Friday the 13th

Great thrilling action and great cast members with memorable kills, god rest your soul Betsy Palmer. And long live Adrienne King!

An early entry in the '80s blood-n-guts slasher boom, the first Friday the 13th checks a broad number of boxes: gratuitous amounts of gore, hormone-driven teen victims, secluded setting, mysteriously prophetic locals... even a quick flash of skin. In many ways, it's also a bridge from the clunkier horror flicks of the preceding decade. The effects are often laughable, the acting is paper-thin and the production values seem extremely cheap and dated. Very few of the characters are even remotely likable, either, which makes their relentless slaughter into something of a spectator sport. Once it ditches the hammy teenage dialogue and vague premonitions that flood the first act, the film settles into a nice groove: stalk, scare, chase, kill, repeat. The mainstream success of Jason as a horror icon even gives this first entry a little boost, misleading first-time viewers into a surprise reveal at the climax (and, of course, an infamous jump-scare just before the credits). From a critical perspective it's not good, but lasting influence and dogged determination carry it a long way.

Friday the 13th is the first film in the cult franchise of youth slashers. But he seemed to me one of the most boring. Friday the 13th is a terribly long plot, most of the film is not directly dedicated to Jason Voorhees. Of course, if we consider Friday the 13th strictly as a separate film, without looking into the sequel, the first part looks much more presentable. But personally, it seems to me that Friday the 13th cannot be watched as one movie, you need to watch sequels right away. In general, Friday the 13th for 1980 was not bad. But it's inferior in everything as the opening film that Carpenter's Halloween, that A Nightmare on Elm Street. However, it's more interesting than Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Released in 1980, Friday the 13th set the foundation for the franchise, though the film still reeks of the late ’70s. The camp counselors seem more interested in sex, drinking, and smoking than watching the kids, leading to ridiculous moments like a strip Monopoly game before inevitable deaths. This mix of sleaze and minimalism, often parodied later, became the franchise’s trademark tone. For those expecting Jason, this first entry can be disappointing — he doesn’t appear at all. The killer, whose identity is hidden through first-person shots, is effective but far from terrifying. While putting the viewer directly in the killer’s shoes is an interesting touch, it’s the film’s only real creative idea. The murders are gory but uninspired, and the pacing is uneven, with bursts of violence followed by long stretches of nothing. Although savaged by critics and even nominated for Razzie Awards, the movie was a box-office success and spawned countless sequels. Kevin Bacon appears in an early role, and the French dub humorously renamed Jason “Jacky.” Ultimately, this first installment is among the weakest: poorly acted, sluggish, and lacking tension, it’s hardly essential viewing to understand the rest of the saga.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]