October Fright Nights: Friday the 13th
Ellis watches 'Friday the 13th' for the first time in Fright Night number 3
My third fright night comes later in the month, and as we draw closer to Halloween the added spookiness comes from the whooshes of wind outside and the obligatory creaking that your brain seems to imagine when enduring a scary movie. Friday the 13th is a film I know nothing about! I would assume - and hear me out here - that the events of the movie take place on a Friday the 13th, but apart from that, I know nothing.
To read the first Fright Night article click here: https://www.focusfilms.online/post/october-fright-nights-night-of-the-living-dead
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Fright Night Film: Friday the 13th
Release Date: 1980
Directed by: Sean S. Cunningham
Starring: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bertram, Jeannine Taylor
Successful Jump Scares: 1
CREEPINESS
There's a creepy amount of intercourse and testosterone throughout. But besides that there's nothing to make your skin crawl; the twist at the end leads to some creepier moments but I wasn't reaching for a cushion to hide behind.
STORY & PLAUSIBILITY
The story is simple yet decent, but an audience isn't given enough time to root for any of the characters, making it harder to invest in the goings-on. So often in this the characters accept defeat and scream before they've even met their pointy end, and why is it that teenagers in horror films have the guts to be stupid so often?!
CINEMATOGRAPHY
There are some shots using scratchier cameras but it's fairly uninventive. The visuals are basic and any conceptual cinematography we see, feels familiar. For example the handheld camera shot at the beginning feels like a cheap version of the opening of Halloween.
MUSIC
It doesn't add much to the film for the most part, but a more uplifting piece of the score is played towards the end to add a sense of hope and freedom.
PERFORMANCE
All the actors are melodramatic however not necessarily in a fun way. Those who are stronger performers don't stay around long enough to make an impact, and those that do ride it out until the end became a little annoying with repeated reaction noises and stupid decision making.
Friday the 13th available to Rent or Buy