A slasher movie I love for the reasons you hate it.
Great horror. Although part 2 was better cause thats when we got jason.
"Kill her, Mommy! Kill her! Don't let her get away, Mommy! Don't let her live!"
I still really enjoy the first Friday the 13th. It has a killer soundtrack, Betsy Palmer as a middle age woman killing off teenagers and talking like she's her son, Kevin Bacon (wish he had his City on a Hill mustache here), Tom Savini's special effects, killer ending, strip monopoly, Crystal Lake, Ralph foreshadowing everything, some amazing effects, kickstarting one of the most iconic horror franchises and one killer of a jump scare.
I just love the fact that Jason isn't even the killer yet and they keep us in the dark until the moment Mrs. Voorhees shows up. Those final 10 minutes are so much fun and damn Mrs. Voorhees just looks so angry without a head. Adrienne King is also a fun final girl. Best kill? Kevin Bacon getting pierced by that arrow.
Friday the 13th is a must watch and a film I never get tired of watching. Fun way to spend a friday night.
Who else is watching on Friday the 13th ?
Horror films, and more specifically slasher films, have never been a high priority for me. In fact, until this week, I don't think I had seen a single slasher film. So, in recognition of the iconic reputation held by some of the classics of the genre, I am now setting out to remedy this gap in my film history. This film was the second in my journey, following Halloween (1978). Unfortunately, two movies in, I'm already starting to remember why these movies weren't a high priority.
To put it simply, this movie just doesn't have much to it. Most of the characters are lacking in meaningful development, and even in the cases where an attempt is made, the characterization doesn't end up mattering, with no connection to the plot, narratively or thematically. At the end of the day, the characters only purpose seems to be to die, which doesn't make for all that compelling of a film.
As with Halloween (1978), this movie undoubtedly inspired any number of tropes/clichés, and while credit should be given for introducing such elements, at the end of the day, they don't hold up. The final segment of the film is the worst offender, with the "final girl" walking away from an incapacitated (but still very much alive) villain, not once, but three times. That whole sequence was unbelievably hard to swallow.
As the only other slasher I have seen, I can't help but to compare and contrast this film to Halloween (1978). This film's soundtrack was not as effective for me. The villain didn't have as much of a presence throughout, which took away from the tension. On the plus side, I think the acting on display in this film was slightly better over all. The kills were also a bit more visceral (although still pretty tame to a modern audience).
Finally, as with Halloween (1978), I was pleasantly surprised that I was unspoiled as to the plot of such an iconic movie, totally unaware of the origin story of Jason Voorhees and the fact that he wasn't the killer. Also, I was pleasantly surprised by the appearance of Kevin Bacon, who I had no idea was in this. Mr. Bacon's less than graceful dive into the lake was probably the most unintentionally hilarious scene in the movie for me.
[7.1/10] Sometimes you just come to something too late to fully appreciate it. Friday the 13th didn’t necessarily start the slasher genre, but it certainly codified it. So coming to the horror movie after seeing films like Scream, which deconstructed and rebuilt the slasher movie tropes (and, incidentally, spoiled this movie for me), or Cabin in the Woods, which remixed them in trippy meta fashion, it’s hard for the 1980 originator to rise above “enjoyable but rote” for a viewer raised on its inheritors.
When you know what the rules are, how the sinful must be punished in a slasher film, how the crazy old guy must give warnings that will never be heeded, right down to who the woman behind the knife is, it’s just hard to be emotionally invested. That’s no fault of the movie. If anything, it’s a sign that Friday the 13th did its job too well, that it become too embedded in our pop cultural DNA that something once innovative retroactively becomes playing it straight, which makes it hard to quicken the pulse of jaded scary movie watchers like me.
The interesting thing is that while, by that standard, Friday the 13th feels a bit quaint, it never reaches the levels of cheesiness or hokiness that, for instance, its future franchise combatant Freddy Krueger does in Nightmare on Elm Street. As silly as some scenarios like a game of “strip monopoly” are, and as shopworn as the slasher beats seem to the modern eye, the film never gets cartoony, which makes it easier to appreciate on a craft level even it doesn’t quite move or scare you.
Part of that comes from the tone and style of the film, which is an interesting blend of stylistic flourishes but also a cinema verite feel. As banal as some of the interactions between the steadily mowed-down counselors are, there’s definitely a sense of director Sean S. Cunningham just pointing his camera at a pack of teenagers at a summer camp and watching them go. Portions of the dialogue get hammy, but everything from horsing around by the lake to a collective flip out over a snake in a cabin feel true to the way unsupervised young adults act around one another.
And that ties into the movie’s theme, such as it is, with Mrs. Voorhees as an instrument of karmic punishment for the way such adolescent indiscretions can lead to neglect or, in this extreme case, tragedy. It’s hard to take the psychotic revenge tale told in the film too seriously given its outsized bent, but there is a sense that Friday the 13th is, like much of great horror, reflecting the anxieties of its teenage audience back at them. The notion that the carefree and exhibitionist vibe of youth is not, in fact, weightless, and that the ignored authority figures are right and a day is going to come when you’ll face consequences for your actions builds some social subtext into the undercarriage of the film’s scares that give them a bit more weight than they might have otherwise.
But much of that is a small layer of extra meaning given to the various kill and chase sequences that make up the main focus of the film. And these are where the film feels like a well-done blend of tones, as the realness of the kids’ interactions gives way to any number of stylistic flourishes meant to heighten the horror and suspense of each gory scene. Images like a close-up of a hand grasping flesh, or a cadaver strung up in horrifying detail evince an intention to use the movie’s cinematography to convey the film’s pleasure and pain motifs in an artistic way.
The peak of this is the way Friday the 13th uses point-of-view shots to obscure who the killer is until the big reveal. While the “ch-ch-ch, ah-ah-ah” is so hardwired into the horror genre that it’s hard to take it seriously, and while Halloween used the same trick earlier and better, putting the viewer behind the killer’s eyes serves both to allow us to see the killer’s deeds without knowing her identity, and to make us distantly complicity in the grisly acts put up on the screen.
The twist itself -- that Mrs. Vorhees is out for revenge on the sorts of teenagers who let her beloved son die nearly 25 years prior -- is neat enough. The fake out and explanation is a little Twilight Zone in its tidiness, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Knowing the twist lessened its impact, but there’s still something laudable about how Mrs. Voorhees shows up to the camp and seems to be the savior, only to turn around and unveil that she is, in fact, the cause of all this murder and mayhem. Her schizophrenic orders from “Jason” himself come off more corny than scary, and she has the “thought I killed you already” fake out that a modern viewer is inured to, but she makes for a solid antagonist to anchor the last act of the film.
That’s the worst you can say about Friday the 13th. In 2017, its tricks have become old hat, and it’s incapable of spooking or scaring a horror fan coming to it so late in the game. But it’s still a solid, well-made picture, with just enough thematic material to make it interesting, and enough cinematic touches to make it an interesting study in how to use images and editing to create satisfying horror set pieces.
It may not carry the same oomph it once did, with thousands of (mostly pale) imitators sapping the power of its tropes and beats, but it’s still hard not to admire the film in an academic sense if nothing else. Friday the 13th is a sturdily-built little horror machine, one that manages to feel both real and outsized in turn, and delivers its kills and twists with aplomb, even if they can’t quite keep you on the edge of your seat anymore.
Having a Friday the 13th movie marathon on Friday the 13th, in October. SPOOKY.
Nothing original in the setting (don't expect it to be.) Not one good character (dont care if they die.) Not even fun (it's a predictable one by one kill with boring filler scenes.) Not even scary (maybe to kids in the 80s) Atmosphere? A little but even that's a psycho music rip off with added cha cha cha. Also Crazy Ralph... I love ridiculous but he's straight out of a pantomime. Is he supposed to be the character you think may be the killer earlier on? He couldn't catch a fly. Mrs Voorhees is just ridiculous although the most entertaining, which is sad. Some effects and deaths were OK. The whole horror story behind Jason is ineffective.
Even by slasher standards it's mediocre. Gives horror a bad reputation
Finally saw it for the first time. After hearing about it countless times in cultural references. Movie was okay, but I am too late watching it too fully appreciate it. Watch this, if you like horror movies! Watch this! Its historical and worth it. And you will finally understand all those jokes in The Simpsons. ;)
Finally knowing that it is his mother killing everyone in the first movie and Jason himself starts rampaging in the second movie was awesome.
I'm usually pretty generous when it comes to movies that are outdated but in the case of Friday the 13th I can't even begin to describe how utterly awful it is. It was the start of a bad franchise that just went (IMO) down the toilet almost from the get-go. I have to give props to the original for at least being original (hint: it wasn't Jason) but apart from that, there's almost nothing good to say about this movie. The acting was completely horrendous, the repetitive "Kill kill ill ill ill ill Die die die ie ie ie ie ie...Jas'n jay jay jay jay..." over and over and over and over ad nauseum was just too much. I remember being in high school and hearing all my friends talk about Friday the 13th and how horrifying it was (growing up in a very conservative home, I did not attend movies and this was long before computers and streaming video); several years after, I stumbled blindly into the age of VCRs and videotapes, and managed to watch this one (along with II and III, which had already been released by that time) and was semi-spooked by it. But the "violence" and…well, what I thought I remembered as being "gory" is hardly worth a second glance by today's standards. So much of it was just ... it was just BAD. That's all I can say. I can't even give this one my standard "It's a bit dated by today's standards but still worth watching..." mark; this one just isn't worth watching. Not by ANY standards. It's not even "so outdated that it's fun to watch"; it's just BAD all the way around. This is NOT the first time I watched this one (or the others) but it's the first time I've had Trakt to record my thoughts about it, so here we are. Just don't bother with this one, or ANY of these…because they just get worse from here. Danger, Will Robinson... Just avoid this one at all costs. It's just BAD.
The movie responsible for NOT creating slasher sensation Jason Voorhees (he will join the franchise in the second movie, but we will need to wait until the third to see him wear his classic attire). “Friday the 13th” was rightfully dubbed as a flimsy and unimaginative clone of “Halloween”, with the assassin’s surprise twist at the end being the only notable difference. However, if “Halloween” avoided gore and focused on the atmosphere, “Friday the 13th” has a rougher tone which makes it more relatable to grindhouse exploitation movies. Its biggest merit is to come up with a summer camp as the setting. The character-building moments are boring as hell, but at least the kill count is consistent and well distributed throughout the running time. Other than that, nothing we haven’t already seen or that we won’t see for the umpteenth time.
That movie is a classic of horror that I had never watched until now. I confess that the plot surprises me, but history is so slow.
6,4/10
I've never really given 80s slashers too much attention, but this film makes me want to search out more. As many other reviewers have said, the last 20 minutes really make the movie.
This is the start of it all. If you are going into this expecting the iconic Jason, well, I am sorry. But this is the start of it and helps develop the character for the fiture movies. I always enjoyed FT13 growing up and have seen this before. However, honestly, this is a good slasher film. When you keep out of your mind of wanting to see the iconic Jason, this film is really great towards the end and actually gives you more background for the future films. This is the foundation for Jason and you need to keep that in mind. Also, this movie is 40 years old, so yes the acting may be okay at best, and the effects are cheesy, but if it was 1980, this would actually be quite the norm. But in terms of story and a nice plot twist towards the later half of the movie, it will always be a classic.
Definitely early horror, too straight forward to be scary to a modern man like me. Just murders left and right, and the final boss of this one is an absolute joke, but I'm sure it picks up as the series goes on and they start learning how to make it actually scary for people who aren't afraid to walk down the street alone at night... (as if to say the only ones afraid of this would be those types of cowards who would never know how to defend their selves only scream and prepare to die.)
At least there weren't really any plot holes, a very believable story line, this murderer is out to inflict severe psychological damage to his or her victims. It's an easy horror film to watch, but again, this 80s films brand of fear isn't very scary by modern standards. However I'm sure it ramps up as the series goes.
This is a true classic in the slasher genre. I really liked the fact that it took place at a camp, I have always thought that was a good setting for a horror film. The story is very entertaining and the actors play their rolls very well in my opinion. There were some great kills, especially the kill at the end when Alice cuts Mrs. Voorhees her head off. Another great aspect of the film was the end, when Jason takes Alice down under water and Alice awakes in a hospital bed. I thought that was a very good ending. This is defenitely a film you have to see, defenitely re-watch worthy and a true classic when it comes to horror films.
I really like Jason Voorhees as a character. But I think, I was expecting too much from this movie. To be honest it wasn't what I expected. I like old horror movies, but this one is really cheap. Especially, fighting/chasing scene.
Not a technically great film, but one I've watched and rewatched countless times. A bone fide October classic.
Old-school horror movie: teens get slaughter at "Camp Crystal Lake"! Not as good as "Helloween" or "Nightmare on Elmstreet" but nice anyway.
Watching for the first time. Very good film, I really liked it. Just the last part of the blonde girl that I didn't really like because she acted kind of bad. but the film itself was very good and the effects of the time also left me perplexed with some scenes that were quite difficult to do at the time.
The origin of an endless series. One of the best of Gore cinema.
It took me a while to recognise Kevin Bacon. He’s so young in this movie, and I somehow didn’t have it in my head that he’s this old. I mean, the dude was making this movie when I was barely a 1 year old.
I can’t believe how well everyone used to dress back in the 60s and 70s. The slow decline in dress sense seems to have started in the late 80s and today we are at a point where yoga pants and sweatpants seems to be the norm.
Compared to the later movies of the genre, I think this movie is very mild. But it’s definitely worth watching as it is the pilot movie of one of the most cited movie franchises in this genre.
Theme- 6/10
Rewatchibility- 7/10
Acting- 6/10
Kinematography- 7/10
Time- 8.5/10
Total - 34.5/5 = 6.9
that was way funnier than I remembered
Look I started this on Friday. Things came up. Nothing really of note here besides Betsy Palmer’s performance. Some kills are decent but nothing spectacular. The plot is cobbled together and the big twist not foreshadowed at all. The mystery actually works against the film, wasting time that could’ve been used to amplify its strength in Palmer. You could excuse it for being an early entry in the slasher genre, but films like Halloween and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre came out years before it did. This film lacks the trailblazing creativity and oppressive darkness of either film, and the self aware fun of the later ones in this franchise.
Wouldn't it be cool if Friday the 13th fell on Halloween next year?
The original Friday the 13th is like an academy award made out of tampons: what it represents is more important than what it actually is.
I much prefer this series after the introduction of Jason. Not a lot of memorable moments in this one and final battle is a bit anticlimactic leaving it a bit average for me.
Either it has aged badly or it was a minor B class horror from the beginning.
This movie and Halloween basically founded the subgenre slasher in horror movies, it's possible to notice a lot of "rules" that Friday the 13th says, but the movie also has a problem related to the rhythm... it starts well, very spooky, but in the middle to the end became a kind of boring and get better in ending.
Comparing with Halloween, both has a very good score, Halloween has more believable deaths, better makeup and a better story; but Friday the 13th is more scary (specially because of the killer's perspective that the camera brings during a great part of the movie) and the ending is very cool.
Summing up, besides it has it defects, the importance of Friday the 13th is undeniable.
this movie is horrible. one of the worst horror movies ever made in the history of cinema alongside evil dead 2 and the rest. boring and dry and feels like a rookie made it but then decided to tone it down a bit, basically make it worse. Friday the 13th marathon made it watch it to understand the full story, but will i watch it again? No.
I thought this would be scary? Maybe in 1980. The only one I didn’t see coming was Kevin Bacon!
First time watching this in years! Bang average and way over hyped in my opinion.. I was bored for the entire first hour, and even considering turning off. I personally think the original Halloween, Nightmare on elm street, and Texas chainsaw massacre are all better than this. However, I enjoyed the ending and was glad I rode out the slow burn start. 6/10 some good moments but a bit gimmicky at times. Watched this on the back of “the burning” and enjoyed them both the same!
You see, Jason was my son, and today is his birthday.
The beginning of everything. It’s not the best of the franchise, but a very nice slasher anyway.
The characters are not the worst, but they’re not great either. I liked more watching them die though, the makeup is really well done. The point-of-view shots as the killer are interesting to observe.
The tone and atmosphere are built in a great way. It’s definitely a pretty creepy camp with those woods and all. The score by Harry Manfredini helps these aspects to rise. I’m glad he sticked with the franchise for several films.
Although the pace is bit slow, the movie’s construction in general is made in a good way. A solid slasher that does everything right and doesn’t bother you, I just find other slashers more interesting.
I see we got alotta keyboard superheroes up in hea... Hell, I ain't ashamed to say this movie creeped me dafuq out back when I originally seen it in the mid 80s.
It still does. Cult classic.
They made twelve of these and there’s barely enough story for one
(I’m not knocking it, that’s kind of genius)
“Then he’s still there.”
That line always send chills down my spine every time I watch it.
Jason's mother making up VOICES is the creepiest part.
An early entry in the '80s blood-n-guts slasher boom, the first Friday 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 vague premonitions and hammy teenage dialog 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.
While the watch now services don't reflect it, Friday the 13th is currently available to watch (with ads) on AMC.
The classic horror film Friday the 13th helped to launch the teen slasher genre and began one of the longest running franchises in cinema. The tale follows a group of teenagers who go to Camp Crystal Lake to help with the grand re-opening, but unbeknownst to them a killer is on the prowl. The acting is rather poor, as is the directing. The film tries to play as a murder mystery, but it's not that effective. Friday the 13th is a flawed film that hasn't aged particularity well, but it still has some good scares.
1.5 / 2 directing & technical aspect
.5 / 1 story
0 / 1 act I
1 / 1 act II
1 / 1 act III
1 / 1 acting
.5 / 1 writing
1 / 1 originality
0 / 1 lasting ability to make you think
0 / 1 misc
6.5 / 10
I always come back to three franchises:
Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street - and: Friday the 13th.
That being said: I certainly wouldn't have watched this movie more than once had it been a one off.
When I watched it for the first time, i was really disappointed, that it was Jasons Mother and not Jason himself, like in the first movie of the Franchise I watched when it came out: Jason X.
Certainly the best in the Friday the 13th franchise in my opinion.
I'm a day late watching this one on Saturday the 14th. This movie is creepy and tense. Some pretty good kills too on a low budget. The score is pretty good. The characters are fun. Mrs Voorhees is a creepy surprise villain. She plays crazy very well and I like the shots of her talking to herself while Alice runs. Starts off a big franchise even though we only see Jason for a few seconds.
Just watching because I have been playing the nee Friday the 13th game, and feel like I need watch all the movies so I can understand better about what I'm playing.
Its thoroughly predictable and sometimes haphazard, but also surprisingly atmospheric and fun.
Shout by Adam SpybeyBlockedParent2015-08-04T10:15:17Z
One of the best slashers ever made, in my opinion :)