It might be surprising, given that I blog on the regular about horror books, that I'm not a horror fan by trade. Not that I have an issue with the genre, it just never leaps out at me like comedies do. It's something I wish to amend. And, given that Friday the 13th the date has arrived, I could start my endeavor into horror with a look at its first movie. A film described by one Bart Simpson in 1990 as "pretty tame by today's standards." And while Bart was definitely right about that, it doesn't discount the movie much as it's still a solid movie. Perfect, no. Solid, oh very. As someone who really waffles on the horror genre and am starting acclimate myself to it, I think a movie like this is the perfect starting point.
Written by Victor Miller and produced/directed by Sean S. Cunningham, Friday the 13th was created as a way to capitalize on the burgeoning slasher genre that kicked off with John Carpenter's Halloween. The plot is standard fare even for its time. Set up a bunch of teens in a secluded area, let things get wild and silly, then have them taken out one by one. And our cast, for the most part, are likable enough that you do hate to see them get killed. Victims of circumstance who didn't deserve the fate they got. Maybe Ned did though. The prankster character who you aren't too choked up about if he gets offed. Speaking of offed, I like how the movie sets up the kills for the most part. How we never see the killer until the reveal in the climax. How the killer can be easily mistaken as someone trustworthy, easy to let your guard down on before they murder you. Add in the iconic sound effects and music and it all still works well enough. Especially the kills we do see on screen. Kevin Bacon's arrow to the throat is still freaky to look at all these years later. Although, come on, given how much Ned sucks, him getting an off-screen death feels hollow. At least we see his slit throat? I guess that equates to equivalent exchange?
For as much as the movie's focus on kills and suspense are the most important parts, I really loved the look of Camp Crystal Lake itself. Small, secluded camp area in the woods. Just very pretty and pristine. That sort of "beauty to the wilderness that only movies of that era can really make pop' sort of feel. In a blog review that probably should focus more on the gore, I'm more willing to talk about pretty lakes and foliage. No wonder I like the art of Tim Jacobus' Goosebumps covers. Also just a feeling of nostalgia for an era I wasn't yet born into. From the clothing and hair to those fat beer bottles that look more like medicine bottles than ones you'd drink liquor from. I'm a sucker for things that were commonplace of the era but when looking back at it from decades after the fact just make me wish I was there. Well... not actually there while a maniacal mother could murder me, but you get the idea.
Honestly, I think if there is an ultimate mission statement for this review in particular, it's to amplify how great Betsy Palmer is as Pamela Voorhees. Portraying a mother who is justified with her grief over how her son Jason died due to the negligence of the teen counselors in 1957, while also going into the deep end, so traumatized that her mind has snapped, believing herself to be controlled by Jason to kill the new counselors. And she puts on an excellent tour de force in the role, making for the best part of the movie by far. So great is her role that it just makes me more angered when I remember that Gene Siskel once doxxed her for this movie, giving her address away in his angry review of the film like it was Betsy's fault for anything. No, don't go after director Sean Cunningham (no, seriously, nobody should have gone after Cunningham either), but attack an actress acting in a film. No wonder I liked Ebert more.
What makes Pamela such a great horror villain is that there is enough of a muddied water as to if her killing spree is justified or not. The movie sets up well enough that Pamela has constantly ensured that Camp Crystal Lake never reopened and that the Christy family never get a chance to reopen "camp blood" through the multiple tragedies that took place. Then you get the scene where Ned in particular screws up by pretending to drown at the lake, which does give Pamela enough of a reason to want to slay these kids. Which is a shame because, aside from Ned, they're all likable enough. Especially Annie, the first victim, who the movie seems to start with, making you believe she's more pivotal to the movie, only to kill her off so soon. As someone who has only watched bits and pieces before that one did catch me off guard. So props for that. Also, the real protagonist, Alice, is one I liked and for our focus of the movie feels like a character you want to see make it to the end.
I will say the biggest problem I have with the movie is that it does stall a lot. Not even in a way that builds the mystery in an interesting manner. Thankfully the stalling still works well enough to add to that tension. That the killer may just be around the corner. And I can appreciate slower builds to kills over more excessive murders a minute affairs. Though that may be more my ADHD talking when it comes to slower paced movies not keeping my attention. Also given that this blog's intention is to make me sit down and watch more movies on a regular basis, I may as well get used to getting more comfortable with pacing in general. Definitely a me thing there.
Overall, I liked this movie a lot. Does it hold up perfectly? Probably not, which is why it isn't as high a rating as you'd expect giving my glowing recommendation. I want my final rating to be more how I feel the movie holds up as a whole and not just my own biased opinions. You can tell this is still very amateur hour with these reviews and I'm trying to improve along the way. Which helps as, for someone still going in blind to a lot of the genre, it's a good first step forward in making me interested in the horror genre as a whole. Plot moves well enough, the horror and suspense works, the villain is great and the gore we get still feels impressive to this day (Even if the Kevin Bacon arrow kill does feel cheapened thanks to higher definition). It's also very interesting to see a franchise before it really kicks off. Before Jason became the main villain and not the brilliantly done jump scare at the end of the film. Aside from pacing issues and a bit of a clunky feeling, the good still outweighs those issues. I'll definitely be coming back to these as my interest is piqued. Hopefully I don't take until the next Friday the 13th to get to it.
RATING: ***1/2
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