PSA uses mask-wearing 'Friday the 13th' slasher villain to get New Yorkers to ... wear masks

A heath care ad agency created a new PSA using a killer celebrity to convince New Yorkers to wear face masks in the ongoing fight against COVID-19 — or face the deadly consequences.

New York City infamously was a longtime hotspot for the coronavirus, and as the disease raged, New York's leaders were at best inconsistent on how seriously they were taking the pandemic.

They demanded that people practice social distancing and stay home, but subway cars were crammed with people standing cheek-to-jowl.

That wasn't the only problem on the subway: New Yorkers could not get their leaders to do something about the homeless who were taking over the trains.

(The city did finally and belatedly begin declare they would clean subway cars on a more regular basis, though. So there's that.)

And those protests filled with thousands of unmasked people? Fuggedaboutit, they're fine. The Black Lives Matter protests, of course, not those demanding the government reopen the economy.

One could excuse the average Gothamite for being a little confused about how seriously to take the disease and their leaders' recommendations on how to combat it.

Here comes Jason

Enter Ogilvy Health.

The New York City ad agency employed a lookalike of Jason Voorhees, the familiar masked murderer from the "Friday the 13th" slasher film franchise, to explain to residents that wearing a mask isn't something to be afraid of: He wears one all the time.

The ad, which posted last month but started getting traction this week, features the character known for gruesomely massacring teenagers at Camp Crystal Lake wandering around the city while citizens do everything they can to avoid him.

Image source: Twitter video screenshot

Image source: Twitter video screenshot

As he visits New York landmarks, he narrates his feelings about wearing the mask.

"It's not easy. The mask kinda makes people uncomfortable," he begins. "I don't have much of a social life."

Image source: Twitter video screenshot

Image source: Twitter video screenshot

Image source: Twitter video screenshot

Image source: Twitter video screenshot

"I wish people could see me for who I am — just tying to fit in, be a good fiend, make a living," the suddenly sympathetic villain says. "I know, the whole chainsaw thing, the woods, sneaking up on people — I get it. I don't have the best reputation. But the thing is, behind the mask, I'm just a regular guy. I'm not scary at all."

With that, a little girl bravely approaches Jason with a new kind of mask — a cloth one — just so he won't endanger others by spreading COVID ... or something.

Image source: Twitter video screenshot

The scene fades to black, and the ad warns: "Wearing a mask can be scary. Not wearing one can be deadly. Wear a mask, New York."

No word yet on the number of minds changed by this PSA.

(H/T: WCVB-TV)