Jason Voorhees and Jack the Ripper: An Innate Connection

Throughout history, there has been numerous depictions of serial killers and records of slashers. Although most of these portrayals are fictional, they strike fear into the mind of people regardless because the victims of slashers are almost always shown to died a horrifying bloody death and at the same time, the murderer is illustrated as unstoppable demons that crave blood and violence. One of the fictional characters that people are most familiar with is Jason Voorhees. The name itself inspires nightmares that illustrate scenes of blood splashes and spine chilling screams from the film Friday the 13th . But Jason is not the first of his kind bring up such apprehensive feeling about slashers and serial killers. Around 1888, a mysterious killer known as Jack the Ripper terrorizes the Whitechapel District of London by killing numerous prostitutes in horrific manners. Despite the fact both of the killers are different people from different times, they shared many common characteristics and even address the same problems in their culture.

From these fictional accounts, one might be quick to assume that Jason and Jack are entirely different from one another due to the fact that they exist in a different place and time but if one was to look closely the differences between the two seem to fade away. They both create a cultural fear about mysterious serial killers. No one in the 1888 know what Jack the Ripper looks like or if the person really exists and Jason’s face is always behind a mask. Both of these killers not only strike the fear of blood and gore into people’s mind but also fear the unknown. Not only that these killers are mysterious, their presence is unpredictable. Since no one knows who Jack the Ripper is or if he really...

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...l fear about being murdered and mutilated by strangers, the images of serial killers are then put in place as devices to steer people toward abstinence. Aside from addressing the problems in their society, the images of both of these monsters reveal another terrifying truth. Jack the Ripper lives in the 19th century, while Jason lives in the 21st century yet they are addressing the same social ill. Both of the serial killers in different times are bringing up attention to the same issue and they have been used in the same way by the media to promote a less sexually active life. What this means is that the same problems with sex in 19th century is the same as it is now. From the time Jack the Ripper roams until the year when the latest Friday the 13th movie hit the theater, more than a century later, the concerns about about sex remain the same. Nothing has changed.