FRIDAY THE 13th
The wellspring.  To put it kindly.

The one that started it all, obviously. That it would spawn sequels was inevitable - it was, after all, the second-biggest hit of the summer of 1980 (behind only The Empire Strikes Back). But who knew it would spawn so many? So many that revolved around a non-character that was barely in this movie anyway?  

Bottom line - Friday the 13th is an above-average slasher flick with some creepy moments and great gore (courtesy of Tom Savini). Nothing all that special in the end, but hardly worthy of the derision it?s attracted (didn't Siskel and Ebert give away the ending on their show as a protest against this kind of film?). 

The plot concerns a summer camp that's being re-opened after ten (twenty? Thirty? Hell if I remember) years - known as "Camp Blood" because of the murders that closed it down in the first place. A bunch of prospective camp counsellors arrive in advance, and of course some maniac knocks 'em off. Of course you knew all this, but what's the point of the review unless the plot is mentioned? 

Kevin Bacon's here, along with Bing Crosby's kid (although I have no idea who he plays here). The only really hot chick barely gets any screentime, and we last see her getting tossed through a window. I won't give away who the killer is (as if you don't already know), but when the villain is revealed, we're treated to a ham-fest of Urban Legend proportions. As an added bonus, this has Crazy Ralph, the always beloved character that hollers "I warned you!" from the sidelines.

  The gore's lovely (axe in the face, arrow through the back of the neck) - I'd like to hear some specifics on just what the uncut version has that this doesn't. 

  Goofiest murder: when one guy is found pinned to a door with a bunch of arrows. This guy is something like two feet off the ground - how exactly did the killer do this? Shoot him when he was leaping in the air? 

Also contains the only "shock" effect that ever made me jump again and again and again no matter how many times I rewound it. I just couldn't pick out any cues to exactly when Jason was gonna leap out of the water. Box art for this movie is absolutely gorgeous - I don't know if the original posters were like that. 

Overall, it's mostly noteworthy for its effect on the genre than merit unto itself; while this is in no way as good as Halloween, it is every bit as responsible for the slasher craze as its superior predecessor was. Some movies are must-sees regardless of how good they are or aren't - I'd say that Friday the 13th is very likely one of them. 

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