Friday the 13th(1980)

 


Forget about the remake, this is the original and the only Friday the 13th. This is where it all began. This movie is directed by Sean S. Cunningham and it is a horror classic. This paved the way for many slasher films along with Halloween(1978). It should not be disregarded because it was cheaply made. This movie is a real treat for horror fans.

















It begins in 1958 with two summer camp counsellors at Camp Crystal Lake who sneak away for a bit of nooky and end up getting killed by an unseen person. The film shifts to Friday the 13th in the present day and a girl, Annie(Robbi Morgan) goes into a restaurant and asks for directions to Camp Crystal Lake. The people in the restaurant are surprised and an old man, Ralph(Walt Gorney) warns her that everyone who goes there is doomed. Annie gets a lift from a trucker and she is told the story of a young boy who drowned in Camp Crystal Lake before the original murders happened. Annie gets another lift from an unknown person in a jeep and she runs away from the person but is ultimately murdered.
Meanwhile, at the camp, the counsellors are showing up. There is Ned(Mark Nelson), Jack(A young Kevin Bacon), Bill(Harry Crosby),Marcy(Jeannine Taylor), Brenda(Laurie Bartram), Alice(Adrienne King) and the owner of the place, Steve(Peter Brouwer). They are setting up the place and Steve leaves to get more supplies as a storm is coming. People start to turn up dead as the killer is around the camp and is picking them off one by one. When Steve comes back, he is killed too, but he seems to recognise his killer. The lights turn on outside and Bill and Alice go to see what's going on. They return to find a bloody axe in Brenda's bed. Of course, the phone is dead and their car won't start. The killer cuts the lights and Bill goes to find the generator. Poor Bill is pinned to the door by arrows by the killer and he is found by Alice who is alone now. Brenda's body is thrown through the window and she panics.















She hears a car outside and she thinks that Steve is back unaware that he is dead. It is Mrs. Voorhees(Betsy Palmer) who says she is a friend of Steve's. Alice spills the beans about what has been happening and she tells her that everyone else is dead. Mrs. Voorhees seems shocked at the sight of the bodies, but then it comes out that she is the mother of the boy, Jason, who drowned in Crystal Lake all of those years ago. She holds the counsellors who were messing around at the time responsible for his death as they didn't save him. She begins to turn nasty. It turns out that she is the one responsible for the deaths in the camp and that she has no intention of stopping any time soon. She lunges at Alice with a knife and Alice has to run away from her.It turns into a game of hide and seek and Alice tries to get away from the maniacal mother with a machete. She finally gets the better of her and decapitates her with her own weapon. She gets into a canoe and she floats to the middle of Crystal Lake. She is suddenly attacked by the rotten corpse of Jason and dragged under water. Then, she wakes up and finds that she is having a nightmare after being pulled out of the lake by the cops. She is in hospital and they tell her that everyone else is dead, but that they didn't find any boy in the lake. Alice shudders as she imagines that he is still out there, waiting for his next victim....

This movie is one of my all-time faves for obvious reasons. I love slasher movies and this is one of the best. It is eerie and creepy and,while it is cheaply made, it is very well- done. I will give this one a 9/10. This is a real classic horror movie and it is a must for anyone who loves a good slasher flick. I have seen the trailer for the remake and I ain't impressed!