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Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Here's where you learn the rules for surviving horror films
Review: Once upon a time, in 1957 to be exact, a young boy named Jason drowned at Camp Crystal Lake. The following summer the teenagers responsible for Jason's death were all murdered at the camp, which was closed down. Now it is 1980 and the camp is being reopened by Steve Christy (Peter Brouwer), but as the new batch of teenage counselors are preparing the place they too are being murdered one by one. As Randy from "Scream" would tell you from beyond the grave, there are certain rules to surviving a horror film and they are all pretty much laid out in "Friday the 13th." This crude but effective seminal splatter flick stars Adrienne King as Alice, destined to be the sole survivor of the reign of death, with Betsy Palmer as Mrs. Voorhees and Kevin Bacon as Jack Burrell. This 1980 film was directed by Sean S. Cunningham, who would end up doing the screenplays for pretty much all of the films in the series. Even more so than John Carpenter's "Halloween," Cunningham established the use of the camera to make the audience look at the killer's intended victims from the perspective of the killer. Perhaps more importantly, the victims were regular kids, just like the teenage audience, and their only crime was that they were interested in sex (e.g., the tamest strip poker game in cinema history). I first saw this film in Champaign-Urbana, where there happens to be a Crystal Lake. Seems nobody wanted to go picnicking after dark there anymore after this film was released...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Sh-sh-sh-ah-ah-ah-ki-ki-ki...
Review: Slasher flick classic about a group of teenage summer camp counselors in training that are methodically stalked, terrorized and ultimately killed off one-by-one by a mysterious, hulking, revenge-driven killer.

Theatrically released in 1980 by Paramount Studios in an attempt to cash in on the popularity of the enormously successful 1978 independent motion picture "Halloween", "Friday the 13th" became an instant hit among teen audiences and has, to date, led to an astounding 8 sequels (the best of which are "2", "3" and "5"), with a 9th ("Jason X") to be released sometime in 2002.

Highlighted by some of the most elaborate special effects in horror film history (designed by the one and only Tom Savini), a genuinely creepy soundtrack by composer Harry Manfredini (who can forget that catchy little theme), a hauntingly eerie storyline loaded with atmosphere, and the motion picture debut of Kevin Bacon..."Friday the 13th" is truly a horror film/slasher flick classic that shouldn't be missed by any of the genre's true fans...or anyone for that matter.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Truly scary and entertaining!
Review: One of the best slasher flick I have ever seen has the killer being a woman not a man takes place at a camp were the killers kid, JASON was left for dead.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awesome The Original
Review: My review May Have spoilers

It is a very good movie that begins with 2 counselors in 1958 being killed then cut to credits. That scene was chilling alone. Then a character named Annie gets screen time that makes it seem she will be the heroine or survivor. She is trying to get a ride to Camp where she will be a cook. She hitches a ride with the wrong person. She is chased into the wods and killed. Then we see all the counselors at camp. Bill, Alice, Brenda, Jack, Marcie, and Ned with their boss Steve who leaves for town. Then systematically most are killed Ned is Knifed then Jack is arrowed then Marcie is stalked in a bathroom where she is axed. Then Brenda is killed offscreen. Leaving Alice and Bill at camp.....ALONE. Then Steve comes Back but is you guessed it stabbed. The lights go out so Bill goes to the generator. Alice makes coffee and is alone she waits then gooes to look for Bill. She finds him dead. Arrowed to a door.

Alice is freaking out when a body is thrown through the window. Then Mrs Voorhess "an old friend of the Christy's" comes.

SPOILERS

She is revealed as the killer. She is angry that her son drown in 57 so she is taking revenge on all of the counselors and after a suspenseful chase after Alice. Alice gets a Machete and chops the hags head off. She gets in a boat and the next mornuing is pulled under water by jasons young corpse. She wakes in a hospitol and then the movie ends.

Overall a great scary movie

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Paramount plays with their scissors again ! .
Review: The "Friday" films are much better horror movies than people/critics usually give them credit for, because there's plenty of atmosphere and tension. (I also find the series way scarier than the "Elm Street" nonsense with its dream character Freddy.) I'd hate to call these "Friday" movies realistic, but in a way they are, as there really are crazy stalkers and psycho killers like Jason out there. Bad blood apparently runs in the Voorhees family, and that makes the shocking conclusion especially creepy for first-time viewers. Too bad Paramount couldn't resist a bit of censorship in the decapitation scene, trimming the gore, no doubt, for the less accustomed "Scream" crowd. (-Come on, it's even uncut on the old British video version !.) This unwise behaviour from Paramount, the lack of DVD extras, and the fact that they've never bothered to letterbox it until now, just goes to show that the studio never really cared much for their "Friday The 13th" series. Their embarrassment of the series is quite strange, afterall, the movies were extremely succesful world-wide. So what's the idea of trying to make them more accessible to a modern audience this way ?. This is an insult to the true fans, and no better than when George Lucas CGI-messed with his already brilliant 70s hit "Star Wars". (A good idea might actually be to sell or license the films to a company that'll care more, like, Anchor Bay.) I fear for the most violent of all the films, the recently DVD-released "Friday The 13th - Part 3", and its very gory "butchered-boy" shot. (-If it's missing from that DVD; I, for one, am not going to buy it and bitching to Paramount will be in dire order.) This DVD however, has a superp picture quality with a sharp image, and it's great to finally have it in widescreen.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Terrific Horror. DVD Is Not Half Bad!
Review: Friday The 13th was made after the success of John Carpenter's "Halloween", which was made in 1978. "Friday The 13th" was written by Victor Miller and directed by Sean S. Cunningham. I agree with a few other reviewers, I don't find the movie nearly as suspensful or scary as "Halloween", but it's still a very fun movie.

It starts up at Camp Crystal Lake, in 1958, where two teens, Barry (Willie Adams) and Claudette (Debra S. Hayes) are slashed up by an unknown assasin. Due to this incident, the camp is closed down for four years, before it's reopened in 1962. But, that opening is unsuccesful, because the lake's water is poisoned! Then, in 1964, they try, yet again, to reopen the camp, only to be faced with a mysterious fire! So, they give up and shut down the camp for almost twenty years. But then, in 1979, Steve Christy (Peter Brouwer) decides to reopen despite the objection of the townsfolk. He spents 25,000 dollars trying to get the place in shape, and spends one whole year cleaning it up, and building the cabins. Then, in 1980, a group of seven counselors are heading up to Crystal Lake to help Christy out. This group includes, Alice (Adrienne King), Marci (Jeanine Taylor), Ned (Mark Nelson), Brenda (Laurie Bartham), Annie (Robbi Morgan), Bill (Harry Crosby), and Jack (future star Kevin Bacon, in his third movie role). They're all pretty excited to be going up to the camp, but pretty soon they're not gonna be. You see, this unknown killer is very angry for some reason that this camp is being opened again. Who will survive the night? Watch and see!

Friday The 13th, despite lack of good reviews and lack of a plot, is a fun watch. The actors all seem to know that they're in a bad movie, and end up having more fun with they're parts. The charecters are purely cardboard, but I don't mind. I really love Harry Manfredini's score, which sounds a lot like the score for Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho". Manfredini would go on to do every sequal (except for Part VIII, Jason Takes Manhattan). The murders aren't nearly as gory as most people say (if you want gory murders, see the director's cut of Jason Goes To Hell The Final Friday), but the makeup effects are still fine, by horror makeup master Tom Savini (Day Of The Dead, Friday The 13th The Final Chapter, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2). The most popular murder is undoutebly Mr. Bacons. He gets an arrow through the throat (if you play it in slow motion, you'll notice a big glob of blood shoots into his mouth).

This DVD is actually much better than most fans credit it for being. If you're a true fan, you'll appreciate the theatrical trailer, the scene selection, and the terrific picture quality of the movie itself. It's also really hilarious to watch the film in french. An also, you may notice tw things about the movie itself. Annie's death (slit throat) is about five seconds longer, and shows her falling to the ground before the typical flash of light. And The Killer's death (I won't say who the killer is, but rest assured, it's NOT Jason) is a small tad longer. These extended murders are uncredited, but they're there!! My compliments also go to Paramount for the terrific picture they've offered to us. Throw out your VHS, this picture is REALLY good (the DVDs for Part 2 and 3 are good too, but 4 isn't that good). Some people complain that the sound's mono, but I barely even notice.

I really recommend that you by this movie, even if you have the video. The picture makes it worth the price alone. If you enjoyed this film, I'd reccomend Parts 2, 3 ,4, 6, and 9. The rest are fun, but not nearly as good.

If you found my review helpful, please make sure and vote for me. Thank you very much!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: This is quite the thrill ride.
Review: A little different than Halloween and The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th is a new take on teen horror. It isn't as good as its predecessors, but it is original and full of thrills and chills. The villain is utterly unexpected. Another thing that is neat is that you are constantly in shock over which of the campers is the main character, so you never know who will live and who will die. The death scenes are inventive and not cheesy or stupid in any way. This is a definate must see if you are into the horror genre.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: A good flick when you're bored.
Review: Friday The 13th. . . I first watched this movie 2004. Yup, waited that long. Of course, I read reviews and did my 'research'.

Well, for starters, don't believe any of the hype about the movie. Yes, it was probably scary compared to the movies of it's time. But now a days, it's a boring flick, with poor murder scenes, and unrealistic blood/injuries.

Basically, Camp 'Blood' is re-opening, and so on Friday the 13th, the counselors get murdered one by one. It's a predicatable plot, up to who the murderor is.

The only thing it really has going for it is the basic interest of who gets murdered when. Don't get me wrong. If I was reviewing this movie when it first came out, it might have received 5 stars. But compared with the films of today, it's a low-throttled slasher film, only worth watching when you're bored. Don't expect to see believable murder scenes or terror incarnate. if so, this film is not for you.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The one that started it all.
Review: As a huge fan of the series, all nine films are decent, in their own respects. My opinion of what a horror movie should be greatly differs from what most people would. I think you should be scared, but at the same time entertained. Hence, why I favor the "Scream" trilogy over "Halloween" any day. "Friday the 13th" used to scare the hell out of me when I saw it (over and over again) as a nine-year-old kid. And still, I liked routing for the killer to do off with its next victim in whatever gruesome sequence the filmmakers had in mind. It's flat out entertaining to scream with a bunch of your ill-experienced, sex-deprived friends whenever the big-breasted girl gets stabbed in the shower or speared through the neck.

And yet, the film shows its age. After seeing it a billion times, it no longer has the effect I desired so long ago. I favor the later films, as the make-up got better, and Jason Voorhees became an unstoppable force of nature. Sure, the series by definition is hokey, and every major film critic and aficionado point out the garbage presented by the terrible sequels, but that's what makes a franchise like this such a fun watch.

With the original "Friday the 13th", camp councelors re-open Crsytal Lake, unaware of the dangers that plagued it in the past. One by one, they're offed by a mysterious murderer, and in typical 80s horror fashion, the bodies are all revealed to the survivor by the end. Other than the bloody make-up and crude cinematography, there's no real magic going on, but who said there ever was? It's a subject of a once-great genre, that reflects the more-recent stock of teen-horror that graces our culture today. And as it is the original "Friday", it's safe to make the claim that it did inspire many of the cliche films that copied it, much as "Halloween" did two years before. It's a benchmark in the genre, and love it or hate it, it pretty much started it all. Besides, if you hate this movie, you may as well hate the entire slasher genre to begin with.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Friday the 13th
Review: If your into horror watch this.The film has great death scenes, a good plot, and decent dialogue.The music is great and the ending is extremely suprising.Some of the characters are memorable while others are just stupid and you wanna see them killed.Make sure to check this one out.Despite repeated warnings to stay away, a group of fun-loving but none-too-bright teenagers set out to reopen the eerie Camp Crystal Lake, which closed 20 years earlier after a series of bizarre and unexplained deaths. Now someone is lurking in the woods, spying on the happy campers, and plotting a gory, grisly revenge on those who would disturb the camp's slumber.
(8/10)


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