Friday the 13th (1980) - 6 stars out of 10

Friday the 13th (1980) - 6 stars out of 10

Perhaps I rated this film higher than I typically would because of a low expectation, but I can definitely see how this film has become one of the classic slasher films. Friday the 13th has an interesting concept that lacks clever realization and falls pretty flat as plot is sacrificed for killings. I understand that the first-person killing provides a lot of the mystery and intrigue of this film, but it takes away from the film, especially when they cut away at unnecessary times to imply the murders instead of showing them. I must admit, Kevin Bacon's death was pretty incredible but the killings start to get old about halfway through. It's just one after the other without much plot development to separate them. I was pretty upset that Robbi Morgan was killed so early on. She was probably the best character in the film and the film would've benefitted to have "the sweet girl" persevere a bit longer. I would be remiss if I did not bring up the parallels to the movie Psycho, particularly some of the musical themes and one ENORMOUS spoiler that I will not discuss. Overall, Friday the 13th makes a great date movie as it is less graphic than many modern slasher films, but provides just enough horrific imagery to keep you on edge.