Title: Friday the 13th
Director: Sean S. Cunningham
Writer: Victor Miller, Sean S. Cunningham
Release Date: May 9th, 1980
Cast: Adrienne King, Betsy Palmer, Laurie Bartram, all six degrees of Kevin Bacon
Friday the 13th Cliff’s Notes
Years after a drowning claims the life of young Jason Voorhees, a group of new counselors try to re-open Camp Crystal Lake. Problem is, someone is very interested in keeping the camp closed. Ch-ch-ch Ah-ah-ah ensues.
Lecture
If imitation is the highest form of flattery, Friday the 13th should be more than embarrassed. Nearly every slasher flick that came after owed a little – or let’s be honest, a lot – to the original bandwagon jumper. Friday the 13th really works because of its awesome roller coaster structure, a few coolio director and actor choices, and a number of awesome intangibles.
F13 doesn’t shy away from the horror- the effects are solid if a little underused – but really hits home in its final act. The first hour of this puppy is pure set-up, knock down flick on a mission stuff. There’s nothing to detract from the goings on at Camp Crystal Lake. Heck, the flick doesn’t’ even try lay down a single piece of reasoning for the slaughter at hand until the third act. By then, most of the cast is long gone, so we’re not exactly waiting on bated breath. Furthermore, F13 sways away from the “who is the killer” set up – at least in this iteration.
The characters here are written almost paper thin, so it’s a tribute to the actors that most of the gang are likable and watching their violent ends is emotionally griping. Alas, the rest of the series
doesn’t always follow this trend, leading to more and more clichéd characters and less emotional impact.
Acting
The counselors at play are all strong and add plenty to their see-though thin characters. King is the real standout, managing to evolve from quiet outsider, to terrified victim, to survivor in the course of ninety minutes. And Betsy Palmer gives a performance that is usually spot on.
Directing
Cunningham is solid, giving the whole thing an air of inevitability and dread. He also manages to film the pop-up-murder-scenes with aplomb. There’s a lot to like here, and Cunningham’s steady directing is a major part of it.
Script
Really hit or miss here. The structure is fantastic – set up and knock down with a vengeance – but the characterization and dialogue leaves a lot to be desired. At least the actors can cover a fair amount of it.
Effects
For the win! Most of what we get is fantastic. Necks get impaled, faces get axed, and arrows all over the place! Sure, there are a couple of things that don’t always look fantastic, but the vast majority of this puppy is awesome. I predict great things from this crew!
Highlights
The ending chase scene is, far and away, the gold of this puppy. The tension is wonderful and the violence is top notch.
Lowlights
I really don’t like Ralph. Can’t win them all.
Friday the 13th-iness
Surprisingly light. We get plenty of stalking, as well as a few groovy kills, but the killer here is off-screen and not in any way the killing machine you see later. It takes a few sequels to get the formula down pat. Until they do, this is a great place holder.
Final Thoughts
Hamlet this ain’t. But if you’re looking for the fun 80’s era slasher of your dreams, Friday the 13th delivers in spades.
Grade: B
