Friday the 13th (1980)

Director:

Sean S. Cunningham

Writer:

Victor Miller (written by)

Release Date:

9 May 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

On Friday The 13th, They Began To Die Horribly, One......By One (UK - Theatrical Tagline)

Plot:

At Camp Crystal Lake, a group of young counselors begin to get ready to lead guests in the summer. Unfortunately for the counselors...

Plot Keywords:

Slit Throat | Gore | Voice Impressionist | 1970s | 1950s

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Betsy Palmer	...	Mrs. Pamela Voorhees
Adrienne King	...	Alice Hardy
Harry Crosby	...	Bill
Laurie Bartram	...	Brenda
Jeannine Taylor	...	Marcie Cunningham
Kevin Bacon	...	Jack Burrell
Mark Nelson	...	Ned Rubenstein
Robbi Morgan	...	Annie
Peter Brouwer	...	Steve Christy
Rex Everhart	...	Enos the Truck Driver
Ronn Carroll	...	Sergeant Tierney
Ron Millkie	...	Officer Dorf
Walt Gorney	...	Crazy Ralph
Willie Adams	...	Barry
Debra S. Hayes	...	Claudette

Also Known As:

A Long Night at Camp Blood (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

New Zealand:R16 | Portugal:M/18 | Finland:(Banned) (1980) | Hungary:18 | Finland:K-18 (2002) | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Canada:R | France:-16 | Iceland:(Banned) | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM18 | Mexico:C | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 (DVD rating) | Norway:16 (heavily cut) | Norway:18 | South Korea:15 (DVD uncut version) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) (1987) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Blairstown, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Georgetown Productions Inc.

Trivia:

Sean S. Cunningham has been quoted as saying that the type of actors that he sought for the film were "good-looking kids who you might see in a Pepsi commercial."

Goofs:

Continuity: The close up shots of Claudette singing show her legs crossed, but the long shots show her legs spread apart.

Quotes:

Crazy Ralph: I'm a messenger of God. You're doomed if you stay here!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Pretty Cool (2001)

The original horror classic!

In 1980, two years after "Halloween" scared the hell out of everybody, "Friday the 13th" was released to theaters. This was a clever knockoff of the John Carpenter horror classic, only this one was more violent and gruesome. That aspect turned critics off big time. But moviegoers couldn't resist. They flocked to see this movie and made it a big hit. I never saw this film on the big screen because I was only 9 years old when it came out. After I saw it on cable a few years later, it scared the hell out of me! It doesn't scare me that much today, but it's a far more effective horror/thriller than the last five movies in the series (parts 5 through 9). They should have stopped making these "Friday the 13th" movies after the fourth film, which was subtitled "The Final Chapter". And you know what's even scarier, they're making part 10. "Friday the 13th" was the beginning of the sick slasher genre that played out during the early 1980s. The first films in both the "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th" series' were easily the best. "Halloween" was a great horror film. "Friday the 13th" isn't up there with "Halloween", but it's a well-crafted gorefest.

*** (out of four)