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Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Memorable Horror
Review: Well, I was not born an English Major, and in younger days I was bitten by the Friday the 13th bug pretty bad. Now I can rate it as an English Major. In this specific episode in the series, the events DO NOT pass plausibility. (That is one plus.) Two, even if we ignore the pre initial credit scene, the start of the movie is done well. An innocent girl is going for her summer job, people in town get upset when she mentions the name of the place, and finally a friendly trucker explains why the people got upset, and the strange events at the camp. Wonderful! (If I were making this movie, I probably would have deleted the 1st murder scene for purpose of suspense.) The scenery is well done, and the counselors at the camp also have heard some of the bad rumors. The tension is then released, and we get to know the eventual victims. (Another plus!) Then the murders start (as we probably guessed they would) but we don't know who is doing it. (Another plus!) They lead us to suspect the owner, but he is killed and thus cut off the suspect list. (Another plus!) Then things continue to get worse and we even see the murderer and get to know her a little before we realize she is the killer. (Another plus!) Then the final hunt and chase begin. If you want to be scared, try this movie.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Decent Halloween knock-off.
Review: Though admittedly a HALLOWEEN clone and certainly a B movie on many levels, F13 is actually pretty scary. It genuinely evokes the age-old fears of the dark and of isolation without being condescending to the audience. Sure, the characters are of the cookie cutter variety(including a young Kevin Bacon), not allowing for any great amount of audience sympathy. However, the campground setting and Harry Manfredini's eerie score go a long way toward setting up an atmosphere of malevolence and foreboding. Tom Savini's spfx are top-notch and certainly not for the faint of heart. The ending is pretty shameless but don't let that deter you from seeing this film. It just might provide you with some chills on a cold, rainy day.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The one that started it all
Review: This was the first in a series of -count 'em- 9 Friday The 13th movies ahead, the most recent being made in 1993. (Friday The 13th X is being scheduled for release next summer.) i'm going to have to go with the cliche saying of movies with many sequels; this one probably is the best one. However, this is not the only one worth seeing in the series; parts 4, 5, and 6 were quite good as well. (i have yet to see parts 7, 8, and 9.) The movie is pretty easy to follow. 7 sexually charged teenagers along with Steve Christy are working to open up Camp Crystal Lake after a 20 year dormant period, of which was cursed with fires, murders, and bad water. In 1957, a young boy drowned while two counselors were making love, but were supposed to be watching the boy. The following year, the two counselors were brutally murdered. Ever since, Camp Crystal Lake has a "death curse", and few have made it unscathed. In the "scare-factor" department, this movie somewhat does its job. It's more gruesome than scary, with make-up by the legendary Tom Savini. The music score, with the ever-famous "chi chi chi ha ha ha" sound is very creepy and sticks in your head. The flaw comes in the scripting and acting; sometimes very pretentious. The people who starred in this movie were either up-and-coming, unknown, or an older celebrity. The most memorable role is played by Betsy Palmer-Mrs. Voorhees, who turns out to be Jason's mother. A young Kevin Bacon also plays the role of Jack, 4 years before 1984's "Footloose". Virtually all the other actors in this movie were pretty much unknown at time of release, and still are not very known 20 years later. However, the toon loony Crazy Ralph, played by Walter Gorney, is a memorable and even comical role, although it is quite short. Whereas i definitely recommend getting this one, i advise viewers to just see it as sort of a "fun" horror film; in other words, don't be looking for depth here. Words of wisdom: Jason is NOT the killer. Also...Jason doesn't get his hockey-mask until part 3.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best Horror flick of all time!
Review: This is with out a doubt the best horror film ever made. I don't think I need to tell the story since everybody's probably heard of this movie, but if you're looking to get scared - this will do the job. Watch out for those windows - You never know what could come through. This is right up there with Halloween.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not really entertaining
Review: Friday the 13th is a verry boring movie. I first watched it when I was 10 and even then I wasn't scared. Good FX, that must be said, but the only excitement comes almost an hour into the movie. Jack gets speared and Marcie gets an axe in her face. Alice sees all her dead friends and goes nuts. Then Mrs. Voorhees comes to the scene. First you will think that she is innocent, but she goes crazy after she tells the story about Jason. A great final (not as good as part 3)and then Mrs. Voorhees gets her head chopped off. 3 stars for the final, if the whole movie was as good as the final I would have given it 5 stars.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Landmark splatter movie given short shrift on DVD
Review: In the wake of revisionist splatter movies like "Scream" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer", it may be difficult for today's audiences to imagine how much the modern horror genre owes to Sean S. Cunningham's seminal splatter movie "Friday the 13th" (1980). Borne from the success of "Halloween", Cunningham's film reworked the template set down by John Carpenter, placing a group of vulnerable teens in an isolated location (in this instance, a run-down summer camp plagued by a series of unexplained 'accidents') before unleasing a deadly, unstoppable force against them. Cunningham underlined the element of mystery and suspense by hiring makeup wiz Tom Savini - fresh from his groundbreaking work on "Dawn of the Dead" - to stage a series of elaborately gruesome set-pieces. This potent combination knocked mainstream audiences sideways, and the film was a huge success, spearheading a wave of independent horror films which dominated movie screens in the early 1980s and spawned a slew of sequels and rip-offs which continue to this day, to a point where the original film has become somewhat lost in the shuffle.

Viewed objectively, "Friday the 13th" is perhaps a little too slow-burning for its own good. Victor Miller's one-dimensional script allows the gory murders to punctuate a labored narrative which takes too long in setting out its meagre stall. Too much time is wasted on petty details - characters make coffee, wander in the woods, hunt for snakes in the cabins, etc. - while a ubiquitous Evil Presence lurks ominously nearby. However, once the stage has been set and the mayhem begins, this deceptively simple premise comes into its own, and Cunningham cranks up the tension for a show-stopping finale which raised terrified audiences from their seats duting the film's initial run. Production values are functional but effective, distinguished by Harry Manfredini's instantly recognizable score ("ch-ch-ch!") - a memorable variation obn "Psycho"s shrieking violins- and Barry Abrams' unobtrusive cinematography, which makes a real virtue of the woodland locations. The cast includes a young Kevin Bacon and Harry Crosby (Bing's grandson), and Walt Gorney parlays the cliched character of 'Crazy Ralph' (a prophet of doom) into something of a cult figure. But the show belongs to veteran Betsy Palmer as Mrs. Voorhees, an old friend of the camp's owner, whose arrival late in the film gives the proceedings a much-needed kick up the backside. Oh, and watch out for Ari Lehman, making the kind of splashy entrance that most other movie stars would kill for...

If the never-ending slew of sequels has robbed the film of its initial impact, then it's nice to see it on DVD where it can be enjoyed by new generations, though Paramount's region 1 disc contains a curious hybrid print which appears to have been culled from more than one source. The shot at 0:22:17, which was oiginally curtailed for US audiences, has now been fully restored, which is cause for celebration. But what Paramount giveth, Paramount also taketh away - the villain's comeuppance has been severely curtailed, thereby losing much of its impact. The rest of the movie is the same R-rated print which played in US theaters, shorn of some of the gore which features in the European and Japanese version of the film, though Paramount has not been forthcoming on the reasons for the DVD alterations (the disc runs 95m 3s). To add insult to injury, this anamorphic (1.85:1) print is simpy TOO DARK, obscuring a wealth of details during night scenes (the bulk of the movie!) which are plainly visible in the accompanying trailer - the results are truly awful. At least the two-channel mono sound is clean and forceful, but that's no compensation when you're struggling to see what the hell is going on! Captions are provided. All in all, Paramount would be well advised to licence this title to another company which would lighten the contrasts and restore it to its unrated glory at the earliest opportunity. As it stands, four stars for the movie, two for the DVD presentation.

Over the years, "Friday" has been a useful tool for critics to bash the horror genre, citing it as an example of all that's bad in modern moviemaking. Even the trailer seems to have its tongue firmly embedded in its cheek ("You may only see it once, but that will be enough!"). But for all its faults, the film has aged gracefully, and the shocks and scares still have the power to take unwary viewers by surprise. The DVD is a worthwhile purchase, but it's a long way from being the definitive version of this landmark splatter movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Friday the 13th (1980).
Review: Written and directed by Sean S Cunningham, Starring Kevin Bacon...Make-up: Tom Savini. This early trendsetter spawned 8 sequels and set a new type of standard in the slacher genre. This bloody tale is about some youngsters camping around the area of Christal Lake. But what they don't know is that the camp has a curse, namely Jason's curse. Jason is(that most of us know) a young kid that drowned back in the 50's wile the dreadful teenagers made love. Now he is back for revenge, or is it his mother?

What more can I say then that this movie is amazing. Sean S Cunningham takes the genre one more step further then Halloween and adds a simple revenge story but whit a great touch of atmosphere and loads of gore. Fx guru Tom Savini gives us some truly terrifying death scenes (who can ever forget Kevin Bacons harpoon trough the chest scene) that really deliver entertainment to us dark souls. The Psycho inspired music and the dark settings give Friday the 13th a creepy stile. This is a historic flick in horror history that any serious fan of the genre should add in there horror collection. Many people underrate this kinds of films. I suggest you don't. Those people are boring moralists that are all to small minded. This flick deserves to be a classic as much as Psycho or Silence of the Lambs.

Earn your self to see this blockbuster. You will have a lot of fun seeing it (trust me). Remember this was one of those movies that started the hole area of 80's horror.

Rating: 5 stars of 5 possible.

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: "And then the rain turns to blood"
Review: Friday the 13th is chock full of life lessons. Don't have premarital sex. Don't hitchhike. Don't go to a summer camp with a bloody past. Don't ignore strange old men on bicycles who go to great lengths to warn you of imminent doom. Don't investigate strange noises. The list could go on if I felt like typing it. But the point is for what it's worth this movie is a damn good Horror movie that explores the dangers of Strip Monopoly and recreational drug use in gory style. For its time (the year I was born folks) the death scenes were truly original, the fear very real and the suspense level very high. And that wonderful soundtrack! Obviously this series has a hold on the American psyche (or they wouldn't be making number ten) and with good reason. An all out horror fest with the death toll high and the fear intense. All alone in the woods with a killer loose. Jason says kill them all! Well, sorta.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: get high!!
Review: GREAT MOVIE TO WATCH WHEN YOUR STONED.....when your sober movie suxz like most horror movies!!


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