Friday the 13th (1980)

"Did you know that a young boy drowned? The year before those two others were killed. The counselors weren't paying any attention! They were making love while that young boy drowned! His name was Jason!" -Pamela Voorhees.

This is, as they say, the one that started it all! At first glance, Friday the 13th was basically another Halloween knockoff. What made it stick out from the others, though, was that it had the backing of a major studio-Paramount Pictures. As a result, unlike Halloween and many of the films it inspired, Friday was able to get the same across the board distribution that other studio-backed classics like The Exorcist, Jaws, and the previous year's Alien enjoyed. This is why, when the movie opened in the summer of 1980, it made an absolute fortune. The only film that made more money that year was The Empire Strikes Back. Also, much like the James Bond series, the Friday series took its first three entries to establish its characteristics. Indeed, as any horror fan knows, Jason is not the killer in the original but his mother (Betsy Palmer). The second film has Jason front and center, but it isn't until the thrid that he gets his famous hockey mask! Yes, the film has some moments that make you go "Oh, come on!" For instance, Alice not finishing off the killer when she has the chance. But, it has a wonderful atmosphere, not to mention that classic Harry Manfredini score. Nearly all its sequels (including its surprisingly enjoyable 2009 reboot) kept this same tone. Hence, it is not surprising that this series thrived throughout the 1980s. No, the original is not quite up there with other summer scare fests such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Jaws, Grizzly, Piranha, and Cujo. But it is certainly as watchable as all those. To summarize, the Friday series is a great example of dumb fun! I even own the original NES video game of it!