Instagram/@larenztate
Larenz Tate shared a hilarious video where he depicted a scene from ‘Friday the 13th’ but instead of a forest, it was in an up-to-date corporate setting, in which the office staff is trying to escape from the murderer, Jason Voorhees, through a tricky lock. The actor wanted to know if the viewers would be able to survive, and this could be seen as the start of a roller-coaster of reactions from a bunch of people who thought the clip was both funny and frightening. The tension of the movie, especially the unbearably slow process of locking the door from the inside with a key, was very much relatable to the public.
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The video shows a group of people in business clothes just about to be killed making their way to a door and getting it locked behind them while trying to get the scary character out of the way. The drama is amplified by the slow unlocking procedure, the keys being dropped and the lock clicking back again and again, making it seem like it is taking an eternity to get it done. Tate’s quote “Mannnn … they movin too slow! 😂 Would you make it out?” very aptly expressed the situation of helplessly postponing yet being in panic.
The response of the audience was immediate and marked by a shared feeling of anxiety. A person in the audience gave voice to the general feeling when he/she said: “I have anxiety just watching 😂😂.” Another spectator commented: “That kind of made me scared watching it. lol,” showing that the video was still very successful in creating genuine suspense even though it was set in a light-hearted way. It was almost a visceral reaction, one viewer even commented, “My blood pressure is up,” while another one said, “On the bed twisting my toes and smiling really hard but my anxiety is through the roof😭🤣😂.”
The office door lock not only became a topic of main discussion but also the source of the most humorous frustration for the audience. The audience was so surprised that one would have to use a key to lock the door from inside during an emergency. One viewer asked, “Why is This is so intense watching 😂😂😂,” to which a very accurate reply came, “The job don’t like them. Cause why you gotta lock it with the key once you in there.” This comment led to the emergence of a small group of supporters who described the lock as “diabolical” and demanded to management to “switch to badge swipes immediately.”
The scene in which one of the characters drops the keys very soon becomes the most favorite among the people commenting. “When she dropped them keys I hollered! Ma’am! You had one job!” one user exclaimed. This idea was widely shared and another netizen simply put it, “Her dropping the keys was classic 🤣😭😩,” thus naming the moment the greatest blunder of the video.
The viewers were, moreover, using the regular horror film logic in thinking about the incident. A remark hinted at a very practical, albeit breaking the rule approach: “First off.. I’d kept running because we all know he coming through that glass😌.” This statement was highly supported by the others, implying that a flimsy office door is no longer a worthy obstacle once Jason is behind you. Another commenter pointed to the characters’ behaviors, “Some of them sped up the walk 😂😂😂,” highlighting the fact that some of the actors didn’t even pretend they were in a hurry.
It appeared that everybody found the whole situation very entertaining. “Why is this so funny to me 🤣🤣🤣 checkered suit accepted his fate 😮💨🤣🤣,” said one user while another admitted, “I shouldn’t be laughing this hard 😭.” The video was successful in combining horror tropes and office daily life, thus creating a special blend of funny and stressful experience. One viewer even claimed that it was a crafty corporate layoff strategy, saying, “Ok they’re trying to do a layoff silently because too many employees did not make it! 😩🤣🤣.”
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Larenz Tate, the leading actor in ‘Love Jones,’ ‘Menace II Society,’ and a number of other films, has always been great at involving his audience through humor and relatable posts. This was also the case with this one based on a classic horror scenario. It was able to connect with everyone’s fear of being chased, paired with the daily hassle of a faulty office lock. The post subtly suggests that the most frightening monster you might meet sometimes is a poorly designed locking mechanism in emergencies. It also points out that even a horror legend like Perry that has been around for decades can still be a source of laughter and tension when placed in a modern and relatable context. He often shares powerful messages with his followers and recently spoke about inner peace. He also hosted the National Civil Rights Museum Freedom Award.