Saturday the 14th (1981)

So much average

A Disappointing Continuation

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

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

Real life couple Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss star in this crude and goofy horror parody from New World and producer Julie Corman (Roger C.s' wife). They play John and Mary, who inherit some property that turns out to be cursed. When their inquisitive son Billy (Kevin Brando) happens to open an all important book, he unleashes unspeakable evil on the house - and potentially the world. A non stop assortment of truly ridiculous monsters show up to terrorize John, Mary, Billy, and teen aged daughter Debbie (Kari Michaelsen).Also along for the ride is top character actor Severn Darden, as an exterminator with the appropriate name of Van Helsing. Jeffrey Tambor, in his second feature film appearance, co- stars as a vampire named Waldemar. As always, these two guys prove to be very valuable. The movie really does hit its stride once Darden shows up. He has most of the best lines.This is going to come off as much too tame and lame for some tastes, but clearly screenwriter / director Howard R. Cohen was going for a family audience. Some characters do die, but mostly off screen, and there isn't much gore to speak of - aside from a fairly nasty severed head. The creature costumes are hysterically dumb looking, and among those horror classics spoofed are "Creature from the Black Lagoon", "Jaws", and "The Birds". The finale is absolutely cartoonish, with sound effects accompanying all the face making that our adversaries are doing.Benjamin and the oh so sexy Prentiss are a hoot as the parents, and are ably supported by Tambor, Darden, and others like Rosemary DeCamp, Stacy Keach Sr., and 70s exploitation starlet Roberta Collins.It might be silly and infantile, but that's not always necessarily a bad thing, and this could appeal to any horror fan who saw it as a kid, or the young at heart.Six out of 10.

A family moves into a rundown old house in Eerie, Pennsylvania that contains an ancient book of evil. The house becomes overrun with various monsters after said book is accidentally opened.Writer/director Howard R. Cohen relates the enjoyably inane story at a zippy pace, maintains a good-natured goofball tone throughout, displays a genuine affection for the horror genre, and comes up with several witty gags (a television that only plays reruns of "The Twilight Zone," an inspired bathtub parody of "Jaws"). The natural and engaging chemistry between Richard Benjamin as happily oblivious dad John and Paula Prentiss as chipper mom Mary keeps this picture humming. Moreover, it's acted with zest by the rest of the enthusiastic cast: Jeffrey Tambor as sinister vampire Waldemar, Severn Darden as flaky occult expert Van Helsing, Kari Michaelson as perky (and super cute) daughter Debbie, Kevin Brando as smart and resourceful son Billy, Rosemary DeCamp as the snippy Aunt Lucille, Carol Androsky as perky real estate agent Marge, and Roberta Collins as annoying klepto Cousin Rhonda. Parmer Fuller's appropriately cornball score adds to the campy mood. The tacky (not so) special effects possess a certain lovably chintzy charm. A real dippy hoot.

A certain generation will probably find this spoof of monster and haunted house movies more appealing than today's Scary Movie bunch. Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss (husband and wife real life) inherit creepy house in will, not realizing a book of evil (cue the lightning) is on the shelf in the study, later opened by son Kevin Brando, unleashing monsters from each page! Vampires Jeffrey Tambor and Nancy Lee Andrews are looking to get ahold of that book, while arch nemesis Severn Darden's Van Helsing tries to as well. Even in 1981 the jokes were considered hokey and hit and miss. The title could be misleading as this isn't a slasher spoof like Student Bodies. It has monster rubber suit extras spending most of their time in the kitchen or peeping through windows. You have the television set in the living room only playing Twilight Zone and the front door no longer allowing the family to leave, greeted by stormy wind, fog, and bright light. In fact, the house is infested with fog. No doubt, for me the showstopper has foxy, leggy Kari Michaelsen having her bath intruded upon by the Gillman, chasing her around the house, with her only in a bathrobe. Prentiss is bitten on the throat by Tambor (not seen but the bite and her pallor, along with her change in behavior tell us this for sure), and suffers an attic attack from bats obviously mimicking Tippi Hedren's from The Birds. Benjamin plays the oblivious all-smiles dad, never breaking a sweat or ill at ease at all; it's pure tongue-in-cheek. Derden sends up the Euro monster hunter archetype, with thick accent and heavy take-control bravado...I enjoyed the twist about his ulterior motives when it comes to the book but the duel with Tambor was just a bit too over the top for my tastes. Loved the use of fog with the monsters, although they're ridiculously 50s Z-grade costumes. The family are all in on the joke, complicit in its cheeky handling, just going with it. Maybe this spoof would work ideally as a charming double header with the superior Full Moon High. The severed cop neighbor head gag has to be seen to be believed. Brando is a wide-eyed, spirited kid who has as many moments to shine as his veteran movie parents. To me Michaelsen has some of the best scenes: she does have as much trouble with the pizza delivery guy as the Gillman! Tambor as a vampire alone should be enough to recommend this, and he has good chemistry with Andrews. Many of the jokes are cringe-worthy and come dead on arrival, but the spirit of it all won me over. Good cast helps the material even when it doesn't always work. Monsters include a fishman, antenna-eyed alien monster, and furry ape-like monster... although not the least bit convincing, there's a reach back to times past that work in their favor.

This movie was made as a spoof at a time when it was at about the same quality as what it was spoofing. On other review on this page says that the jokes and costumes are outdated and cheap. Well, maybe if you watch the current horror films. Personally, I prefer the old horror movies, from the black and white to the corny 70's gorror films. This film really does work, but you have to have a certain taste in film and comedy, so it isn't for everyone.If you like Evil Dead, the original Friday the 13th, The Birds or those old, grainy horror films, I suggest that you at least watch it and see if you like it. You won't lose anything and you'll probably get a few laughs out of it. The worst thing about this movie, the one thing that drives me up the wall about it, is that it's usually very hard to find. It's not incredibly popular and it's rather old. Sometimes you can find it from a video retailer or one of those subscription/mail-in DVD dealers, but you're really basing it a bit on luck. As an overall, something to seriously check out, if you can find it. I hope you enjoy it.