Review: Friday the 13th Part I Deluxe Edition

Posted by Robert Fure (robert@filmschoolrejects.com) on February 10, 2009

Day two of our week long celebration takes us back to the very beginning.  The year is 1980 and director Sean Cunningham along with writer Victor Miller are attempting to make a few bucks by producing a low budget rip-off of Halloween with a touch of Carrie at the end – their words, not mine.  Considering how prevalent the franchise became and remains, it’s somewhat alarming at how the series began.  According to the creators of the franchise, Friday the 13th was approached not out of a desire to tell a story, but out of the need to make up a story to make some money and fit a clever title.  Had it been up to them, Jason Voorhees would have remained a mere dream, a footnote to the series.  Thankfully, things went differently and here, about 30 years later, we’ve got Deluxe Editions of the first three films coming out with nifty slipcovers and cool special features.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave without basic cable these last 30 years, you know of Jason, but a surprising amount of people remained in the dark about the original movie, which has nothing to do with hockey masks or a zombie like killing machine.  Rather, the story focuses on a group of young camp counselors working to re-open Camp Crystal Lake, aka Camp Blood.  There, years before, a young man by the name of Jason Voorhees drowned while inattentive camp counselors were off making love rather than watching him.  Ever since, the camp has had a death curse upon it, and this Friday the 13th proves to be no different as the young men and women at Camp Crystal Lake soon find themselves on the wrong end of very sharp objects.  In the interest of preserving the surprise for the 12 of you who haven’t seen either this film or Scream, there is a twist ending I won’t address.

Kills

You don’t go on to spawn eleven sequels, a horror icon, and earn the wrath of Roger Ebert without racking up a body count.  Don’t get too comfortable with any of the faces you see – ten people don’t make it out alive.

Ills

The weapon of choice this go around is not the ubiquitous machete, but rather a similarly mean hunting knife.  There are plenty of stabbings, a few slit throats, and a couple of arrows find their way into some wrong places.  Among the best kills are an ax to the face and a slow motion decapitation by, yes, yes, the machete.

Lust

We get a few ladies in their panties, some of the girls decline to wear bras, and we do get to take a glimpse at some boobs.  For the ladies, you can see some Kevin Bacon butt.

Learning

Always listen to Crazy Ralph.  Always.  Maybe one day people will also learn to avoid Camp Crystal Lake and other abandoned summer camps.

Review

What can you say about a film that, despite barely featuring the character, spawned a global legend?  Time has definitely moved on, as has the franchise, making the original Friday the 13th a different sort of beast.  It’s not the ultra-violent film that some would believe nor is it an intense or gripping piece.  Watching it 30 years later, some might wonder what the big deal was.  But the film should and does have a special place in many of our hearts for what it eventually gave us.  That said, the film does hold up reasonably well.  It takes its time in many ways, slowly moving towards a surprising and unexpected climax and a burst of violence.  I say it moves slowly, but its more of a calmness than a slowness.  Teenagers start dying immediately and expire at a fairly consistent rate throughout the film, but the deaths are not rushed or frantic, rather they’re sneaky and over quickly.

Remembering what the film world was like 30 years ago paints an even brighter picture of Friday the 13th, especially in regard to Tom Savini’s special effects work.  The blood is always fun, the kills are always well done, and the climax is pure awesome.  Musically, this slasher is not only memorable and recognized worldwide, but it’s also rather unique.  The score really only comes up with the presence of the killer and is notably absent during all other moments, virtually until the credits roll.

This deluxe edition comes “uncut” with a few extra seconds of footage that you’d be hard pressed to pinpoint.  The special features are short, but worthwhile, including interviews with the cast and crew, footage of a reunion, and a “Lost Tale” which is a short inspired by Friday the 13th.  If you don’t already own a copy of this classic, you should definitely pick up a deluxe edition – they’re bargain priced and worth it.  Friday deserves a home in every collection, as part of cinema history and as a still effective 80s slasher.

Fun Fact: In this installment, Camp Crystal Lake is located about 10 miles away from Hope, New Jersey, which is in North New Jersey, near the Pennsylvania border.  This information is gleaned from the townsfolk who direct hitchhiking Annie towards Camp Crystal Lake, which is about 20 miles away.  A trucker takes her halfway (hence the 10 miles) and drops her off in front of the Hope, New Jersey cemetery.

Feel free to discuss Friday the 13th below.

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