Year: 1980
Director: Sean S. Cunningham
Country: US
Language: English
The picture is set in Camp Crystal Lake. On paper it might seem like an ordinary camp where one goes to roast marshmallows and sing campfire songs, but it has a very terrible secret. While a group of young counselors begin to get ready to reopen the camp they start dropping like flies as they are stalked and murdered one by one by an unknown killer.
As a child, this film frightened me. As an adult, this film greatly impresses me. Unlike many horror films of today, Friday the 13th doesn't look like it was made with a big budget in a studio and it isn't filled to the brim with special effects. This non-Hollywood look makes the picture feel realistic. It doesn't rely on gore, rather Director Sesan S. Cunningham creates an atmosphere that is uncomfortable and unnerving. The film is very cerebral. Cunningham borrows elements from horror films of the past and employs them in an incredibly unique way to make a great picture.
The camera does a great job at making Friday the 13th feel claustrophobic. The viewer is as trapped in Camp Crystal lake as the counselors are. The way the camera chases after it's victims, as the point of view of the villain, is fresh and exciting. We also feel a sense of insecurity, as the camera views the soon to be victims from behind bushes and trees. Though the acting isn't astounding, it doesn't need to be. The technical quality of the camerawork, lighting, amateur look etc. more than make up for the acting.
In conclusion, one can see Friday the 13th as a morality tale. Sex before marriage equals death. Drugs and alcohol equal death. Immorality of any kind equals death. Jason Vorhees is the vengeful old testament God, smiting those who do not follow biblical law. It's unfortunate that the film's reputation is shattered because of the many shitty sequels that followed like Jason X. However it's still a great film that is brilliantly made.
Praise it! 4/5
No comments:
Post a Comment