Five years after the original bloodbath, Alice, the sole survivor from the first film, has returned home to live with her parents. In an impressive, suspense-filled opening sequence she ultimately meets demise (via an ice pice through the temple) at the hands of a now undead Jason Voorhees.

Meanwhile, Camp Crystal Lake has finally been condemned ... but the terror is far from over! A counselor training center has been opened nearby and Jason returns to his old stomping grounds to avenge his mother's death.

One-by-one the would-be counselors are knocked off until only Ginny (Amy Steel) and her boyfriend Paul (John Furey) are left to fend for their lives. The final chase scene is a wild, fast-paced ride that concludes in a backwoods shack that Jason has converted into a shrine for his deceased mother.

Just as Jason is about to do Ginny in, Paul, who was knocked unconsciouss earlier, bursts into the shack and engages in a strenuous grappling match with the hooded killer. It gives Ginny the leeway she needs to swipe Jason's machete and slash him for dead.

But not so fast. In a strange, confusing conclusion that left some fans scratching their heads, Jason leaps through a cabin window and attacks the couple, confirming his stature as immortal and setting up the next sequel.

Steve Miner, the director, who would later go on to helm the next sequel as well as Halloween: H20 and other genre hits, maintains the creepy, atmospheric tone and pacing of Sean S. Cunningham's original while playing up the folklore of Camp Blood to the highest degree. He also incorporates stylish stalking and death sequences. The now classic double-impalement scene is rumoured to have been inspired by Mario Bava's seminal splatter epic, Twitch Of The Death Nerve.

Shot in Kent, Connecticut in late 1980, the film was released on May 1, 1981. While it was not quite as succesful as its predecessor, it did relatively well at the box office grossing close to $20 million.