Movies
Introducing 13 Days of Friday the 13th: Day One – Friday the 13th (1980)
We are officially 13 days away from New Line Cinema’s reboot of FRIDAY THE 13TH. For anyone who grew up on the franchise, this is a pretty big deal, considering it marks the 12th film and possibly a new beginning for a beloved Jason Voorhees. We can’t wait for the release, so we conjured up the plan to do a whopping 13 DAYS OF FRIDAY THE 13TH, which will feature a look at all twelve films, huge contests and other random articles that will have you bleeding for more. Today we start this two week long extravaganza with BC’s look back at the film that started it all, Friday the 13th.
For a horror fan, there is no escaping Jason Voorhees or Friday the 13th. Even if you have never seen a single movie (for shame!), you know who he is, what he does, and what he looks like. But that’s from my perspective. I grew up in the 80s, played the video game on a system known as Nintendo (now referred to as “The 8 Bit”), and suffered the indignity of that comic where he fought a talking Leatherface.
But what about those who grew up in the Jason-starved 90s? The only Jason films they might remember in theaters are the ones where he fights Freddy or goes off into space. The remake may be their first real introduction to the hockey masked behemoth that stalks teenagers at a place known as Crystal Lake. So for them, Bloody Disgusting and Horror Movie A Day would like to present this retrospective series: 13 Days Of Jason. Each day leading up to the remake’s theatrical release, BC will be showcasing one of the original films, with trivia, factoids, thoughts, and his own full blown review.
Bloody will also be presenting a few other articles that highlight some of the series’ traditions, such as the lovesick nerd character and Jason’s habit of using unique weapons. Because even if you don’t agree with BC’s assessment of each film, there’s one thing we can all agree on: Jason fucking rules.
AKA: “The one where his mom’s the killer”
RELEASE: May 9, 1980 (1,100 theaters)
GROSS: $39,754,601
PLOT: Twenty or so years after a pair of horrific murders, Camp Crystal Lake is reopened, apparently catering to non-discerning parents looking to get rid of their kids for a few weeks at the cheapest rate possible. Roughly two hours after arriving, the camp counselors are dispatched by an unseen killer, who is revealed to be “not Jason” to anyone watching the film for the first time today.
THOUGHTS: It’s not without problems, but the lack of Jason isn’t one of them. The kids are likable, the kills are simple but impressive (no weedwhackers or road flares here), and there’s some actual suspense, something most of the sequels eschewed entirely. Also: Steve Christy and his magnificent mustache/bandana combo.
(Read BC’s full review at Horror Movie A Day)
BEST KILL: Savini has spent the past 30 years explaining them all away, so they no longer have as much novelty, but I’ve always liked Annie’s death the most. It’s a simple throat slashing, but on a character that you almost think is the heroine. Plus it’s the first F13 kill (WITH AN ONSCREEN IMPACT – JEEZ), which makes it pretty historic.
MOST “HUH?” MOMENT: Brenda loses what seems like her first hand of strip Monopoly (she’s still fully clothed), so naturally her response is to take off her top while saying “Worst run of bad luck since Richard Nixon!”
FUTURE STAR: Wrong Turn 2 director (and F13 aficionado) Joe Lynch’s newborn baby probably even knows that Kevin Bacon plays one of the counselors.
TRIVIA: Did you know that Betsy Palmer only agreed to do the movie because she needed a new car? Of course you did, because she tells the story to anyone that will listen (including THREE times on the new DVD alone!). But what you may not know is that she, like many fans, thought her reveal as the killer was a cheat, and begged to have a scene in the film near the beginning that would at least let audiences be aware of her existence. But Sean Cunningham claimed no one would care, because they didn’t have the IMDb messageboard back then.
Check back tomorrow for Friday the 13th: Part 2!
Click here to keep up with all of our 13 Days of Friday the 13th coverage!
A contemporary reimagining of H.P. Lovecraft’s short story Herbert West: Reanimator is on the way, and Deadline has unveiled the first look at the new Herbert West and the pathologist drawn to his orbit.
Adam Simon (The Haunting in Connecticut, “Salem”) and Tim Metcalfe (The Haunting in Connecticut, Kalifornia) penned the script. The original screenplay and storyline come from Jade Sandberg Wallace.
Michael Grossman (“The Originals”, “Pretty Little Liars”) directs.
The new images introduce star Joseph Morgan (“Vampire Diaries“), who plays “brilliant surgeon and scientist Herbert West, who is obsessed with creating a serum to reanimate the dead.” Katie Cassidy (Speed Demon) stars opposite as the pathologist with a troubled past who joins his efforts.
Together, they prove that conquering death may be the ultimate sin against life itself.
The film’s official synopsis: “As a child, Herbert West watches his father Peter reanimate his dead mother Judith in a secret basement lab — only for Judith to mortally wound Peter and nearly kill Herbert before Peter shoots her. The trauma leaves its mark on Herbert, but so does one final image: his mother’s finger, twitching after death. Thirty years later, Herbert West is a brilliant, secretive surgeon still chasing his father’s obsession.
“Pathologist Kate Locke arrives in town and is drawn into his orbit — first through a spark at a hospital fundraiser, then through his secret lab, where he reveals a serum capable of reanimating severed tissue. Kate, hiding a dark past of her own, is thrilled rather than horrified, and moves into West’s mansion to work alongside him. Their early experiments on a cadaver succeed only briefly. West concludes that dead tissue is the problem — they need something fresher.”
Supporting cast includes Scott Aiello, Ira J Amyx, Randall Newsome, Emma Reinagal, James D. Bryce, Kathryn A Bentley, Jack Lancaster, Amy Holland Pennell, John Pierson, Mindy Shaw, Eric Dean White, Tristan Wilder Hallet, Adrienne Lamping, Aaron Crippen, and Drew Patterson.
Makeup artist Jeff Lewis (“Star Trek: Voyager,” “Star Trek: Enterprise”) and cousin Roger Lewis are heading the production via their newly established Woodlake Entertainment.
Lovecraft’s short story, first serialized in Home Brew magazine in 1922, is the first among his works to mention the fictional Miskatonic University. It was most famously adapted into a 1985 horror movie from Stuart Gordon, starring Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West.
Herbert West: Reanimator is set in Alton, Illinois, where production is now underway.
Herbert West: Reanimator. Photo credit: Matt Lief Anderson
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