Friday the 13th: 40th Anniversary Limited Edition - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Friday the 13th: 40th Anniversary Limited Edition



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
While Psycho is widely considered to be the OFFICIAL grand daddy to the slasher phenomenon, Friday the 13th is the film that actually sparked the fire that turned into the gigantic 80s and 90s slasher bonanza. At that point blood and gore wasn’t that big of a thing in horror films, and the 70s were just finishing up with all of the supernatural horror flicks that littered that decade and before. Fans were tired of evil demons and ghosts and wanted something something more. Something that would actually shock them and get them interested in the floundering genre once more. Then came along Friday the 13th in early 1980. It was shot on a shoestring budget, and featured teenagers getting slaughtered in gory ways out on a camping trip. Suddenly the film that was made just for fun turned into an overnight sensation that spawned nearly a dozen sequels (some of varying quality), and also opening the door for films like A Nightmare on Elm Street, Children of the Corn and many others to gain enough traction to get made.

The plot for Friday the 13th is pretty simple as far as plots go, but it is incredibly satisfying for horror fans. A bunch of kids go down to Camp Crystal Lake which has been closed for 21 years due to the brutal slaying of camp counselors those two decades ago. Owner Steve Christie is ready to open to the public, and the dumb and teen counselors are ready for a summer of fun and stupidity. However, counselors start getting murdered 1 by 1, leading back to the original killing of the counselors years ago. Is it the poor picked on child Jason hiding out in the woods for the last 2 decades? Or is it something more sinister and evil that is craving blood and vengeance?

The first Friday The 13th reminds me of First Blood. Instead of being all about Jason and his supernatural ability to never die (the films got more and more steeped in the invincibility of Jason and his supernatural abilities as the franchise went on) , we have a mystery “switcheroo” about a vengeance killer who is wreaking terror on the counselors. Jason himself is mostly seen through flashbacks and a few dream sequences, while the kids are being killed off by a mystery killer. It’s a bit more nuanced and fine tuned, and probably the best of the franchise if you think about it.

However, the basic plot and basic machinations of the killer are really a vehicle for blood here. The main fun of a slasher genre in general, and especially this franchise, is watching the teenagers get murdered in satisfying ways and letting the screen run red with blood. The one staple of ANY slasher movie, is that the people getting murdered usually kind of deserve it, or at least are so irritating that you are cheering for them to die. In some, like A Nightmare on Elm Street, you are cheering for the kids to defeat the monster, but in Friday the 13th you’re genuinely cheering for Jason to lop of some stupid teen counselors head, or their arrogance really gives you chance for glee when he impales two fornicating teens in their own bed. It’s a sort of sick and twisted love/hate relationship between villain and protagonists. So much so that you almost don’t know who to root for.

Well, I may have lied a bit earlier. Psycho is the grand daddy, but Halloween KIND of kicked off the slasher genre a few years before Friday the 13th. However, it’s debatable that Friday the 13th really kick started the genre into having giant franchises and pushed the fledgling sub genre into the spotlight. Savini’s gore and makeup still holds up quite well some 40 years later, and my only complaint with the included film is that it’s the uncut version instead of the theatrical cut (something we’ve had to deal with on Blu-ray since the film’s came out). The reason for that is that the Uncut version has only one major scene addition, and it’s a different angle on the Kevin Bacon death scene with the arrow. A scene that very obviously gives away the fakeness of how the arrow pierces both bodies and kind of detracts from the niftiness of the death scene.




Rating:

Rated R by the MPAA




Video:

Friday the 13th is never going to look amazing by today’s standards. It’s a super low budget film, set at night time, with lots and LOTS of film grain baked into the 1980s film stock. This disc is the exact same disc as the 2009 release (and the same as the countless re-releases over the last decade) and it’s a solid looking disc. The master for this was in excellent shape and Paramount did a great job of cleaning up the source material. There is little, to no, debris on the print, and the details tend to really shine here. The film’s excessive grain and natural softness keep it from being a stunner, as well as some flickering vertical lines that come and go, otherwise it’s a generally excellent looking disc. Colors are warm and ruddy, and skin tones accurate. The bright red paint/blood pops off the screen, and outside of a super grainy low budget look, this disc has really stood the test of time.






Audio:

The same 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track found on the 2009 disc is found here (as well as the Mono 2.0 track in lossy Dolby Digital), and it’s about what you would expect. The idea that Friday the 13th would make some great Atmos track is chuckle worthy, as the same limitations of a shoe string budget and super low production values means that this track is always going to be a bit scratchy and thin. Dialog is generally good, although the high end of the spectrum gets scratching and distorts when volume increases. The incredible and iconic score comes through rather well though, with a nice harsh stringed sound, and the minimal bass applied to the track is punchy and clean. Surrounds are a bit mild due to how the film was shot, but overall it’s a solid enough 5.1 mix, especially when you consider the fact that the entire film was shot on less than a million dollar budget.






Extras:

• Audio Commentary By Director Sean S. Cunningham With Cast And Crew
• Friday The 13th Reunion
• Fresh Cuts: New Tales From Friday The 13th (SD, 14:07)
• The Man Behind The Legacy: Sean S. Cunningham
• Lost Tales From Camp Blood – Part 1
• The Friday The 13th Chronicles .
• Secrets Galore Behind The Gore
• Theatrical Trailer

Final Score: ​

The gore and violence get amped up as time goes on, but I still argue that the original is still the best. The twist at the end is spoiled by most horror fans who have seen the series ad nauseum, but there are aspects about the sequels that really do outclass Friday the 13th. The original will always hold a place in my heart as a true low budget classic, and a testament for the entire slasher genre.

Rumor has it on the grapevine is that Paramount is bringing forth something big with the series, and since there are legal troubles with making more sequels, I’m assuming that it has something to do with a new home video release. Are we getting a massive boxset ala the Warner Brothers steel tin (which is great except for the cardboard sleeves that hold the discs, and is now out of print)? Are we getting new and remastered Blu-rays? Or is our greatest wish coming true. Are we actually getting 4K UHD remasters of the entire series?! One can only hope, but this 40th Anniversary edition will have to do right now. Like with most of these steelbook releases by Paramount, the disc housed inside is the exact same disc as the Warner brothers release, as well as the Paramount re-release which we’ve had for years. It’s just housed in a brand new (and snazzy looking) Mondo steelbook case that is specifically geared towards steelbook collectors. The incentive for picking up the set is going to strictly be determined how much you love steelbooks. If you own the film already, or don’t really care about steelbooks, then the 1-8 film Paramount boxset is dirt cheap and costs only a hair more than this steelbook, but if you love steelbooks, then it’s a solid buy. Great Movie though, no matter what set you own.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Jeannine Taylor, Robbi Morgan, Kevin Bacon, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram
Directed by: Sean S. Cunningham
Written by: Victor Miller
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 AVC
Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1, English, Spanish, French DD 2.0 Mono
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Studio: Paramount
Rated: R
Runtime: 95 Minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: June 16th, 2020

Recommendation: Good Release

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I agree the first was the best and the third movie which I believe was in 3d was the first 3d movie that I actually saw.
Overall, I enjoyed most of the various movie sequels, some were silly but were enjoyable. lol. I also was cheering for Jason. lol.

 

[Michael Scott]

Thanks for the review. I agree the first was the best and the third movie which I believe was in 3d was the first 3d movie that I actually saw.
Overall, I enjoyed most of the various movie sequels, some were silly but were enjoyable. lol. I also was cheering for Jason. lol.

one of my guiltiest pleasures is Freddy Vs. Jason. It's a horrible movie, but it's so hilariously goofy that I can't help but love watching Freddy and Jason square off

 

[tripplej]

yeah, I agree. Silly fun to pass the time.

 

[Asere]

Thanks for the review. My favorite is this one and The Final Chapter.