This week my brother and I watched the first eight Friday the 13th movies. Their not great (I would hesitate to call most of them are even good) but they have their charms. An acquired taste to be sure. As these films are so short (most of them are under 90 minutes) I was able to squeeze in 8 of them.
The film that spawned the longest running slasher movie series ever, it's odd going back to the original Friday the 13th, as it lacks the most iconic element of the series, Jason Vorhees and his hockey mask which would not be introduced until Part 3. Quickly rushed out to cash in on the slasher phenomenon started by Halloween, the camerawork is clearly aping Dean Cundy's work on that film but without a clear understanding of what made it work so well. Only the admittedly clever third act revelation and some really inventive kills (aided in no small part by Tom Savini's special make-up effects, which were savagely cut down by the MPAA) distinguish it from countless other Halloween rip-offs.
Score: 7/10
Although the production value is an improved and it does include some interesting ideas (with Jason keeping the severed head of his mother in a kind of morbid shrine) Friday the 13th Part 2 lacks the atmosphere of the first film and has a rather limp climax. With Savini gone the kills are not up to par with the first film, though there are still some good ones. It also has one of the better opening scenes of the series (disregarding the overly long flashback). Overall an inferior, but still pretty decent sequel (as far as this series goes).
Score: 6/10
One of the many 3-D horror films that were trendy in the early-to-mid 1980's Friday the 13th Part III is a more conventional film then it's predecessors with some rather obvious attempts at comic relief and a Jason Vorhees who is more invulnerable and superhuman then the bag-wearing protagonist of Part 2. The climax is easily the film's saving grace and Jason is more creative with his kills then in previous installments. Oddly, as it takes place the day after the events of Part 2 the story doesn't technically even take place on Friday the 13th
Score: 6/10
Considered by many to be the best in the series, a case could certainly be made for this. It certainly features the most distinctive characters of the first four films, particularly Corey Feldman's Tommy Jarvis. It also features some of the best kills of the series, with Tom Savini and his peerless effects work returning. On the other hand it has an over stuffed plot, with too many characters and not enough screen-time to juggle them all. Many scenes feel rather incomplete or random as a result
Score: 7/10
An odd entry in the series and the only one (SPOILERS) not to feature Jason at all, A New Beginning suffers from tonal inconstancy and, arguably, bad taste (though when it comes to this series, complaining about taste seems like a mute point). Moving the story to a (extremely irresponsible) mental treatment facility, this film focuses on Tommy Jarvis, a survivor of the last film, who suffers from mental trauma and violent outbursts of emotion because of his experiences with Jason. I appreciate that the writers were trying to take the series in a different direction and I did feel a little more invested in the characters then usual but, in the end, A New Beginning misses the mark.
Score: 5/10
This one was another mixed bag for me. It has a really great, atmospheric opening scene reminiscent of the old Universal monster movies, (it's one of the series best in fact) but the rest of the film feels a little lazy. The two main characters are some of the worst in the series and most of the kills are pretty perfunctory. It also takes the series in a more over-the-top and tongue-in-the-cheek-direction, with a resurrected Jason acting more invincible and unrelenting then ever. Overall it's an uneven but still entertaining entry.
Score: 6/10
Eschewing some of the campier elements of Part VI, The New Blood doubles down on the heightened nature of its predecessor, introducing a protagonist who has telekinetic powers. This makes for a somewhat more character driven story and also leads to an explosive (literally!) climax (it's Jason vs. Carrie!). The make-up effects for Jason (whose body has deteriorated more and more over the last few films) are top notch with his skeleton showing through the ripped up back of his shirt and his deformed face making for a shocking reveal in the third act. His final demise is pretty lame but, other then that, this is one of the better ones.
Score: 7/10
Easily the worst of the original eight films, Jason Takes Manhattan is a lazy, tired entry that moves the action from Camp Crystal Lake to a (rather poor looking) cruise ship, only to shift to Manhattan for the last act. The cast is pretty weak (though it does feature Peter Mark Richman, whose way too good for this material) and the final girl may be the worst in the entire series. There are a couple laugh-out-loud moments (one of them involving Jason punching a man's head off) but, for the most part, this is a boring and uninspired film featuring a Jason who seems to be going through the motions, barely able to summon enough energy to kill his victims. The series had clearly run out of steam by this point.
Score: 3/10
Next week I'll tackle a more extraterrestrial series...
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