Saturday the 14th (1981)

User Rating:

3.5/10   

Director:

Howard R. Cohen

Writers:

Jeff Begun (story)
Howard R. Cohen (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 October 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror

Tagline:

Just when you thought it was safe to look at the calendar again.

Plot:

A Family moves into a house inhabited by scary creatures and a number of close calls ensue.

Plot Keywords:

Book | Creature | Spoof | Monster | Shark

Cast

Richard Benjamin	...	John
Paula Prentiss	...	Mary
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Waldemar
Severn Darden	...	Van Helsing
Kari Michaelson	...	Debbie
Kevin Brando	...	Billy
Rosemary DeCamp	...	Aunt Lucille
Stacy Keach Sr.	...	Attorney
Nancy Lee Andrews	...	Yolanda
Carole Androsky	...	Marge, the Real Estate Broker
Roberta Collins	...	Cousin Rhonda
Paul 'Mousie' Garner	...	The Major (as Paul Garner)
Annie O'Donnell	...	Annette, the Next Door Neighbor
Thomas Newman	...	Cousin Phil
Allen Joseph	...	Uncle Bert

Runtime:

75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor) | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Ryder Sound Services)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Norway:15 (video premiere) | UK:15 | USA:PG

Company:

New World Pictures

Quotes:

Yolanda: Oh, look. Isn't that that boy Bavarian from Budapest?
Waldemar: No, that's a fruit bat from the Philippines.

Movie Connections:

References Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Eh, it's OK

I'm sure every movie buff has heard of Roger Corman. If it weren't for him we wouldn't have such cult classics as The Little Shop of Horrors, Rock 'n' Roll High School, and the Slumber Party Massacre trilogy. This film, like those, is low budget, has a mostly unknown cast of up and comers, and is a bit corny. It also was not produced by Roger Corman, but by his daughter Julie who would also go on to produce the in-name-only sequel Saturday the 14th Strikes Back. But that's another review, so what of this first installment?

Pros: The pace is fast. The cast does OK and at least seem to be into it. Things like the opening credits sequence and sight gags like eyeballs in the coffee have a certain campy charm. The house is pretty creepy, especially in the nighttime scenes. Fans of the Universal monster movies and 50s Sc-Fi movies will get a kick out of some of the monsters.

Cons: First of all, this movie totally fails as a horror spoof. All the humor falls flat and is beyond dated. There are clichés galore, including fog, thunder and lightening, and bats in the attic. Most of the monster suits are cheap looking. The low budget really shows at times. For example, one of the characters becomes a vampire, but has no fangs when they try to bite someone's neck. Had they run out of money? The characters do and say some really stupid things, but I blame the writer. Finally, the plot is as thin as tissue paper.

Final thoughts: Now I've always been a lover of movies so-bad-they're-good, and sympathetic towards no budget films, but unfortunately this one just isn't memorable enough to warrant many viewings. Had the budget been higher and the script tweaked a bit this could have been a blast. I guess if you love Scooby Doo, which I do, then you might have some fun with this.

My rating: 2/5