Friday the 13th
Directed by Sean S. CunninghamA group of teenage camp counselors attempt to re-open an abandoned summer camp with a tragic past, but they are stalked by a mysterious, relentless killer.
- Oʂɯαʅԃσ RσყҽƚƚMarch 8, 2026'Friday the 13th' may have been panned by critics when first released but since then it is one of the most famous and influential horror films, the franchise containing one of horror's most iconic villains. The film is popular enough to become a franchise and spawn several sequels of varying quality and generally inferior to the one that started it all of.
- Jacob O’NealJune 11, 2025In honor of the upcoming date of Friday, June 13, 2025 I have decided to rewatch and review all 12 Friday The 13th movies. Sean Cunningham, producer of Last House On The Left, directed this film after looking for what he said could be a Halloween rip off. He took elements of the slasher genre that was in its infancy at the time, some influence from mystery films (one could argue Giallo movies specifically) and cast a bunch of fresh faces. But before he could do any of that, he needed money. So he took out a full page ad in Variety magazine with the title and a tag line telling them it was the scariest movie ever made. The plan worked and he got funding. The story revolved around a group of young camp counselors at a summer camp being stalked and killed by a psychotic. Notice I didn’t say “Jason”. Jason was the son of a former camp employee. He was playing in the lake one day when the counselors too busy getting busy to pay attention. Jason drowned in Crystal Lake. Years later they reopened the camp and kids start dying. This movie is far better than it has a right to be. Perhaps it’s looking at it through a nostalgic lens where I see all the tropes the film developed and built upon. The movie was cast with young and attractive people. One of which became very famous - Kevin Bacon. The make up effects person had already built a name for himself with Dawn Of The Dead, but Tom Savini became a rock star in the horror world after this. The movie was so influential that it is hard to remember that there is a somewhat decent mystery/slasher film underneath.
- NickyjamesJuly 23, 2025Slightly diminished through the lens of time and with the of what came after it there's still a lot to love with this first entry. It's not my favorite in the franchise that probably goes to part 6 or maybe even Freddy versus Jason, but this is summer camp cabin type horror in top form. It goes by very fast and is fun to watch other than the part where they actually kill a snake on film. That really hinders my enjoyment . But with everything this is one of the greatest slashers of all time if not only for what it opens the door for.
- Gianni CavuotoOctober 6, 2025Is this the scariest movie you will ever see, no. Will it be burned into your soul forever and ever, no. But take a half a step back and understand that slasher movies were still in their infancy and still trying to work out what they were. I know people were scared in 1980, but in 2025 we are all desensitized to brutality. It's a good start to a long running and iconic franchise. I'm watching all of them this October for the first time and I can say I hope they get better. Hahaha.
- tellumNovember 10, 2025The twist ending makes the whole movie, and is done in such a way that they somehow had the forethought this could be franchised. However the body of this film is pretty bad even for the time, things like lighting effects that are supposed to be lightning but look like someone just strobing a flashlight at the actors, and the horribly clumsy choreography for the final fight, are all just so inept. Halloween came out a couple years earlier and is better in almost every way, so a standard had already been set and this movie fails to meet that. But the ending is still well executed and there is a reason it’s the only thing people really remember.
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Friday the 13th Trivia
Friday the 13th was released on May 9, 1980.
Friday the 13th was directed by Sean S. Cunningham.
Friday the 13th has a runtime of 1h 35m.
Friday the 13th was produced by Sean S. Cunningham.
A group of teenage camp counselors attempt to re-open an abandoned summer camp with a tragic past, but they are stalked by a mysterious, relentless killer.
The key characters in Friday the 13th are Alice (Adrienne King), Mrs. Voorhees (Betsy Palmer), Jack (Kevin Bacon).
Friday the 13th is rated R.
Friday the 13th is a Horror, Mystery, Thriller film.
Friday the 13th has an audience rating of 6 out of 10.
Friday the 13th had a budget of $550K.
Friday the 13th has made $39.9M at the box office.