Friday the 13th - 1980

Two years after Michael Myers made us afraid to babysit on Halloween, and four years before Freddy Krueger started making us afraid to fall asleep, we took a trip to summer camp and learned how terrifying of a place that could be. 1980 saw the release of a film that, I am not going to lie, stopped me from ever going to summer camp. The first film in the franchise that spawned 9 sequels, a crossover with “Nightmare on Elm Street’, and a TV series. With a beautiful location, wonderful use of lighting and sound, there is a great atmosphere throughout this film.

Set at beautiful Camp Crystal Lake, the camp is just reopening after a 22-year closure after a tragedy. The film is set on the date of June 13, 1979. The newest group of counselors arriving to set up the camp to prepare for the first batch of campers. Where most films use music to set the tone throughout, composer Harry Manfredini made the decision to only use music when the killer was present as to not “manipulate the audience." It could be noted that the lack of music can help attribute to some of the jump scares in the film. Most people believe that the sounds used when the killer is on the screen are “Chi chi chi, ha ha ha’, but it is “Ki, ki, ki, ma, ma, ma’ which will make sense as you work your way through the film.

The film was actually filmed on location at a boy scout camp in New Jersey. The only way they were allowed to use the campground was to make a sizable donation to the Boy Scouts of America. The camp is called No-Be-Bo-Sco and is still an operating camp to this day. They have a Friday the 13th wall of memorabilia to commemorate the fact the movie was filmed on-site. Come to find out the camp had a very famous neighbor, rock star Lou Reed actually owned property nearby and would visit from time to time and played for the cast and crew as well and just hang out with them during the filming. Due to the sight already being an established campground, the crew only had to build the bathroom set.

When this film was released it was not at all well received. One of the harshest critics of the film was Gene Siskel, of Siskel and Ebert fame, he called Sean S. Cunningham “One of the most despicable creatures ever to infest the movie business.” as well as giving away the ending of the film during his review. He was also so angry at Betsy Palmer’s role in the film, which angered many of her fans, he published her address in his magazine, encouraging her fans to write and protest her. There was only one problem, he published the wrong address. He and his partner, Roger Ebert, slammed the film during a special edition of “Siskel & Ebert” called “The War on Women” focusing on misogynistic slasher movies. All this actually did was boost ticket sales. Leonard Maltin initially gave the film one star but later changed his mind and gave it one and a half stars because ‘it was slightly better than Part 2.”. Retrospective reviews were much more positive. Praise for the score, make-up effects, and Betsy Palmer’s role, though the film did draw criticism for the script and lack of character development. James Kendrick gave the film a high score of 3 out of 4, calling it a “campfire boogeyman story designed to do little more than build tension and deliver a few well-timed shocks, which it does with precision and even a bit of artistry.” Kevin Carr praised the film saying that “what makes the movie work is that the slasher genre hadn’t been set in stone yet, and some choices that director Sean S. Cunningham makes in the film that work against type.”

One thing that really helps the film even though there is little to no real character development is that the cast does play well off each other and there is a believability for their youth. As well as the carefree playfulness of being blissfully unaware there is a killer in their midst. Though some cast members were more eager to be a part of the film than others. It is rumored that Betsy Palmer had said that if she had not needed a new car she would have never taken the part. In fact, after reading the script, she called the film “a piece of shit’. Even though she was only involved in filming for 10 days at a thousand dollars a day. This is also said to be the film that did for Kevin Bacon what “Nightmare’ did for Johnny Depp, although unlike Depp, this was not Bacon’s first film.

A fun factoid about this film is that it was filmed in the days before PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals for those unaware of the acronym). There is a scene with a real snake in a cabin, that Tom Savini thought would be a great scare. And the snake is actually killed onscreen. It was a one-shot take for that and the poor owner of the snake was off to the side of the set, mourning the loss of their poor snake. Because of this fun fact, the film actually scores higher on the death scale because it is actually an onscreen death. Alright, I previously praised the cast for their youth and ability to make rather underdeveloped characters likable. Should we talk about them? I think we should.

We will start with the ladies of the film. First up is Alice, played by Adrienne King. Adrienne actually auditioned for the roles of Brenda, Marcie, and Annie before she was cast as Alice and it was her scream that really cinched the role for her. The original plan was to make Alice a recurring heroine in the series, much akin to Laurie Stroud in the “Halloween” franchise. However, when a fan of the film stalked King during the original opening of the film, King expressed interest in no longer being part of the franchise. The tiny, delightful actress does not have many films on her resume. Before her role that earned her a place in the memories of horror fans everywhere, she had a few uncredited roles in films like “Saturday Night Fever” (1977), and “Hair” (1979). After her role as Alice, she went on to have roles in “All American Bully” (2011), “The Butterfly Room” (2012), and “Silent Night, Bloody Night” The Homecoming” (2013). Currently, she is slated to be part of the announced film, “William Froste” with Miko Hughes (Pet Sematary and Bill Moseley (House of 1000 Corpses). Though there is no release date or much of anything known about this film. But for our purpose, she plays Alice, the quiet young woman who is one of the counselors at Camp Crystal Lake. Though it never outwardly spoken of, it is implied that she is having some sort of relationship with camp owner Steve Christy. The most wholesome and innocent looking of the group, she is very reminiscent of Laurie Stroud in several ways.

Next up is the beautiful and talented Betsy Palmer. With a career that spanned 50 years, starting as a TV actress in series like “Danger’ (1953), “Inner Sanctum’ (1954), and “The United States Steel Hour” (1954-1960). After her role as Pamela Voorhees, she had roles in many more TV series, such as “Charles in Charge” (1987), “Knots Landing” (1989-1990), and “Columbo’ (1991). She had roles in such movies such as “Unveiled” (1994), “The Fear: Resurrection” (1999), “Waltzing Anna” (2006), and her last film, “Bell Witch: The Movie’ (2007). For our purposes, she plays Pamela Voorhees, a small yet pivotal role to the film and the franchise as a whole. She only has maybe a total of 13 minutes of screentime, in that short amount of time she cements herself in the hearts and minds of horror fans the world over. Even though she called the script and the film a ‘piece of shit’, it was this ‘piece of shit film” is that put her in the Horror Hall of fame as a character that would always be remembered and referenced on multiple occasions. Sadly, the world lost a horror icon on May 29, 2015, when Betsy passed away of natural causes in her home in Danbury, Connecticut.

Now, onto the men of “Friday the 13th”. First up is Bill, played by Harry Crosby. Now, Harry’s name might not ring in your mind but his father’s name will. He is the son of the legendary musical icon, Bing Crosby. He broke into the movie business to try to make a name for himself instead of riding through life on his family’s name. Though there were plenty of detractors that have gone on record as saying he was only cast because of his family name. Very similar to the film “Halloween”, who used Jamie Lee Curtis, daughter of film icons Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Before his role as Bill, he had appeared in many of his father’s holiday specials during the ’60s and ’70s. The ’80s saw him in just five films, ranging from “Friday the 13th” (1980), “Riding for the Pony Express” (1980), to “Hollow Venus: Diary of a Go Go Dancer” (1989). After he ended his film career he went to work for Credit Suisse First Boston in New York as a managing director until 1999. Currently, he still works in investment banking and will occasionally sit in with performing singers in nightclubs and coffeehouses.

Our last cast member is probably, aside from, Betsy Palmer, the most recognizable name on the entire cast. That, of course, being Kevin Bacon. Though this was not his first movie it is the one that brought him to the attention of the horror community. His first films were actually the 1978 cult classic “Animal House” and “Starting Over” (1979). After his role as Jack, he went on to have a recurring role in the wildly popular soap opera ‘Guiding Light (1980-1981). But the role that turned him into a household name was the 1984 classic “Footloose”. He went on to star in the Sci-fi/Thriller “Tremors” (1990), 1990 was also the year that he starred with Kiefer Sutherland in “Flatliners” A personal favorite of mine is the 1995 drama “Murder in the First with Christian Slater. The 2000s found him still going strong with films like “Mystic River” (2003), and a starring role in the popular series “The Following” (2013-2015). Jack is our resident pretty boy. Sadly for Bacon, he is not that much of a developed character. But, as the truly gifted actor he is, he can shine even if this lackluster role. Not only is he a talented actor, but he is a pretty good singer too. He and his brother Michael actually formed the band “The Bacon Brothers” in 1995. They have released a total of 3 albums. This multitalented actor is showing no sign of slowing down anytime soon.

Though there are many parallels made between this film and “Halloween”, it really does stand on its own without being seen as a cheap imitation. The actual story itself really is great, even if the characters in this first installment are not near as developed as they are later in the series when they seem to finally find their feet. This film was a launching pad for some careers and has been accused of stalling others. I firmly believe that since this was the first of the franchise there are things that could be improved upon as well as things that can never be done any better. Just remember if you go to summer camp. Stay in your cabin at night and if you are a counselor, make sure to keep an eye on what is going on around you.