Friday the 13th (1980)

one of my absolute favorites!

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The acting in this movie is really good.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

As a child, I was not allow to watch any of these movies, as they are R rated horror flicks that contains nudity, violence, etc. I do remember one of my vague memories when "Friday the 13th: Part 3" came on TNN before it became Spike TV, and Paramount Network, I remember seeing Jason in a hockey mask chasing some girl at a barn. Heck, I remember when my uncle brought a copy of the movie when he rented from a video store, and I sneakily put the tape in to see Jason on an old VHS tape and seeing a brief snippet of him he did look quiet scary. After that, my mother caught me, and I turned it off. Never intend to watch it, I just only wanted to see Jason for a bit and that was it. With that said, here is my review of the first one that started it all, before Jason became the main killer, as well as putting on his iconic hockey, brought back as zombie, going to Manhattan, Hell, space, fighting Freddy Krueger, and being rebooted. The first film's plot is pretty simple, as you have a group of teenagers that are trying to reopen Camp Crystal Lake, but something evil is lurking them as it kills its victims. When I first saw this movie, I really love it, but as time goes by, I began to recognize its flaws. Nevertheless, its far from being a bad movie, and it is not the worst thing ever as critics make it out to be when it first came out. There is a lot of good things to say, where is the bad isn't that much, nor that big of a deal. To start off, I thought that Tom Savini's makeup FX are outstanding, and really is a master at it. The movie does have some great kills such as putting an axe on Jeannine Taylor's face, as well as having an arrow into Kevin Bacon's neck. The music by Harry Manfredini is completely unforgettable, he made that theme sound so iconic and everyone always like to remember that theme, when something bad is about to happen when you hear "Ki Ki Ki Ma Ma Ma." Totally classic. Taking place in the woods is great, and really does have that surreal atmosphere quality as you do feel somewhat unsettle as if you were alone in the woods. The characters I'll admit, aren't really three dimensional as you would seen in other great horror films, but at the end they are still likable. The acting isn't the greatest, but its really not that bad either. They all did fine for what they have to do; the best actors, in my opinion are Adrienne King and Betsy Palmer. For King, she really does have a natural beauty, and for having the girl next door type. Now for Palmer, she is having a blast with this role, and you can't take your eyes off on how fun she is for playing Jason's mother. The plot is simplistic as it needs to be, and the direction by Sean S. Cunningham is very solid. While as much as I love Palmer's performance, it would have been interesting if she had more screen time, if the audiences would have thought that she is a nice woman, before the twist ending is being revealed that she is the killer. Imagine that. Also, while I do love the character of Alice, I do notice a character error, where she runs away from Pamela Voorhees as she gets into the Jeep, but doesn't drive off as she screams by one of the victims that Pam killed. Don't get me wrong, I do love the climax, but for a realistic standpoint, she should know that the Jeep has gas in it, and could have turned the keys over so she can get herself out of there. The Jeep has gas, when Pam first arrives at the camp. Just saying. Lastly, I do love the last scene, which I'll admit, I did get jumped by the last scene, where Jason played by Ari Lehman jumps out off the water to pull Alice into the water. Very scary, to say the least. All in all, no matter what flaws this movie has, "Friday the 13th" is a fun thrill ride that has great kills, scare factors, unforgettable music, and likable characters. I'm giving this movie a 9 out of 10.

When it comes to name recognition of a horror film and franchise, Friday the 13th is probably near the top and to many is considered the first film is considered a masterpiece in the slasher genre. The original also really stands out as its own movie compared to all of its predecessor's due tone and the ending reveal. Aside from some great scenes and an excellent suspenseful finish, the writing produced some cheesy lines and unlikeable characters from top to bottom. Adrienne King's scream queen character, Alice, was never captivating on screen with delivery and appearance. Friday the 13th is an above average film that struck gold at the right time with its promiscuous message and kicking off the popular slasher genre.

Being one of the most acclaimed films of all time, and the pioneer of the most popular horror genre in the world, Friday THE 13TH is definitely on the list for famous horror movies of all times. With 13 spin offs and several copy cats, Friday THE 13TH is the most famous horror movie of all time. With movies like THE LODGE, HUSH, and THE COTTAGE to take after this acclaimed movie there is no shortage of cabin in the woods movies.www.chorror.com

Quite impressive picture with only some dirt on the print. The sound isn't that great and lacks definition but who cares as this is a great slasher film! It was strong enough to start a legacy but there is little here that the legacy is famous for. Reminiscent of Halloween (1978) but changes the formula to be more fun. It has kitsch value and cheap thrills. The gore is excellent, like really nasty. My favourite are the first four. The start of a franchise but it isn't the best in the series, greatness awaits