Friday the 13th (original) Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: After closing due to a series of murders over twenty years ago, a summer camp is about to be reopened when the murders begin anew.

Review: I've been waiting like all year to get into this franchise since I already knocked out "Halloween" and the Nightmare films. Well, we finally have a month with a Friday the 13th so you know what that means! Let me begin by saying I will often refer to this series as the "Jason" movies or shorten things to "F13" for practical reasons. Actually, of the main slasher franchises, this is probably my least favorite because of how repetitive the sequels are with so little to set them apart considering there are 11 of these bad boys (not counting "Freddy vs. Jason" since I already reviewed that). Besides this, the original was an obvious and blatant "Halloween" ripoff only made famous by the iconic twist to the identity of the killer. Honestly, if you take away the coolness of the twist, I can almost guarantee you this film would have faded into obscurity. But, it has the twist, so it doesn't matter. Now, let us delve into the depths of this ridiculous franchise!

The story is nothing to write home about that's for sure. Once upon a time...at Camp Crystal Lake twenty years or so ago, some kid drowned and then the following summer two camp counselors were murdered. In present day (which looks too much like the '70s) the camp is about to be reopened by the son of the owner as he has brought his counselors in two weeks early to finish the final repairs. The characters represent the typical fodder that would become a staple for the franchise: pot heads, horny couple, good girl, etc. Thankfully no one is so annoying you can't wait for them to die, but, at the same time, no character is that interesting that you will be invested in their well being; you hardly even come to know the lead, Alice. Modern audiences should take notice of Kevin Bacon in an early role that I'm sure he'd love to forget, although I don't know why. There is an attempt to present the killer's identity mysteriously as we are given red herrings pointlessly, but this is a complete failure because every single cast member's whereabouts can be accounted for during multiple kills! The kills are decent enough but nothing spectacular as a few are off screen. By the end, everyone is dead except Alice which would pretty much rule out every suspect anyway besides Crazy Ralph. Wait, you're telling me you don't know who Crazy Ralph is?! Well he's just the best character in the whole damn franchise! First name: Crazy. Last name: Ralph. Fuck "Freddy vs. Jason" it should have been called "Crazy Ralph vs. Jason!"

Okay, let's just get into it. After tremendous buildup, it is revealed that the killer is actually a woman named Mrs. Voorhees, played excellently by Betsy Palmer. A woman...no, it can't be?! She was never really a character in the film so if you were trying to guess the identity of the killer, you just wasted you're time, fool! Yes, she's not the first female killer out there, but she is the first of her kind in this sense. Considering her strength, or lack thereof, when fighting Alice, I really don't know how she killed everyone and hid their bodies, but okay. Her motive, if you will, is that she continues to blame camp counselors for the death of her son, Jason, who drowned all those years ago while the counselors were fucking around. What makes her so iconic though, besides the fact that no one was expecting a female killer, is her crazed personality as she believes she is talking to Jason's spirit; she expresses this by saying things like "Get her mommy!" in a creepy, high pitched voice. Going one step further, Mrs. Voorhees' defeat is awesome with a slow-motion beheading and then the final scare of Alice dreaming that Jason's ghost jumps out of the lake and pulls her under. In other words, the last 20 minutes or so completely make up for the mediocre setup with a memorable payoff. Finally, this should go without saying, but Jason is not the original killer and what makes him look deformed and mentally disabled is supposedly hydrocephalus.

So what do we really have here? For the most part, this film plays out merely as a mediocre "who done it" film except that you can't actually guess the killer which is somewhat disappointing. The characters are forgettable and as one dimensional as they come; Alice gets the most attention and we don't know a single thing about the girl except that she likes to draw. Even the deaths lacked creativity and are mostly sparse until they all come at once. The acting, pacing, and cinematography all could have used some major polishing, but I can forgive most of this due to the low budget. But what made this film become so successful and turn into one of the biggest franchises with a shitload of sequels? Well, the musical score, as simplistic as it was, added to the atmosphere just as it worked so successfully for "Halloween." I mean, seriously, who hasn't imitated that breathing-like sound the music makes? Even though the red herrings are useless, any kind of guessing game with the identity of a killer keeps an audience interested in the story. And, of course, the revelation that not only was the killer a woman, but that she was completely nuts in the best of ways, transformed this film into an instant classic. Undoubtedly, if it's your first time viewing this film, you will be surprised by discovering Mrs. Voorhees is the killer, and the final scenes are cool and close the film out strongly. Obviously I recommend this film since it's slasher 101 and essential horror viewing, but unlike "Halloween" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street," I don't feel the first entry is the strongest in the franchise. I would have given this movie a 6/10, but I had to give bonus points for my friend Ralphie!

Notable Moment: Virtually any scene with Crazy Ralph since he pretty much stole the show. Gotta love after telling everyone "you're all doomed" repeatedly, he casually rides off on his bike. Pure shenanigans at work.

Final Rating: 6.5/10