Friday the 13th
1980
1980
Sean
S. Cunningham
Camp
Crystal Lake is reopening after being closed due to the death of
young boy, Jason, who drowned in the lake. As the camp counselors
arrive to get the camp ready, they indulge in a
little sex and drinking. Jason's mom, Pamela (Betsy Palmer), starts poking around camp asking a lot of questions and talking about how
her son died from the negligence of two counselors who were off
having sex when they should have been watching her child. It isn't
long that the teens of Camp Crystal Lake start getting killed by an
unseen attacker.
For
the film that kicked off such a long lasting franchise and was one of
the films that brought the slasher into the mainstream, the first
Friday the 13th bears little resemblance to
what it would become in the popular conception. It's much more gritty
and the violence has a cruel edge to it. The is a dour horror film,
there is very little humor or levity of any kind. Its cheap look
works to its advantage, blending with the grim atmosphere to create
an air of doom. The movie isn't really an innovator, many of it's elements have come before but it does pull them all off with a level
competency that keeps it interesting none the less. This is one of
the rare slashers that plays on the identity of the killer and
actually has a reveal that comes as a surprise and has genuine
impact.
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