrine where it belongs.
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