Hey everyone, my name is Anthony and welcome back to my movie review.
Well, its Friday the 13th, after my review of the original Halloween and 2018 sequel with the same name, i think i need a break to me dealing with Michael Myers, because instead, i decided to jump shift to one of my favorite films that i've ever heard next to Halloween, that is Friday the 13th, a series involving a hockey masked murderer named Jason Voorhees takes his brutal and bloody threat at anybody on Crystal Lake. However, we gotta go back in time to talk about the first film, but without Jason, yet.
The original "Friday the 13th" is a 1980 indie slasher film that was produced and directed by Sean S. Cunningham and written by Victor B. Miller.
Ever since Halloween was not only a huge hit at the box-office, but considered as not only the greatest horror film, but also brought the birth of Slasher genre (though debatable when we had Black Christmas as i mentioned before, but that's a different story.), this gave the inspiration from Sean, after putting an ads to sell the film in Variety magazine to make money, he asked his buddy Victor to make their own Halloween film, but instead of creepy stalker going after one woman to death, this time, taking place an abandoned camping site due to a murderous event and they took a short times to make in 1979 until its done and released on May 9th 1980 and it was cheaply costing $550,000.
When the movie came out, the movie was a major hit at the box-office by earning $59.8 million, quite impressive as an indie slasher film. But despite the big money they received, it didn't do well, mainly a mixed result both critics and audience, some loved this movie for the building suspense, the twist and the killings, while some hated due how cheap and dragged on forever before the action. Though as time went on, it still divided with same problem that i mentioned before, but of course, we have the fans loved this movie so much, especially called this movie as a classic and a prime example of Jason's tragic origin. Of course, this movie became a franchise with sequels, a crossover duel with Freddy Krueger from "A Nightmare on Elm Street". a remake, a comic with not just Freddy, with Ash Williams from Evil Dead and even video games with the bastardized NES version, a modern version that it came out in 2017 (until the server is closed and canceled future plan like Jason X due a Victor and Sean's legal threat, unless if the publisher Gun Media could make a make a deal to admitted their mistakes, just saying) and Jason became a guest fighter in Mortal Kombat X.
So, with all that said, will this movie is still a classic as we all know, or maybe this movie just comes off as too slow for our patience?
Well, lets find out.
The Story
For a movie about "who's done it?" and the early slasher like Halloween, the story is simple, even if the movie is just too long to get through.
The movie begins on a prologue in 1958, where the campers in Camp Crystal Lake are all hanging out with guitar in front of fireplace, however two camp lovers (Barry and Claudette) are planning to sexing each others, but got interrupted and murdered by the first-person killer. Fast-Forward to present time (aka 1979), the new camp counselor named Annie is planning to going on Crystal Lake based on hearing the reopening with a help of lifting with trucker Enos, after getting bombarded with warning by old man named "Crazy Ralph";
Crazy Ralph: You'll never come back again!
Enos: Oh shut up, Ralph!
Nah, you don't need to "Shut up Ralph" if he better have a nice lift from his bike after saying it has a "Death Curse", eh? Anyway, as Annie got a lift, Enos told about the past when young boy was drowned in 1957 and in 58, dead bodies where found, which Annie was dropped out, after got a lift and dropped out from a Jeep, she was chased by the first-person and ended up getting killed from the throat slit opened. Meanwhile, we introduced more campers joining in, Bill, Marcie, Ned, Brenda and Jack coming to Crystal Lake's reopening by Steve Christy and our main camp protagonist Alice. While they're hanging out in camping, some campers may or may not noticed that somebody who's watching, its up to them to figuring out, or not?
The story itself is basic as we can believe, though its nice to go for having where did all begins along with a tragic backstory how Crystal Lake went very badly about a young boy being drowned without realization, but the major downside is that movie's plot seems to be forgotten, due to the fact that we focused too much on camp counselors minding their own business of swimming, playing stripping monopoly and the most common clichés of any horror or slasher flicks, sexing, drinking, and smoking dope. Its super obvious we've seen what the characters do in the movie without noticing a mysterious murderer in the camp, which the plot wouldn't happen until we get to the third act for the climax.
While the story is simple and has memorable plot origins the mysterious killer with young boy's drowning, but the execution just comes off as too slow, which leads us to the next subject.
The Presentation
For a movie cheaply costs $550,000, the film's presentation is surprisingly well done, for the most part.
For the filming location, they filmed in Warren County, New Jersey like Hardwick, Blairstown and Hope, and as for The Voorhees signature location "Camp Crystal Lake", it took place in a boy scout camp called "Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco", located on Hardwick and this place is still open to this day for only summer. Its a pretty nice location pick of this movie and its not hard to know why many considered that Crystal Lake is fictionally taken place in New Jersey or The Voorhees family as Jersey people, eh?
However, like i mentioned before, sometimes the filming just dragged on forever before we get the climatic moments, sure we have the atmosphere filming of the lake with windy and storm coming is beautifully filmed that i like to give a credit for the build up. But sometimes, they filmed a completely unnecessary scenes like where Alice preparing a coffee in One Take, which is it a reason to this scene?! We didn't asking for this?? I know this was meant we catch a break from a horrifying moments, but the coffee scene is no reason to be in the final cut.
As for the design and the effects, it is pretty cool and surprisingly somewhat gory with the blood of slicing, stabbing and impaling, this is all thanks to the favorite horror effect and make-up artist named Tom Savini, he had done plenty a unique bloody and gory effect (including Dawn of the Dead that he also acted in the movie), these include Annie got sliced open that he putted a rubber prosthetic that after cut open Annie moved her jaw to make it bleeding out
The scene of Marcie go Ax'd to her head was done in Savini's favorite trick, where we see that its a real ax, but when she got brutally killed form an ax, it was obviously a fake prop with mortician wax on her head, not to mention have a to noise of one with clinging noise from the late to stabbing noise.
And of course, the most memorable kill is the scene where Jack get caught by the mysterious killer and got impaled by a spear behind the bed, its brutal and bloody to look at. However the effect was done with problem, they originally using a blood tube's pump to bleeding out, but it got malfunctioned, so Savini's assistant and best bud Taso Stravakis had no choice but to using the tube to blew the blood out, understandable for the issue, but at least Taso tried his best to make a blood spurting out after Jack got impaled to death from bellow.
While the rest of the killing effect was obviously either done with tissue on the body like Ned got sliced open from his throat, Christy got stabbed (despite he got stabbed of screen very briefly), as well as decorating dead bodies like Brenda got killed by probably shot by arrows, but once she got tossed in the building (aka Tom Savini cross-dressed as Brenda as stunt double), we see her got bloody moldy and wrapped around the ropes or even Bill got pinned to wall and shot by arrows, pretty unique, but the skin of his head just doesn't match from his hands what i noticed.
As for how many dead bodies in this film, well like always, i watched Dead Meat's Kill Count that this film has 10 dead bodies, not bad.
However, one part that really upsetting and pissed me off when i found is the scene where the campers killing a snake, supposedly, they wanted to make a fake snake, but they borrowed one crew member's pet snake and they deliberately killed it on-screen without realizing the crew member's pet owner, like WTF was other members were thinking?!
And lastly, aside the problems that i have, another memorable presentation of this movie, is the soundtrack that was composed by Harry Manfredini, while i like the suspense and the build up part of the soundtrack, especially that im easily aware its a reference from the 1960's Psycho, along with the chorus of "ki-ki Ma-ma" that was used a lot, even if this is like before of "ki-ki... Him-him(?)". Though sometimes he composed a different style like when Alice in a canoe with a peaceful music (or is it?) or the most out place, is the scene where campers driving a pick-up on the drive-way with a country style music with a banjo?? Talk about out of context from that music.
While the movie has a problem of dragged on filming, problematic backstage story and some effect issue, the presentation is impressively done with its atmosphere filming, the effect of the kills and a well composed soundtrack.
The Characters
As we expected for horror films, we got a bunch of obvious dimensional characters, it doesn't matter for the actors, they're doing fine and some had a fun, its just that its like we play a bingo of cliché characters that we easily know.
First, we have Alice Hardy (played by Adrienne King), a main and last survivor in the movie, she's described as an aspiring artist who's hired by Steve Christy, she may look beautiful and she's sorta shy, i find her alright, even though she's not my fav last survivor of Slasher films like say, Laurie Strode from Halloween. But il give a credit for Adrienne King, she did a nice work of her role, even if one time she had a troublesome story where she was stalked and held hostage by a stalking fan, but eventually saved and recovered by her respectful fans.
Next up is Crazy Ralph (played by the late Walt Gorney), a warning old man who said he has a message from God when he explains that Crystal Lake has a "Death Curse" that they'll never coming back again, or should he say "Doomed. You're all doomed!". He's such a unique character in the movie, mainly for the delivery from Walt Gorney, being an old man in combine of going crazily for the danger and predicting of the campers going to die. Which yes, he's definitely for the plot purpose for the build up of the body counts to think twice or be dead by a mysterious killer.
And the last notable character is Jack (played by Kevin Bacon), who's basically a generic romantic man with Marcie. Its quite fascinating to noticing him that aside from his infamous kill from a impale spear from bellow, but rather a breakthrough of Kevin Bacon, he started well in "National Lampoon's Animal House", but after Friday the 13th, he became more famous with 80's classic movies like Footloose, The Big Picture, as well with the 90's like Balto, Apollo 13 and Tremors. Quite of fascinating run, but if you watching documentaries of Friday the 13th, Bacon didn't make appearance to explain his life of this movie, talk about too good for a horror film once he switched to some great films like the aforementioned Footloose. Aw well, at least Bacon did a nice work of his early career before his breakthrough.
As for the rest of the camp consolers and non-campers, there's not much else about them, just the obvious generic horror characters that, again, feels like playing a Bingo of clichés.
Here's Steve Christy (played by Peter Brouwer) is a new owner of Camp Crystal Lake for reopening before he left for his stuff without realizing that there's a killer in the camp, Marcie (played by Jeannine Taylor) who's Jack's lover for obvious sexing, Ned (played by Mark Nelson) who's a camper being a goof who can't stop looking for love and near risky arrow shooter, Brenda (played by the late Laurie Bartram) is a responsible girl with her not-much personality, Bill (played by Harry Crosby, who's the son of Bing Crosby, fascinating) who's Alice's love-interest, but pretty much another not-much personality one, Annie (played by Robbi Morgan) is the camper going on her own before get killed by a mysterious killer and Enos (played by the late Rex Everhart, aka Maurice from Disney's Beauty and The Beast in 1991), a truck driver who gives Annie a ride, along with explaining an urban legend about the boy got drowned in 1957, he's basically a nothing character who gave us a plot development for what happened.
And lastly that im saving for last is the Voorhees. From before, we though Jason is the killer in the first one, but if you watched Scream, we all know its not true. The main antagonist in this, is Mrs. Voorhees (played by the late Betsy Palmer), the mother of Voorhees family who goes after the campers to pay the deadly consequences due to the campers didn't noticing Jason was drowned. She's easily a memorable character in the movie, an evil mother that at we first we have a sympathy on her for what happened, but once she's snapped to find out the truth, she's going full on madness of killing spree over her son Jason (along with imitating her son from her mind to protecting him back then before drowning, kinda like Psycho, but reversed). I gotta say, Betsy did an amazing work of her antagonist role of this movie, even if she's not a huge fan of both horror and the script they gave her back then (sucks for her, but hey, she did a nice job back then).
As for Jason (played by Ari Lehman) he was only mentioned and briefly shown at the third and final act, even though this was before he became a vengeful killer that we all know and loved. Despite we briefly see him, but Ari said that he had a blast for talking about his role on convention, as well as having his punk/rock group with a name "First Jason", which is obviously based on being the first person who played Jason, quite of fun person that he likes to share his time as the man who brought as Jason.
The some of actors had some notables that we all know and loved, but the characters are not much special and pretty clichés, but at least we have some memorable like Alice, Crazy Ralph and The Voorhees.
SPOILER ALERT for those who haven't seen the film or don't mind
The final act in this movie is definitely the highlight of this movie, aside of the body counts.
After a long and unnecessary scene of Alice doing a coffee, she's looking around about her lover Bill, but it was too late that we see Bill got shot by arrows to the door, causing her into a panic mode to placing stuff in front of the door (again, in a long take that it also dragged on!), but not before the dead body of Brenda being thrown in the cabin with also get shot by arrows (though pulled out for shooting Billy) and roped up, causing Alice even more in panic to leave, but not before a car lights coming in for help, who happens to be Mrs. Voorhees. After hugging out to comfort, as they enter in i guess attempt to cleaning up the mess, Mrs. Voorhees seen dead bodies that she ended up having a Vietnam flashback, where she explains the reason why the Camp Crystal Lake was closed due to the discovery of dead bodies? Well, it turns out she blamed the camp counselors that they didn't pay attention about her son Jason was drowned, because all they were busied of sexing, which it explained her motivation of killing people over her drowned son, and so, she proceeds to chasing after Alice in attempt to killing her, as well as acting like her son in her mind where he wants to stop Alice as Mrs. Voorhees will as a psychotic protective mother. Aside of chasing, Alice and Mrs. Voorhees are both having a melee fight both indoor and outdoor (which Betsy Palmer and Adrienne King did their own stunts. including one moment where Betsy actually slapped King in the fight scene, but good thing King or Betsy didn't pulled a Bodyslam on a beach lake), but after a long fight, Alice proceeds to executing Mrs. Voorhees by decapitation with a machete (Alice Wins - Fatality And lastly when Voorhees was decapitated, she's played by Savini's bud Taso Stavrakis with hands lifting to bleeding out of neck tube). After killing off the main villain, she takes a canoe to relaxing until mourning where she sees a police for help, but SURPRISE!! A drowned boy Jason comes out of lake to kidnapping Alice to drowning her!! But it turns out, it was a NIGHTMARE that Alice was rescued in hospital, though the policeman and a doctor comfort her that it was all fine, but Alice felt that Jason might be alive, a cliffhanging ending that Jason is probably survived from drowning, but more like he was lost in the forest and wants to see his beloved mother.
Aside of dragging on, the climatic battle between Alice and Mrs. Voorhees is a memorable part of the film for a fight to a jumpscare ending where we see Jason coming out of lake heart punching of fear, even though it was a dream, it still scary that we easily believing that Jason is out there.
And now for my final opinion of this film.
Overall, the first Friday the 13th is a well filmed movie with a beautiful view (despite the low budget), an not bad story (if its not focused), some characters are memorable and the killing are quite fun to look at.
However, the movie is suffered with problems with dragged on moments that we never asking for, the writing could've gone better for focus more on story than watching campers doing stuff, some characters have typical personalities that we've seen or heard from previous horror/slasher films and of course, some of behind scene story could be questionable, but at least the effects of killing is better than killing a real snake.
Even though some people consider this as a classic film, but this is the film that its not really a recommended film its too slow, too boring and we just want to see some surprise and action than unnecessary scene in a long minutes, i guess its no wonder why this film might be a reason why some people like to skip ahead to something better.
For my rating, im gonna give this one a 5/10. Its a nicely made film in a low budget, but could've gone better.
So, you're probably wondering if im going to reviewing the sequels of Friday the 13th? Well, i probably think so, if i have a free time to watch the sequel, despite review some recent films and F1's racing events.
Anyway, so this ends of my movie review, if you guys have your opinion or any suggestions, let me know at comment bellow and support me on https://ko-fi.com/blackevil.
Thanks for reading, and im Anthony, signing out.
