45 out of 45 people found this review helpful.
Not Friday the 13th but close enough
Date of Review: Oct 31, 2006
The Bottom Line: No it didn't win best picture but you should have fun watching it.
Since today is Halloween I found it an appropriate day to write this review. I wanted it to be on Halloween but I've already reviewed that. Friday the 13th is a movie people will usually either love or hate it. Although I don't really love it I do find it to be an enjoyable above average slasher. The interesting thing about the Friday films is that the sequels could outshine the original. The reason being is that the original film was not a masterpiece in fact this was made for a minimal budget and the acting wasn't great.
In 1958 at Camp Crystal Lake, two councilors mysteriously died (Scary music) and the camp was shut down. Twenty years later the camp is being reopened despite the warnings given by Crazy Ralph one of the councilors, Annie proceeds to the destination at Camp Crystal Lake but soon dies by an unknown force. Back at the camp Alice, Bill, Brenda, Marcie, Jack, Ned, and Steve have several days to kill before kids start arriving. They do the usual stuff horny teenagers do and before long on a cold rainy night one by one they are slowly killed.
Most slashers don't really contain anything new or original or ground breaking and to be honest this film does none of the previous. Well at the time these ideas were original but now they feel rather dated. That's all right since the film is still enjoyable all the same. The cinematography is really nice and adds to the atmosphere. The isolated woods always make for a nice horror film and it is no different for the original Friday the 13th.
The acting is not much to talk about as most of the actors are inexperienced but it set the bar for future sequels, besides not much can be expected from young actors in the first place. One of the only actors to succeed in the future Kevin Bacon makes one of his first appearances here. The blood and gore effects were effectively shot and worked well mainly thanks to Tom Savini. Most kills were well done and the blood and gore looked realistic despite a low budget.
Every horror film has a memorable score and theme song. Halloween had a terrific one and is one of my favorites, and everyone remembers Jaws and Psycho. Friday the 13th had an excellent one as well. The trade mark CH-CH-HAA-HAA-HAA is displayed for the first time here and it certainly makes a lasting impression. The nerve jangling violins go well and add to the suspense. Although this film has relatively small suspense the music and atmosphere all contribute making it far scarier than it would have without it. There is only one scene that is actually scary but I don't want to ruin it for you as the effect will be much greater that way. The direction isn't really special but it is consistent and steady. Don't expect creative shots or anything but it works well for the low budget film.
The story works fairly well but isn't really inventive or creative. I would say it is higher than the usual standard in most slashers but does hold your interest for the most part. The main problem with the story is that nothing effective comes until the last ten minutes, this would work but the reason why it doesn't work as well as it could have is that it just isn't shocking enough. Besides the one surprise scene the resolution of the story needed to be more effective. Films like Fight Club and Saw both have great endings that bring everything together and save for one shocking moment but that sadly just doesn't happen here.
All in all this is still a very enjoyable film. It is far from perfect but it makes for an enjoyable rent that is fun to see. It won't alter the way you go camping but it should keep you entertained. Some find it boring others find it scary, I'm right in the middle leaning towards the scary. It isn't scary but it is far from boring; besides the cinematography and scenery are beautiful in its own right. Don't see this because you want to be scared (and if you do prepare to be disappointed) don't see this because you want to see how bad it is, instead see this because it is entertaining and fun to watch. Besides there has been nine sequels and counting and it is nice to see where it all began.
4 stars
Cast
Betsy Palmer .... Mrs. Pamela Voorhees
Adrienne King .... Alice Hardy
Harry Crosby .... Bill
Laurie Bartram .... Brenda
Jeannine Taylor .... Marcie Cunningham
Kevin Bacon .... Jack Burrell
Mark Nelson .... Ned Rubenstein
Robbi Morgan .... Annie
Peter Brouwer .... Steve Christy
Rex Everhart .... Enos the Truck Driver
