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| Director: | Sean Cunningham | Plot: | 20 years after a pair of brutal murders, Camp Crystal Lake is being rebuilt for re-opening. As the camp counsellors arrive to finish the preparations, a mysterious stranger starts to kill them one by one. Could Camp Crystal Lake be cursed and indeed be "Camp Blood", as nicknamed by locals. | ||
| Writer: | Victor Miller | ||||
| Starring: | Betsy Palmer | ||||
| Adrienne King | |||||
| Kevin Bacon | |||||
| Genre: |
Horror |
Cert: |
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Critic - |
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Review:
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Friday the 13th does not suffer from the slasher
clichés that plague so many "horror" movies these days, partly because Friday The 13th invented a majority of these
clichés. From excessive sequelling (say some), to boobs and bums, to unstoppable killers, this is a
cliché ridden joyride of a film. Lacking the blatant brutality of it's sequels, and the sheer creepiness of Halloween, Friday The 13th had to rely on inventive deaths and remote setting.
Although essentially a slasher movie, the atmosphere created is more of remoteness. The setting means that no help is readily available, and the counsellors are picked off one by one, using impressive, and at times unseen, methods. The score isn't haunting, as is with Halloween, but more adrenaline induced, a noise rather than a melody, mixing perhaps breath and heartbeat. It adds to the remote feeling, and is unsettling when mixed with voices in the distance, or the noises of leaves underfoot.
The atmosphere owes a lot to the score, and also the impressive, if at times unsteady, camera work that allows us first person views without making it as obvious that it is such. The acting is standardly below par, with pretty faces and slim bodies replacing talent and presence. This is nothing new these days, but it was the start of a trend that has long continued. You don't need the heroin to be a great actress, just a busty one! The exception is Betsy Palmer, who portrays her character with a convincing, and un-nerving, steadiness. Her eyes tell her characters story, and you can see blood in them. The only other appearance of note is a very young Kevin Bacon, although he isn't used much and dies after sex. Nothing new again, other than it is disturbing seeing him bump uglies! Friday The 13th packs a lot of punch for it's simple premise, and can stand shoulder to shoulder with Halloween and A Nightmare On Elm Street as a grandparent of the slasher genre. It's entertainment is found in atmosphere and death scenes, rather than character and plot development. It hit's the right brain area, delivers a few shocks, a Carrie-esque scare and a maniacal killer, and all in a compact running time. Recommended viewing. |
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