Jason's Haunts

Released in 1981, just a year after its predecessor, Friday the 13th, Part 2 takes place five years after the events of the original. Like the first movie, Part 2 still involves the systematic and gory deaths of a bunch of teenage camp counselors. This time, however, the film features a grown-up Jason as the killer, although without his iconic hockey mask which doesn’t become a part of his costume until the third movie.

The first movie was filmed in New Jersey, but this time the movie makers filmed in western Connecticut in the neighboring towns of New Preston and Kent.

The few buildings that make up downtown New Preston show up near the beginning of the movie. It is here that the characters meet Crazy Ralph and are pranked by a tow truck. The town hasn’t changed much in the past 30 years. A couple of the buildings have been re-painted or changed businesses, and the prominent Exxon station is gone, but it’s still instantly recognizable to those who are looking to do such.

Elsewhere in New Preston was the casino where some of the counselors hung out at one point. The casino was the Lake Waramaug Casino, located on West Shore Road, but it burned down a year or two after the filming. These days, a house occupies the spot.

This time around, Crystal Lake is played by North Spectacle Lake in the town of Kent, and most of the rest of the movie is filmed in the area. Packanack Lodge, the centerpiece of the film, is a 95-year-old hunting lodge and can be found at 164 Kenmont Road. The building is now a private residence. The building itself isn’t visible from Kenmont, and only two signs sit at the edge of the drive, one bearing the new name of the building, “Laurel Ledge” and the other warning, “No Trespassing.”

Adapted with Permission from: The New England Grimpendium by J.W. Ocker