Director:Â Sean S. Cunningham
Starring: Betsy Palmer,  Adrienne King,  Harry Crosby,  Laurie Bartram,  Mark Nelson,  Jeannine Taylor
Running time:Â 95 mins
Rating:Â 18
Availability:Â DVD and Blu-ray
It is 35 years since Sean S. Cunningham‘s original FRIDAY THE 13THÂ graced cinema screens and began a legacy of terror that endures to this day. Even in repertory cinema, the series still attracts a big audience.
The original film was conceived in the shadow of HALLOWEEN (1978) and writer Victor Miller admits that he watched John Carpenter‘s classic iconic film to get a sense of what was involved. That shouldn’t demean the impact that his own screenplay and vision has had over the years, as FRIDAY THE 13TH, quite rightly, has emerged as a highly original and enjoyable offering in it’s own right – and a must-watch for this Halloween if you are looking for the right choice.
It is significant in horror history as one of the first independent films of it’s kind which was snapped up by a major studio (Paramount in the USA, Warner Brothers in the UK under the defunct distribution arm of Columbia-EMI-Warner) and did brisk business in 1980 behind THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK on its initial release for a low-budget horror film. This template has remained true to many of the horror offerings released today.
The plot is simple. Camp Crystal Lake, in the state of New Jersey, is the scene in 1958 of a terrible tragedy, as two camp counsellors are murdered by a mystery assailant. 22 years later, enterprising businessman Steve Christy is attempting to open the facility, now nicknamed ‘Camp Blood’ by the locals, and enlists the help of several young enthusiasts, among them a young Kevin Bacon (four years before FOOTLOOSE) and Harry Crosby (the fifth son of legend Bing and sister of Mary, who appeared around the same time in DALLAS on TV) . They have to contend with all sorts of unwanted attention, notably from the town weirdo Crazy Ralph (Walt Gorney, in a stand-out horror genre performance), before the events of 1958 begin to repeat themselves and a bad storm hits in the midst of the camp…
FRIDAY THE 13TH still endures today, partly due to the fact that the actors on show create a naturalism in the performances that is very rarely seen, save in the best examples of the horror genre. The low budget and natural setting, like most of the key classics of horror, lend a greater sense of menace to the proceedings.
The ace-in-the-hole still remains make-up artist Tom Savini, who was coming off DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) at the time and helped director Cunningham to create some great moments to behold, right up to the very end.
Composer Harry Manfredini also elevates the film above and beyond the standard, with his weird and wonderful compositions, described by one critic around the time of it’s release as ‘like Bernard Herrmann’s PSYCHO, but with only half the orchestra’.
The Blu-Ray edition features a batch of terrific extras as follows: a great audio commentary, a 2008 horror convention reunion with the cast and key crew members – plus informative featurettes chronicling the making of the movie, the effects processes and an online link to the Warner Bros website. This is a worthwhile addition to any horror fans collection.
If you are looking for additional background information on the film and the sequels, then check out author Peter M. Bracke‘s excellent hard-back history of the series, CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES (he can also be heard during the audio commentary on the disc).
Little else to add to this, except to enjoy where it all started. If you are newbies and the film leaves you wanting more, sequel-wise FRIDAY THE 13TH PART III (1982) and FRIDAY THE 13TH – THE FINAL CHAPTER (1984) are the stand-outs, the latter also containing excellent make-up effects by Savini.
