Jump to content
Main menu
Main menu
move to sidebar
hide
Navigation
Main page
Recent changes
Random page
Help about MediaWiki
Special pages
Niidae Wiki
Search
Search
Appearance
Create account
Log in
Personal tools
Create account
Log in
Pages for logged out editors
learn more
Contributions
Talk
Editing
Friday the 13th (1980 film)
(section)
Page
Discussion
English
Read
Edit
View history
Tools
Tools
move to sidebar
hide
Actions
Read
Edit
View history
General
What links here
Related changes
Page information
Appearance
move to sidebar
hide
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
=== Critical response === ====Original theatrical reviews==== Linda Gross of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' referred to the film as a "silly, boring, youth-geared horror movie", though she praised Manfredini's "nervous musical score", the cinematography, as well as the performances, which she deemed "natural and appealing", particularly from Taylor, Bacon, Nelson, and Bartram.<ref>{{cite news|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|page=7|title='Friday the 13th': Encamped in Gore|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22929125/the_los_angeles_times/|via=Newspapers.com|author=Gross, Linda|date=May 15, 1980|access-date=August 19, 2018|archive-date=August 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819082833/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22929125/the_los_angeles_times/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', however, deemed the film "low budget in the worst sense—with no apparent talent or intelligence to offset its technical inadequacies—''Friday the 13th'' has nothing to exploit but its title."<ref>{{cite journal |title=Friday the 13th |url=https://variety.com/1979/film/reviews/friday-the-13th-1117791118/ |journal=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=June 25, 2017 |date=December 31, 1979 |archive-date=April 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414011028/https://variety.com/1979/film/reviews/friday-the-13th-1117791118/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[The Miami News]]''{{'}}s Bill von Maurer praised Cunningham's "low-key" direction, but noted: "After building terrific suspense and turning over the audience's stomachs, he doesn't quite know where to go from there. The movie begins to sag in the middle and the expectations he has built up begin to sour a bit."<ref>{{cite news|work=[[The Miami News]]|location=Miami, Florida|title='Friday the 13th' will scare the bejabbers out of you|author=Von Maurer, Bill|page=8A|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14988147/fridaythe13thwillscarethebejabbers/|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=August 19, 2018|archive-date=August 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819051133/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14988147/fridaythe13thwillscarethebejabbers/|url-status=live}}</ref> Lou Cedrone of ''[[The Baltimore Sun|The Baltimore Evening Sun]]'' referred to the film as "a shamelessly bad film, but then Cunningham knows this. This is sad."<ref>{{cite news|work=[[The Baltimore Sun|The Baltimore Evening Sun]]|location=Baltimore, Maryland|date=May 14, 1980|page=8A|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22929897/the_evening_sun/|via=Newspapers.com|author=Cedrone, Lou|title=Adams is good for laughs; '13th' is good for nothing|access-date=August 19, 2018|archive-date=August 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819082759/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22929897/the_evening_sun/|url-status=live}}</ref> Many critics compared the film unfavorably against John Carpenter's ''Halloween'', among them Marylynn Uricchio of the ''[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]'', who added: "''Friday the 13th'' is minimal on plot, suspense, and characterization. It's not very original or very scary, but it is very low-budget."<ref>{{cite news|work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]|location=Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|author=Uricchio, Marylynn|title='Friday the 13th': Unlucky Day for Moviegoers|via=Newspapers.com|page=16|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14988209/friday13thunluckydayformoviegoers/|access-date=August 19, 2018|archive-date=August 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819051136/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14988209/friday13thunluckydayformoviegoers/|url-status=live}}</ref> Dick Shippy of the ''[[Akron Beacon Journal]]'' similarly suggested that Carpenter's ''Halloween'' played "like [[Alfred Hitchcock|Hitchcock]] when compared to Cunningham's dreadful tale of butchery."<ref>{{cite news|work=[[Akron Beacon Journal]]|date=May 15, 1980|page=F6|via=Newspapers.com|author=Shippy, Dick|title=Sex and slaughter in wholesale doses|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14970260/sexandslaughterinwholesaledosesf/|access-date=August 19, 2018|archive-date=August 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819051150/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14970260/sexandslaughterinwholesaledosesf/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[The Burlington Free Press]]''{{'}}s Mike Hughes wrote that the film "copies everything, that is, except the quality" of ''Halloween'', concluding: "The lowest point of the movie comes near the end, when it exploits the genuine grief and madness of the villain. By then, things simply aren't fun anymore."<ref>{{cite news|page=4D|work=[[The Burlington Free Press]]|location=Burlington, Vermont|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14969717/thrillerbadlycopieshalloweenfridayt/|via=Newspapers.com|author=Hughes, Mike|title=Thriller Badly Copies 'Halloween'|date=May 20, 1980|access-date=August 19, 2018|archive-date=August 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819051158/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14969717/thrillerbadlycopieshalloweenfridayt/|url-status=live}}</ref> Ron Cowan of the ''[[Statesman Journal]]'' noted the film as a "routine 'endangered teenagers' [[Exploitation film|exploitation]] movie", adding that "Cunningham betrays a rather plodding approach to suspense for most of the film, sometimes allowing his camera to act as the killer, sometimes as the victim. And the victims, of course, deliberately put themselves in peril."<ref name=cowan>{{cite news|work=[[Statesman Journal]]|location=Salem, Oregon|title='Friday the 13th' bodes bad luck|author=Cowan, Ron|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14988122/fridaythe13thbodesbadluck/|via=Newspapers.com|page=5C|access-date=August 19, 2018|archive-date=August 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819082746/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14988122/fridaythe13thbodesbadluck/|url-status=live}}</ref> A significant number of reviews criticized the film for its depiction of violence: ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' derided the film, writing: "Gruesome violence, in which throats are slashed and heads are split open in realistic detail, is the sum content of ''Friday the 13th'', a sick and sickening low budget feature that is being released by Paramount. It's blatant exploitation of the lowest order."<ref>{{cite web|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|title='Friday the 13th': THR's 1980 Review|author=''The Hollywood Reporter'' Staff|date=November 1, 2014|orig-year=1980|access-date=August 19, 2018|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/friday-13th-read-thrs-scathing-745573|archive-date=August 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819082900/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/friday-13th-read-thrs-scathing-745573|url-status=live}}</ref> Michael Blowen of ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' similarly referred to the film as "nauseating", warning audiences: "Unless your idea of a good time is to watch a woman have her head split by an ax or a man stuck to a door with arrows, you should stay away from ''Friday the 13th''. It's bad luck."<ref>{{cite news|work=[[The Boston Globe]]|title=Bloody 'Friday' is nauseating|author=Blowen, Michael|page=12|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22929383/the_boston_globe/|via=Newspapers.com|location=Boston, Massachusetts|access-date=August 19, 2018|archive-date=August 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819082813/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22929383/the_boston_globe/|url-status=live}}</ref> The film's most vocal detractor was [[Gene Siskel]], who in his review called [[Sean S. Cunningham|Cunningham]] "one of the most despicable creatures ever to infest the movie business."{{sfn|Bracke|2006|p=45}} He also published the address for [[Charles Bluhdorn]], the chairman of the board of [[Gulf+Western]], which owned Paramount, as well as [[Betsy Palmer]]'s home city and encouraged fellow detractors to write to them and express their contempt for the film. Attempting to convince people not to see it, he even gave away the ending.<ref>{{cite news |first=Gene |last=Siskel |title='Friday the 13th': More bad luck |page=A3 |date=May 12, 1980 |work=Chicago Tribune |location = Chicago, Illinois }}</ref> Siskel and [[Roger Ebert]] spent an entire episode of [[Sneak Previews|their TV show]] berating the film (and other slasher films of the time) because they felt it would make audiences root for the killer.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Freddy V Jason |last1=Hewitt |first1=Chris |last2=Smith |first2=Adam |journal=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |issue=March 2009}}</ref> [[Leonard Maltin]] initially awarded the film one star, or 'BOMB', but later changed his mind and awarded the film a star and-a-half "simply because it's slightly better than ''Part 2''" and called it a "gory, cardboard thriller...That younger viewers made it a box-office juggernaut is one more clue as to why SAT scores keep declining. Still, any movie that spawns this many sequels must have done ''something'' right".{{sfn|Maltin|2000|p=491}} ====Contemporary==== On the [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], ''Friday the 13th'' holds an approval rating of 66% based on 59 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's critics' consensus reads: "Rather quaint by today's standards, ''Friday the 13th'' still has its share of bloody surprises and a '70s-holdover aesthetic to slightly compel."<ref name="rottomatoes">{{cite web |title=Friday the 13th (1980) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/friday_the_13th_part_1/ |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=Flixer |access-date=June 17, 2018 |archive-date=November 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171127044015/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/friday_the_13th_part_1/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], it has a [[weighted arithmetic mean|weighted average score]] of 22 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.<ref>{{cite web |title= Friday the 13th (1980) Reviews |url= https://www.metacritic.com/movie/friday-the-13th-1980 |website= [[Metacritic]] |access-date= October 31, 2020 |archive-date= October 28, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201028000815/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/friday-the-13th-1980 |url-status= live }}</ref> It was nominated for [[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture|Worst Picture]] at the [[1st Golden Raspberry Awards]], and Palmer was nominated for [[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress|Worst Supporting Actress]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Fitz-Gerald|first=Sean|title=7 Worst-Picture Razzie Contenders That Are Actually Good|url=https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/razzie-awards-worst-picture-actually-good-movies|access-date=2021-04-10|website=Thrillist|date=February 24, 2017 |language=en|archive-date=April 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410192200/https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/razzie-awards-worst-picture-actually-good-movies|url-status=live}}</ref> Bill Steele of [[IFC (U.S. TV channel)|IFC]] ranked the film the second-best entry in the series, after ''[[Friday the 13th Part 2]]'' (1981).<ref>{{cite web|work=[[IFC (U.S. TV channel)|IFC]]|title=Every Friday the 13th Movie Ranked|url=https://www.ifc.com/2016/07/friday-the-13th-ranking|author=Steele, Bill|access-date=August 18, 2018|date=July 29, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160904005838/https://www.ifc.com/2016/07/friday-the-13th-ranking|archive-date=September 4, 2016}}</ref> Critic [[Kim Newman]], in a 2000 review, awarded the film two out of five stars, referring to it as "a pallid ''Halloween'' rip-off, with a mediocre shock count and a botched ending... As the bodies pile up amongst this testy crowd of horny teens, there remains a vacant hole were [sic] someone scary should be. In a strange way, this film stands unique amongst all slasher films as one where the killer is nearly intangible."<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]|title=Friday the 13th|author=Newman, Kim|author-link=Kim Newman|date=January 1, 2000|access-date=August 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229063935/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/friday-13th/review/|archive-date=December 29, 2016|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/friday-13th/review/}}</ref> Jeremiah Kipp of ''[[Slant Magazine]]'' reviewed the film in 2009, noting "a kind of [[minimalism]] at work, eschewing anything special in terms of mood, pacing, character, plot, and tension."<ref name=slant>{{cite web|work=[[Slant Magazine]]|title=Friday the 13th|author=Kipp, Jeremiah|date=February 4, 2009|access-date=August 19, 2018|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/friday-the-13th|archive-date=August 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819082922/https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/friday-the-13th|url-status=live}}</ref> Further commenting on the revelation of the killer's identity, Kipp observed: {{blockquote|The murderer turns out to be a middle-aged woman named Mrs. Voorhees (Betsy Palmer) with a butch haircut and a gigantic bulky sweater, whose line readings are akin to nails on a chalkboard ("They were making love while that boy drowned! His name was Jason!") and a predilection for speaking to herself in the mincing voice of her dead child ("Kill her, Mommy! Kill her!"). It's only in this last 20-minute appearance of this scene-stealing harpy (not to mention the memorable cameo by her rotting zombie son) that Friday the 13th becomes memorable as [[camp (style)|high camp]].<ref name=slant/>}} {{quote box|align=right|width=25em|bgcolor =#C2DFFF|quote=Why did it make such a splash? Theories abound, but here's mine: ''Friday the 13th'' succeeded because it was brazen enough to steal so many tricks from the many brilliant horror films that came before it.|source=—Critic Scott Meslow on the film's legacy<ref name=meslow/>}} In 2012, Bill Gibron of ''[[PopMatters]]'' wrote of the film: "This movie feels at least twice as long as its 90-minute running time and not always in a good way. There are far too many pointless pauses between the bloodletting. On the positive side, Tom Savini's make-up work is flawless, and Betsy Palmer's turn as big bad Pamela V. has to go down in history as one of the meanest 'mothers' in the entire horror genre. For those who think it's a classic{{en dash}}think again. Of a type? Absolutely. Of faultless movie macabre? No way."<ref>{{cite web|work=[[PopMatters]]|title=Dissecting the 'Friday the 13th' Franchise|date=July 13, 2012|access-date=August 19, 2018|author=Gibron, Bill|url=https://www.popmatters.com/160963-95174-dissecting-the-friday-the-13th-franchise1-2495833218.html|archive-date=August 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819114437/https://www.popmatters.com/160963-95174-dissecting-the-friday-the-13th-franchise1-2495833218.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Scott Meslow of ''[[The Week]]'' reviewed the film in 2015, assessing its original critical reception in a contemporary context: "Before it became an absurdly prolific franchise, ''Friday the 13th'' was a cynical, one-off attempt to make a fast buck on a sleazy slasher movie that accidentally ended up spawning a decades-spanning, multimillion-dollar phenomenon... What's most striking about ''Friday the 13th'' is how little regard anyone but its fans seem to have for it."<ref name=meslow>{{cite web|work=[[The Week]]|author=Meslow, Scott|date=June 14, 2015|title=How Friday the 13th accidentally perfected the slasher movie|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180805051143/https://theweek.com/articles/446191/how-friday-13th-accidentally-perfected-slasher-movie|archive-date=August 5, 2018|url=https://theweek.com/articles/446191/how-friday-13th-accidentally-perfected-slasher-movie|access-date=August 19, 2018}}</ref>
Summary:
Please note that all contributions to Niidae Wiki may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here.
You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see
Encyclopedia:Copyrights
for details).
Do not submit copyrighted work without permission!
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)
Search
Search
Editing
Friday the 13th (1980 film)
(section)
Add topic