Is Jason Voorhees a Deadite?

“Alexa, is Jason Voorhees a Deadite?”

So began my first dive into a question I had only begun to ponder a few weeks ago.  It was an ominous sign when, rather than giving me an answer, Alexa literally returned with a movie titled What?  So I asked again: “Alexa, is Jason Voorhees a Deadite?”

At least this time I got an answer: “No, Jason Voorhees is alive.  He was born on June 13, 1947.”

So, Alexa believes Jason is alive?  That’s a little unsettling.  But where did this myth of Jason being a Deadite come from?  Inquiring minds, or at least my inquiring mind, wanted to know.

So I moved on to Cortana: “Is Jason Voorhees a Deadite.”

I didn’t have to wait for an answer this time, though the AI was a bit more conflicted: “No, Jason Voorhees is not a Deadite.”  Finally I have an answer!

But then the AI carried on: “While the movie Jason Goes To Hell does feature elements of the Evil Dead universe, including the Necronomicon, director Adam Marcus has stated that Jason is meant to be a Deadite…”

So, is he a Deadite, or isn’t he?  The AI concluded with: “…but this interpretation is not a widely accepted interpretation within the broader Friday the 13th fan base.”

I guess the fans really do get to have the final say?  That doesn’t seem quite right.  So was Adam Marcus correct?  Perhaps a more intensive deep dive is necessary.

The Case For Jason The Deadite

• Immortality: Simple comparison here: like the Deadites, Jason doesn’t seem to require any sustenance in order to live.  And no, I am not counting the glass eating episode in Evil Dead Rise.  Or perhaps he does, but we just don’t see any.  Likewise, while his physical body grows and ages (if we go by Jason X aesthetics), the aging doesn’t slow him down.
• Invincibility: Jason can be downed, but aside from a brief machete to the skull in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Jason can always get back up and go on killing.  That’s true of Deadites. Remember Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, when Ash’s possessed, decapitated girlfriend resurrects herself and begins a ballet routine outside the cabin before attacking him?
• The Jason Goes To Hell Connection: As we’ve already covered, Adam Marcus included a number of Evil Dead relics in his attempt to bring Jason into the Evil Dead universe.  If Jason were a Deadite, it could explain how Duke knows how to stop him: it’s been done before.

The Case Against Jason The Deadite

• Practicality: Pamela Voorhees was a cook at a summer camp. Hopefully we will get more backstory with the upcoming Crystal Lake series, but this is what we know so far: She’s a loving mother who, although heartbroken over the loss of her son and working to avenge his premature death, would likely not know the first thing about the occult.  Likewise, if she had used the Necronomicon to resurrect Jason, (a big IF given that there is only one Book of the Dead in existence), how was she not  affected by the book itself?
• A Differing Approach: When Jason kills his prey, they stay dead.  By contrast when Deadites “kill” others, they infect them, almost like a virus.  Their victims typically return, joining the Deadites as if they become part of a hive mind.
• The Comic Book Connection: While the comic book Jason vs Freddy vs Ash accepts that the Necronomicon is located within the Voorhees house in Crystal Lake, it draws a distinction between the Deadites and Jason.  Its Deadites reanimate dead bodies and can be summoned by the Necronomicon to act in service to the individual holding the book, but Jason is not so controlled.
• Just…NO!: The Deadites talk and taunt, while Jason is a silent stalker.  The Deadites mutilate themselves in order to terrify, while the terror that Jason inspires has to do with the havoc he wreaks.  The Deadites can imitate the voices of those they possess, something that Jason (and no, I refuse to count that child Jason voice from Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan) has never been able to do.

Some Final Thoughts

Antagonists in horror films have been linked to the supernatural since the very beginning. But ascribing supernatural characteristics to slasher antagonists is a relatively recent phenomenon.

Halloween II, for instance, briefly introduced the Celtic festival of Samhain as a possible explanation for Michael Myers and his resilience.

That said, I think the real source of this other worldly power of resurrection likely has its roots in the ritual depicted in Child’s Play which allowed Charles Lee Ray to transfer his essence into the Good Guy doll Chucky.

My position is that Jason is not a Deadite, that it was an attempt to link The Evil Dead universe with the Friday the 13th franchise.  Ironically, I think he had more in common with the Mortal Kombat character Scorpion. But that’s a discussion for another day!

There are many opinions on this matter, and I’d love to hear yours.  Drop a comment and let me know how right or wrong I am!

Until next time…

JK away.