52. Friday the 13th; movie review

 

FRIDAY THE 13TH

Cert 18

91 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong violence and horror

Kevin Bacon was in Friday The 13th? Well, that took me by surprise.

In fact it was the main shock from a movie which I spent the last four decades avoiding.

One of the joys of the everyfilm quest is when fantastic movies are re-released. However, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I wouldn't consider every old picture to be a classic.

I have never been into slasher films. But for completeness sake, I was faced with the slicing up of teenagers at Camp Crystal Lake.

Sean S. Cunningham's movie is considered by many horror fans to be a genre milestone but it could also be argued that, when it was released in 1980, it merely rode on the back of the success of Halloween.

They are peas out of the same pod. Randy teenagers having fun curtailed by a crazed killer who is rather precise with a sharp knife.

The opening scenes are at the camp in 1958 when the rumpy pumpy of two camp counsellors is interrupted with a savage slash-murder of both.

Twenty-one years later, Steve Christy (Peter Brouwer) has spent thousands on re-opening the derelict camp despite its reputation among locals of being cursed.

He has hired half a dozen teenagers (including Bacon and Adrienne King) to cook for and counsel the kids who are due to arrive within days.

They are high on hormones and plenty of flesh is bared before the maniac arrives.

The problem is that the storyline is one-dimensional and the dialogue and delivery are terribly stilted.

Was that deliberate? If so, why?

Apparently, Bacon, is embarrassed by his relatively small part and I can understand why.

I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it even if I had seen it in 1980 but it certainly didn't pass the test of time.

Reasons to watch: 'Classic' horror

Reasons to avoid: Clunky dialogue and ham acting

Laughs: None

Jumps: Two

Vomit: None

Nudity: Yes

Overall rating: 3/10

Did you know? According to folklore historian Donald Dossey, the unlucky nature of the number "13" originated with a Norse myth about 12 gods having a dinner party in Valhalla. The trickster god Loki, who was not invited, arrived as the 13th guest, and arranged for Höðr to shoot Balder with a mistletoe-tipped arrow.

The final word. Adrienne King: "“Mrs. Voorhees really slammed my head into the sand! It was a fight to the death on the beach! NO holds barred! Both of us were pretty battered & bruised after that long night." Indie Mac User

Share this post