Barnes & Noble

When it comes to slasher flicks, the Friday the 13th series and its infamous antagonist Jason no doubt rank among the most influential ever, with eight (soon to be nine) sequels and one of the most recognizable villains of all time -- even if you do rarely see his face. The simple story -- which pays homage to the original slasher film, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho -- follows a group of plucky young counselors as they head for infamous Crystal Lake despite warnings of a murderer by the town crazy. The campers soon fall victim to the legend by way of their own hubris. Among the leads is a then-unknown Kevin Bacon in his first big role. A generic script by Victor Miller and Ron Kurz is helped by director Sean Cunningham's talent for tension, but the true savior is Harry Manfredini's score, the theme of which is used similarly to that of Jaws, creating tension by announcing the killer. Gruesome effects master Tom Savini (Dawn of the Dead) deserves much credit for the creatively graphic gore, which carries the film's junk food excitement to new levels with moments including an axe to one poor soul's face and an arrow through the throat of another. Neophytes be warned: Don't expect to see Jason, as he doesn't show his face until the second installment, nor a hockey mask, as it doesn't show up until the third. Scream fans may already be aware of that, but even they cannot consider themselves true aficionados of scary movies until having seen the original Friday the 13th. Greg Kalleres

All Movie Guide

Immediately after his mysterious escape at the end of Friday the 13th, Pt. 2, Jason Vorhees (Richard Brooker, the third of many actors to fill the role) kills a hardscrabble store owner and his nagging wife before heading back to Crystal Lake, this time to terrify rich girl Chris (Dana Kimmell) and her band of summer-cottage guests. Chris, it seems, is haunted by an earlier encounter with Jason, and her romantic entanglements with local boy Rick (Paul Kratka) do little to ease her nightmares. Meanwhile, the gruesome antics of Shelly (Larry Zerner), a chubby practical joker who just wants to be loved (and get laid), leads to an escalating case of the boy who cried wolf. When he's not incurring the wrath of leather-clad motorcyclists, he's annoying the other guests with his mock mutilations. Soon, stage blood turns to real as guests and bikers alike fall prey to the killer lurking in the barn out back. Brian J. Dillard

Product Details

• UPC: 097361406244
• Source: PARAMOUNT
• Presentation: Wide Screen, 3D
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Subtitled, Dubbed
• Time: 1:35:00
• Sales Rank: 27,266

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Friday the 13th: from Crystal Lake to Manhattan

Features: