Friday the 13th (1980)

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Of all the Friday the 13th movies, the original still stands out as the best of the bunch. Despite only appearing on-screen for less than a minute, Jason still leaves his mark as a major entity within the film. The movie’s symbolism works on every level possible. I especially love that the killer seems to strike swift and hard with an oncoming storm. The look of the campground is beautiful and haunting. The fact that the killer’s face is almost never seen throughout the film, until the very end of the movie works in its favor. I like the idea that it’s essentially a guessing game as to who the killer is. Despite all these things the movie has going for it, there still are some problems that the movie can’t escape. The characters are flat. It’s obvious they’re just there to die. The actors playing the counselors (including Kevin Bacon) aren’t very good. Walt Gorney is too over the top as the town crazy. Betsy Palmer is the only person to come out of the movie with a memorable performance, but she also overacts. While Friday the 13th has its flaws, it also most certainly has its merits. 

7 / 10