Slasher classic "Friday the 13th", directed by Sean S. Cunningham, written by Victor Miller, was surfing the wave of success created by "Halloween" (1978), but took the genre to the next level.
The tactics of repeated, short bursts of blunt, bizarre graphic violence on screen had been explored before, in Italian gialli, esp. "Ecologia Del Delitto" / "Reazione A Catena" ("A Bay of Blood", 1971). "Friday the 13th" takes the slick approach of what could be thriller made for TV, but adds spikes of gory violence, with some little hints at the supernatural, and maybe the psychedelic. But most of all, it does all of that in such a way, that the brutal murder scenes become the focal points of the movie. The story is good enough to drive things forward, and build suspense - then the violence comes from out of nowhere, it happens center screen, well lit, well laid out, just long enough so the viewer can take it all in and start screaming, only to calm down and wait for the next surprise to happen.
There's a certain rhythm to "Friday the 13th" that hasn't been seen before. Where previous films would slow down and explain, "Friday the 13th" just enters the next round of build-up to some youngsters getting punished for their little sins in somewhat creative ways.
It's a gory mid-budget horror film, that is probably best seen as a comic strip for grown-ups, so it's not precisely profound. In fact it's very blunt, and has more in common with "Blood Feast" (1963), than with the subtle "Psycho" (1960).
Which is its biggest quality: Very much like "Evil Dead" (1981), it does not pretend, it delivers. "Friday the 13th" is simple, to the point, superficial, but not stupid. The movie puts its focus on the thrills, but it has a rudimentary story
that actually matters. Technically, it's very solid filmmaking, sometimes inventive and stylized, but not arty or experimental. The acting and imagery overall is great default material, with the
occasional subjective camera thrown in, or some creative-bizarre shots and edits.
The jump scares are numerous, and the gore scenes are spectacular to
this day. The haunting music created by Harry Manfredini is one of a handful of elements that give the movie a very sophisticated, almost "classic" Hollywood touch. Some mature camera work when required, and the appearance of actress Betsy Palmer, are two other such elements indicating good old handicraft.
This film isn't an intellectual piece of art, that should be obvious by now. It doesn't want to educate. (Or, only in a very crude way.) It's entertainment, and it's very well done. "Friday the 13th" hits the sweet spot between heavy and dumb, it's quite literally the textbook definition of the kill-em-one-by-one slasher. It's a must see for all horror geeks and gore hounds anyway, but not just for collector's value or common knowledge - it's also an easily accessible, and exciting horror movie.
44 years after release, there are far more elaborate, daring, or gory slasher films than "Friday the 13th", but it still stands out as one of the most recognizable, well rounded, and effective.
Verdict: The slasher's slasher. 7.5/10
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080761/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th_(1980_film)
Trailer video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xqqej9T2gqI
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