I first review the Friday the 13th series as a whole, and later in this write-up I get into the movie of the same name (the first in the series). As I watch the other Friday the 13ths, I will node them. If you have any fun facts or comments, let me know.
Warning, spoilers abound.
Since
Jason X was released recently, I finally decided to watch the damned series. I have abstained from horror movies for many a year, and I am just getting into the groove of things. Hopefully this will cast a fresh perspective on everything for you fellow noders.
Friday the 13th is one of the most famous genre-defining classic
Horror movies. Often equated with
A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th came out a full 4 years previous. In fact, there were a total of 4 films in the Friday the 13th series when the first Nightmare came out.
Sleepaway Camp, another movie that follows almost the exact same plot as Friday the 13th, also came out 4 years afterwards. I guess 1984 was the big Horror year.
Over the course of 22 years, a total of 10 Friday the 13th movies have been produced. The nearly indestructible Jason has survived many beatings. I will get more movie-specific in their respective nodes.
- Friday the 13th (1980)
- Friday the 13th Part Two (1981)
- Friday the 13th Part Three (In 3-D!) (1982)
- Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
- Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)
- Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
- Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
- Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
- Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
- Jason X (2002)
TOTAL BODY COUNT: 169 (In
Jason X, more than 200 kills are credited to him, however.)
Some interesting notes about the movies in the series:
- Somebody dies in the rain in every single movie.
- No children have died in any of the movies, with the exception of Jason himself drowning as a kid.
- Every movie has the line "I'll be right back" at least once.
Now, the first movie of the series:
Friday the 13th (1980) -
Weasello Rating:
{>>--} (OK) {{
Sequel }}
Jason Injury Count: Jason doesn't actually make an appearance, but his mom is beaten over the head several times and knocked unconscious thrice. She was then decapitated. No further injuries.
Body Count: 9
The Plot: The story itself is pretty basic; Jason was an 8-year-old who drowned on a camp lake while the camp counselors were
gettin' it on. Jason's Mom exacted revenge and murdered the counselors in question. Years later, when the
camp finally re-opens, the murders continue... Yadda yadda yadda, insert pulp horror here.
One the most surprising things about this, the first installment of the 10-part-series of Friday the 13th, was that Jason himself was not a major role. In fact, Jason had a grand total of around 10 seconds of screentime, mostly flashbacks. In a twist that was very odd for 1980, Jason's
Mom was the killer.
At the end of the movie, the lead character jumps into a canoe and floats to the middle of the lake, presumably to have a peaceful nap after the whole ordeal has ended. She wakes up the next morning when the police come to pick her up, and in a surprising twist... A young, rotting, boy-like object leaps out of the lake and drags her under. The movie then fades in with her at the hospital, the sole survivor, and with a huge opening for a sequel.
Notes:
- I feel I must mention that two people died within 5 minutes of the movie start time - we waste no time on plot!
- At least one snake was harmed during the filming of this movie. Hacked into bits, it was.
Lead roles:
Also Known As (
IMDB):
Long Night at Camp Blood, A (
1980) (US Working Title)
Sources: The oh-so-wonderful IMDB, my head, and the box.