Friday The 13th [1980]

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
No matter how many sequels they've made or how big a hit it was in 1980, it's difficult to view the first Friday the 13th as anything but a quickie designed to cram in as many elements from horror movies that had been hits in the late 1970s--most obviously, Halloween and Carrie--while adding as little as possible to the formula. Director Sean S Cunningham has an archetypal plot at his disposal as a group of attractive, shallow teenagers out in the woods to reopen a once-cursed summer camp are murdered in manners designed to show off Tom Savini's gore effects. Kevin Bacon, killed early (arrow through the throat), is the only player who went on to have a career, and he hardly stands out from the strip-Monopoly-playing, goon-acting meat-on-the-hoof teens who fall prey to the mostly unseen murderer. That it's not a total write-off is down to a few neatly edited bits of classical suspense and, two decades on, a simmering nostalgia for a world of bouffant-haired bubbleheads in short shorts (and that's just the guys) observed by edgy subjective camera as the music hisses "kill kill kill".

On the DVD: Friday the 13th may be the least worthy of all horror "classics", but it's still nice to have an edition that (unlike earlier video releases) offers a 16x9-enhanced 1.85:1 restored image and a healthy dose of extras. The hard-sell trailer gives away most of the big scares, and so should be sampled after the film. The making of the movie is covered by a 20-minute "Return to Crystal Lake" featurette and a commentary track with input from many of the creatives (Cunningham, composer Harry Manfredini, stars Adrienne King and Betsy Palmer, writer Victor Miller). Some anecdotes get repeated, but there's a lot of solid background material. --Kim Newman

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Synopsis
The story takes place in the midst of Camp Crystal Lake, which is alleged to be subject to a 'death curse'. This curse becomes a grim reality as the camp counsellors are murdered... one by one.

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-08-07 rating:
Pretty Good
Friday the 13th is a pretty good slasher flick. It has a solid story, creative deaths (arrow through Kevin Bacons throat), evil killer and girls running round with almost no clothes on!

Yes, the film is incredibly cheesy, dated and the acting is pretty bad (with the exception of Betsy Palmer), but overlook that and you will see a hugely enjoyable horror classic.

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review by: date: 2008-06-24 rating:
A good film.
Don't get me wrong, I think this is a good horror but it wasn't up to the standerds I espected. Espeicially with the budget they had...

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review by: date: 2008-05-02 rating:
a question
This isnt actually a review as such, but an enquiry and a response to the other reviews on here....I have the original British VHS release of this film, which is one of my most treasured collection items. I am aware that the UK video release was in fact the full uncut version (the only fully uncut video release outside of the US I think). Sadly, the tape itself is barely watchable these days and I want to replace it with the DVD release. Can anyone tell me if the standard UK DVD release is uncut? Thanks.

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review by: sladesripper date: 2008-04-27 rating:
important film, but ultimately rubbish for modern audeinces
if your really into horror films dont bother with this film, its actually awfull and boring. check out rob zombies halloween instead, who cares what the reviews say in comparison to the original its a big improvment and has really good charcterisation


review by: date: 2008-02-24 rating:
Classic beginning to a classic horror series
Friday THE 13TH (1980)

directed by: Sean S. Cunningham

starring: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Jeannine Taylor, and Kevin Bacon

plot: Seven camp councilors head to Camp Crystal Lake to fix it up for the summer. Despite warnings of a dark past and a 'death curse', the teens decide to have a good time anyway, and at night indulge in sex, drugs, and strip poker. Unfortunately for them, a psycho killer is prowling the camp grounds, picking them off one by one. When only one is left, she must discover the identity of the killer and fight for her life.

my thoughts: Ever since I can remember, I've loved this film. When I was a child, it scared the crap out of me. That chilling noise playing in the stalk sequences (which has now become the most famous sound in horror films) haunted my nightmares, and some of the gore scenes were really graphic.

Viewing it now, it is no longer that scary but it is still a lot of fun. I liked how these earlier Friday films ignored the stereotypical teenage characters. There's no slut, no jock, no token anything. Every character felt really natural and for some of them, I cared when they died.

The gore scenes are great, thanks to Tom Savini. We get stabbings, decapitations, and plenty more. Gore hounds will love this. Well since every gore hound has seen this, gore hounds mostly already love this.

And then there's the two key things in making a good horror film. The directing and the music. Sean S. Cunningham is a really good director and establishes the camp setting perfectly. He adds beautiful shots of the wind blowing against the trees, the lake at sunrise, that you wouldn't find in later entries.

The music is also great. Harry Manfredini is one of my favorite composers, because he makes the chase scenes so much more exciting. The music in the final scene also works like a charm.

I forgot to mention that this film has one of the most popular and remembered horror endings of all time. And while it may have stolen from CARRIE, it works just as well here and is the cherry on top of a classic slasher film.

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Similar products

Friday The 13th Part Ii [1981]
Friday The 13th Part III [1982] [1970]
Friday The 13th (Part IV) The Final Chapter [1984]
Friday The 13th Part V A New Beginning [1985]
Friday The 13th Part VI Jason Lives [1986]

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Similar categories

Video . Video . Categories . Horror & Suspense . General
Video . Video . Categories . Horror & Suspense . Series
Video . Video . Refinements . Condition (condition-type)
Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Horror . Film Series
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . BBFC Rating (intended_use_browse-bin) . 18
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Release Date (feature_three_browse-bin) . 1980 - 1989
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Editions (feature_two_browse-bin) . Standard Edition
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Language (theme_browse-bin) . English
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Format (binding_browse-bin) . VHS

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