The independently released movie Friday the 13th (1980) experienced a distinctly successful commercial success in theatres upon its original release. A horror movie depicting graphic violence, a distinctive musical score and the building of a franchise with many sequels, the movie was written by Victor Miller and Ron Kurz. Sean S. Cunningham directed the original Friday the 13th movie.
The recently reopened Camp Crystal Lake, where a young boy drowned in 1957 and a pair of teenage camp counselors were killed in a cabin in 1958, has been reopened in the present day. Annie Phillips has signed on to be camp cook, yet is warned by truck driver Enos while hitchhiking that she is taking a risk in continuing onto camp. The history from the last half of the 1950’s served as a warning that frightening things happen. Phillips, who dies violently at the hands of an unknown assailant, never makes it to Camp Crystal Lake. Rex Everhart and Robbi Morgan portrayed Enos and Annie, respectively.
Camp owner Steve Christy, along with a half dozen camp counselors, have set to restore the cabins and the grounds of the camp. With the suspense of the pending risk set in motion, the counselors are seemingly oblivious to the risk they run following our initial introduction to them enjoying the lake on the grounds. As a storm is on the way for the evening, the camp’s owner heads to town for supplies. Steve Christy was portrayed by Peter Brouwer.
With the owner away, the counselors would play. Ned, as portrayed by Mark Nelson, becomes the first to suspect something unusual. That suspicion isn’t aroused for Jack and Marcie, as portrayed by Kevin Bacon and Jeannine Taylor respectively, enjoy their intimacy unaware of a morbid experience involving Ned in the cabin that hosts their fun. An echo of 1958 accompanies a separate scene as Brenda, portrayed by Laurie Bartram, investigates.
Alice and Bill, portrayed by Adrienne King and Harry Crosby, respectively, realize that they have not seen the other camp counselors for too long a period. The pair begins to investigate when Steve returns to an untimely demise. Circumstances worsen substantially for Brenda and Bill as well, with Mrs. Pamela Voorhees presenting herself as a friend of Steve. Voorhees, portrayed by Betsy Palmer, shares a sad tale of the death of son, Jason, all those years ago. Alice establishes the turn of all cliffhangers for the movie, offering an immensely impactful line that setups a franchise for subsequent installments to follow.
The peak of the slasher film genre of movies had its biggest expression during the period of roughly six years when Friday the 13th was released. That the franchise that followed this movie would go on to function with a different central killer than did this movie, the homage paid to the Alfred Hitchcock movie Psycho (1960), as reviewed here, is worth noting; Psycho is noted as a slasher film wherein the relationship between mother and son carries weight. I grant Friday the 13th as directed and written by Sean S. Cunningham 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.
Matt – Wednesday, October 11, 2023
Matt Lynn Digital 