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Friday the 13th
(1980)
One for the fans! Made in 1980 and even then looking
backward (to the 1950s), this omigod-you-have-to-see-it horror milestone
will be familiar to people who know this sort of thing. And if you
don’t, it’s not a bad place to start.
It’s summer and Camp Crystal Lake has a new owner who
wants to revitalise the place after it has been closed for years. The
counsellors come early to prepare. Unfortunately, one by one their
numbers are cut. The super-natural mystery is never quite solved. The
fun in this decidedly R-rated flick is the killing scenes and the lulls
of false security in between. We know their relaxation is transitory; it
is a slasher movie and should be enjoyed as such!
Friday the 13th
does what the genre, and presumably American culture, demands: the
fusion of sex and violence. More precisely, sexuality (of the wrong or
any kind) is dangerous because it takes our eyes off what we should
be doing. The resulting distraction proves deadly—it is a fitting
punishment for daring eros.
After all, Jason Voorhees (who famously makes various
filmic reincarnations!) only died because his counsellors were
caressing each other instead of supervising his lake swim. How is a
mother (Betsy Palmer) supposed to cope with such betrayal?
The 2-disc special edition has the film with numerous
language subtitles, sound in Dolby 5.1 but also mono (the original film
was mono). It has commentary by director Sean S Cunningham, a making-of
and a trailer. The second disc has a cast reunion, ‘new recollections’,
a bio doco on Cunningham, Lost Tales from Camp Blood Part 1, and
‘vintage featurettes’.
This is, all in all, a romp of a good time to be had
between consenting adults. I opted not to watch alone and a damn good
choice it was. Having your mates along for the ride is definitely
recommended. There is plenty of eye-candy and perhaps the most repellent
aspect to arise is the question, Why O why would anyone kill a young
Kevin Bacon?
Felix Staica |
