by It’s very easy in this day and age to write a scathing review for Friday the 13th or any other old slasher film. They’re generally low budget, overly gory, and have paper thin storylines. A lot of critics go in mentally comparing these to Citizen Kane. I’m not that type of person, however. I grew up with slasher films and love them. Now, I’m not going to pretend the original Friday the 13th is high cinema or a classic of the ages but I like it and I’m not embarrassed by that fact. I even like some of the sequels. These films bring me back to a simpler time, and though the plots are paper thin and the characters one dimensional I love them. Today I’m here to take a look at the original. Without further adieu here is my review of the first Friday the 13th.
The film opens with two camp counselors being brutally murdered by an off-screen character. Who is it, and why would they do such a nefarious thing? Keep watching. Fast forward years later and the children’s camp, Camp Crystal Lake, has been shut down for years following the tragedy. Much to the chagrin of the folk living in the nearby town a man named Steve Christy (Peter Brouwer) has been working to fix the dilapidated camp up. He has even hired several teens to help in this endeavor and plans to have them work as camp counselors. The murders start anew as the camp cook is stabbed to death on her way to the lake, and one by one the other teens (and even Mr. Christy himself) meet their end in a few not so creative, but very brutal ways. One thing’s for sure; they should have all listened to Crazy Ralph when he told them the camp has a death curse. It’s not original (and wasn’t even back then) but Friday the 13th does what it sets out to quite well. We’re introduced to a few somewhat likable characters only to see them brutalized in a series of jump scares many of which are still pretty effective even today.
What makes the first installment of this franchise so great is the sheer simplicity of it all. We aren’t dealing with Jason being revived for the millionth time nor is he in hell possessing other bodies. Those who haven’t seen the film (I’m sure there are a few out there) should probably skip this section because I’m about to spoil the big twist. Jason’s mother is the culprit in this first installment. Having a female antagonist in a slasher film was refreshing at the time of release, and the buildup leading to her big reveal is tense and dramatic. Mrs. Voorhees is one of my most favorite slasher villains, and renowned actress Betsy Palmer does a fantastic job playing the role even though it clearly was unlike any other character she had played up to that point. Film critic Gene Siskel hated the fact that she stooped so low as to play in a slasher film that he even attempted to publish her mailing address in backlash. She’s not the only star to appear in the film as even Kevin Bacon plays one of the counselors (Jack) but he’s in pretty much everything. The lesser known actors give pretty decent performances making the characters likable (for the most part).
The special effects were handled by veteran artist Tom Savini, and while he didn’t get as creative as he did in Dawn of the Dead here he definitely put in some good work. For a slasher film there’s a little more flash than was the norm at this time. You have a myriad of very well done effects such as the spear through the neck from underneath the bed (poor Kevin Bacon), a machete to the face, and even a beheading at the hands of an axe. While the latter of the bunch looks extremely fake the pure shock of it makes it easy to overlook. The rest of the effects are pretty believable despite some discolored skin (but you’ll only notice if you look hard enough). The big shocker ending is easily the highlight of the special effects, and it’s clear that a lot of heart and care went into it. This is the moment from the movie that will stick with viewers long after the credits roll.
Friday the 13th is chicken soup for the horror fan’s soul. It’s a very simple story with decent jump scares, a cheesy but memorable story, likable characters, and a great setting. It’s not going to change anyone’s mind on slasher films or the horror genre in general, but it’s easy to follow and moderately tense. The franchise has since become iconic, and while other installments are a little meatier and feed the audience more lore this one is just all around entertaining. Friday the 13th is one of my favorite slasher films regardless of nostalgia.
Pros
- Simple but effective premise
- Creepy chase sequences
- Amazing soundtrack
Cons
- Maybe a bit too tame for modern viewers
