Here we have the second of our Big Three. It's kind of funny that I post these in reverse to when they came out, but it wouldn't do to have my review of Halloween two days before! While it's true that Halloween set up a bunch of the conventions to slasher films, I think that Friday the 13th refined the process a bit. It ups the ante on the amount of kills in the film, it adds a "Prophet of Doom" in Crazy Ralph (possibly the first Prophet character ever), and it hides the identity of the killer throughout all of the film, until the very end. The "through the killers eyes" camera does well making you wonder if we're just seeing a regular shot like in any normal film, or if we're seeing what the killer sees. There have been times in the film where I wondered, myself.
The film opens on Camp Crystal Lake in 1958. After a gathering of the campers to sing, two of the counselors, Barry and Claudette, sneak off to have an intimate moment together. Heading up the stairs in an equipment shed, they're making out when they hear a stair creak. They get up and turn to the stairs and see someone watching them (we see this through the unseen person's eyes). Barry starts to explain himself when he receives a stab to the gut. Claudette panics and heads to the back of the loft, trying to keep something between her and the unseen assailant, but to no avail. After this opening sequence, and the credits, we head to the present day (as present as 1980 is, at least), with Annie, the newly hired cook for the about-to-be-reopened Camp Crystal Lake. When she asks directions in the local diner, all eyes turn to her like she said something foul. Once given a ride (and encountering Crazy Ralph, who warns her that she's doomed if she goes up there), she heads for the camp...
Getting to see this again was fun, though the experience was slighly marred from watching it during the day. Lots of shadows do not really lend themselves to daytime viewing, especially when all you see is a flashlight beam! I did enjoy the film, as I said it was an interesting viewing. Tom Savini worked on the special effects and make-up for this film, and even did a little stuntwork. The only scene I really have a problem with is where the counselors kill a snake in a cabin. Other than that, a great watch and a great piece of slasher film history.
Adrienne King played Alice, who's talked into staying at the camp for the summer to help out in restoring it. She almost didn't take the part, but later decided to, and she also reprised her role in the sequel. Following her appearance in these, she had some issues with a stalker, and so she dropped out of filmmaking for a number of years. In 2008, she was at first offered a role in the Friday the 13th remake, but then was told they weren't going to have any previous actors appearing in the film. She did go on to play parts in Walking Distance and Silent Night, Bloody Night: The Homecoming. Kevin Bacon plays counselor Jack who's brought in to help restore the camp, as well. He's had a long and storied career, with appearances in Animal House, Footloose, Flatliners, Tremors, The River Wild, Hollow Man and the TV series The Following. Betsy Palmer played Mrs. Voorhees, a role she reprised for the second film. She also was a regular panelist on I've Got a Secret, and has starred in The Fear: Resurrection and Bell Witch: The Movie.
Altogether, a true classic that still is as effective today as it was when it first came out. I give it a 4 out of 5. Tune in tomorrow for the last of the Big Three... it's Halloween on Halloween! As always, take care of yourselves, and this is Red Hawk signing out!
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