Friday the 13th [R]

In the summer of ’58 two teenagers were murdered whilst fooling around at Camp Crystal Lake. Only the year before that, a little boy named Jason drowned in the lake. Now, after a prolonged closure, the camp is opening up again and a group of teens are out at Crystal Lake getting it all ready. But not everyone is excited about the reopening, especially the locals who have dubbed the place ‘Camp Blood’ and urge the teens to leave the camp before it’s too late. Against the warnings, the teens continue to stay at the camp and it’s only when one by one they start disappearing that the ‘doom’ the locals warned them of becomes very real. 

Everyone has their superstitions about Friday the 13^th, but for horror movie fans the date marks a different milestone: it’s the date (and indeed the film) where Jason Voorhees first made his mark on the genre (with a little help from Mum). Despite some of the varying degrees of cliché and ridiculousness about this movie, Friday the 13^th is a classic in the horror canon and even though it may not have such critical acclaim, or indeed make it into ‘The Book’, it nevertheless is a cult favourite that sits prominently within the genre and has spawned countless sequels, prequels and whatever other quels and is one of the highest grossing horror franchises out there. 

In the summer of ’58 two teenagers were murdered whilst fooling around at Camp Crystal Lake. Only the year before that, a little boy named Jason drowned in the lake. Now, after a prolonged closure, the camp is opening up again and a group of teens are out at Crystal Lake getting it all ready. But not everyone is excited about the reopening, especially the locals who have dubbed the place ‘Camp Blood’ and urge the teens to leave the camp before it’s too late. Against the warnings, the teens continue to stay at the camp and it’s only when one by one they start disappearing that the ‘doom’ the locals warned them of becomes very real. 

There are a few things wrong with this movie, but then at the same time there’re quite a few things that are right. Let’s first talk about the structure. In my opinion, the writers just had a smattering of ideas and a setting and then pretty much let the chips lie wherever they were cast. The entire first hour is just suspense and bloody killings with no real rhyme or reason. When the teens finally realise that their friends are dead, then things start to get interesting and more of the ‘story’ starts to come to light. It’s not necessarily as gripping as some other great horror classics, but the timeless tale of revenge from beyond the grave is one that for some reason never grows stale. 

The camera direction is pretty cool though, with a mixture of first-person jagged shots coupled with deceptive slow moving mid shots and close ups. The camera direction mixed with the eerie breathy and discordant soundtrack helps to really create this suspenseful and doomed atmosphere. 

Starring Adrienne King, Jeannine Taylor, Robbi Morgan, Kevin Bacon, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram, Mark Nelson, Peter Brouwer, Rex Everhart, and Betsy Palmer, Friday the 13^th is a good film and a classic in the horror canon. Filled with bloodshed, murder, suspense, mystery, sex, and revenge, I found I just right for taking my mind off the bitch of a cold that I’m currently suffering.