Here’s some killer advice.
New York City has turned to an unlikely ally in the fight against the coronavirus: Jason Voorhees.
The masked killer from “Friday the 13th” is taking a machete to the city’s epidemic with a PSA on the importance of preventative face wear. Ogilvy, the ad agency behind the unorthodox promo, wrote on Instagram that they wanted to convey the “life-saving message” to “invincible”-feeling young people by tapping into pop culture.
In the resultant clip, the slasher villain known for slicing up campers at Camp Crystal Lake is seen nonchalantly strolling around NYC while pedestrians flee before him.
“It’s not easy — the mask makes people uncomfortable,” intones an unseen narrator while a dog walker in Central Park avoids Jason’s attempts to pet her pooch.
“I know, the whole chainsaw thing, I get it,” the narrator continues. “But the thing is, behind the mask, I’m a regular guy.”
Just when Jason’s about given up on trying to make a connection, a little girl approaches and gives him a proper face mask. He dons it, and she gives him an approving nod.
The clip concludes by displaying the message: “Wearing a mask can be scary. Not wearing one can be deadly.”
A slasher villain PSA might seem like overkill. However, an MTA survey from June found that one in 10 NYC straphangers refuses to wear a mask despite the state making them mandatory months ago. Not to mention that masks may slow the spread of coronavirus by up to 40%.
Meanwhile, a county in Oregon recently exempted nonwhite people from a new order requiring that face masks be worn in public — a move meant to prevent racial profiling.
