Delayed Reaction: Friday the 13th

The Pitch: Halloween, but not.

A group of teenagers are killed one by one as they try to re-open an abandoned summer camp.

I have some weird horror gaps. Most are tied to 80s horror, because I don't care much for slashers. In that subgenre's defense, my distaste is a result of the legacy of bad sequels and even worse rip-offs. The originals almost all have a gem of an idea to start with. Friday the 13th was looked at as a more violent rip-off of Halloween when it first came out. I know that Siskel and Ebert railed against the movie hard.

I'll agree that Halloween is better. Better final girl. Better filmmaking. Better score. Better villain. Friday the 13th has its own charms though. I like the simplicity of it. The isolated settings makes it much more plausible. The third act twist and the surprise ending are both awesome. I'm certainly curious enough now to see Part 2. I know it's the beginning of the end, but I really want to see more Jason in action.

Verdict: Weakly Recommend