Friday the 13th (1980) – Blu Ray Review

The Film:

It’s got a death curse!

You’re damn right! Friday the 13^th might not be the most inventive horror classic out there, but it hits almost every note right. In these days of ultra slick productions, its the simple fact that a film like this, far from slick, works better than the new remake is a testament not to this film’s classic status, but a testament to the crew behind the camera. As much as the gore is talked about, as much as we like Jason’s surprise ending, or Mrs. Voorhees’ mad rants, I think the reason people come back to this film (and not excluding those previous reasons) is the fact the the film looks real.

I doubt if any character would be considered anything more than middle class in status. I think this is key. Nobody drives a new car, everything has a hand-me-down feel to it, from the clothes, to the truck the main character drives. I think audiences relate better to these elements. The characters even speak naturally. Combine these elements with the death curse, the gore, the music cues, the shock ending, and of course, we got a classic.

It’s a shame some kids now days, will think this movie is quaint. Yes, gore has gotten more realistic, this stalk-n-slash premise has been done a thousand times since, and we have loud surround sound to jolt scares out of an audience, but this is still a solid horror film. A classic film can’t make up for the future. It’s not Friday the 13^th fault that technology has changed and more importantly, it’s been copied a trillion times since 1980. But it has charm which equals character, something this newer stalk-n-slash films don’t have. I’ll take Kevin Bacon wearing speedos and crazy old Ralph over loud sound cues and WB actors any time.

The film still has tension, something the sequels lacked, and the fact that the killer and her motive is different than other masked killers, makes this film watchable for 30 years and counting. Friday the 13^th is also a film, unlike its sequels, that deals in the superstitious nature of the day. Sean Cunningham directed a blue collar, scare-a-minute classic that is often duplicated but never properly copied. This is a classic, kids.

The Blu Ray:

Audio/Video: Paramount finally gives us the uncut version of this film, adding a minute or so of trimmed gore to various deaths. Gore fans and Friday nuts should finally be happy. The high def picture is at times good, other times just alright. The good is in the close ups of the actors, and day time scenes. The forest looks lush and vibrant in the greens. Where it looks just alright is in the night scenes. It’s just the nature of a thirty year old movie, perhaps. On the whole, the picture quality looks decent. I think more will be please than disappointed.

The audio is a better improvement. The Dolby TrueHD audio packs a solid presence. Listen to the great score and the famous cues which fill each speaker. There’s also some surround activity, but not as good as one hopes in that regard. The end of the film, where there’s a huge rain storm offers no bass. This is due to the age. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised. This is a good, not great presentation.

Commentary: This is a really good track, especially for Friday fans. Splicing together Peter Backe, who authored the Bible on this series Crystal Lake Memories as the moderator, with Sean Cunningham, Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, composer Henry Manfredini, and editor Bill Frieda, this track offers plenty of nice bits of information. While none of the participants are together here, the track flows somewhat nicely, as is a great introduction to the history of this film.

Man Behind the Legacy: Sean Cunningham: Shot in HD, this piece follows Cunningham, as he discusses how this little film at the time took the world by storm. He shows us some movie memorabilia, and recounts some good bit of information all in nine quick minutes.

Fresh Cuts: New Tales from Friday the 13^th: Shot in HD, this is part one of what will be a continuing series of new featurettes on the series that will appear on each disc of a sequel. We get 14 minutes of interviews, memories, everything a Voorhees fan could want.

Cast Reunion: Shot in HD, this piece will offer some repeated information for fans who already tackled the commentary and other features. It runs 24 minutes and was filmed at a con recently with all of the major actors and crew from the film.

Secrets Galore Behind the Gore: This one-on-one with Tom Savini, shot in HD, tells us all of his tricks to the film’s gore. This is mostly just an interview piece, with stills, but his enthusiasm is contagious, despite what I think most fans might already know.

Crystal Lake Chronicles: Carried over from Paramount’s box set of the franchise, so its in SD, this piece gives us further interviews and more information on the production. While it does have repeated information, this is a solid watch for the detail they go in, as most of all the major players form the film are here chatting away. It also compliments the new feature on this Blu Ray, Fresh Cuts, nicely.

Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part 1: Acting more like a student film, than anything else, this pretends we’re witnessing a “lost” murder. Friday the 13^th has this whole subculture of fan-made films, so this might appeal to that crowd, but everyone won’t dig it too much.

Trailer is the last extra and is in HD.

Conclusion: Paramount delivers a solid Blu Ray for this seminal classic. I know Friday fans have happily bought every other release Paramount has done dating back to VHS, but I will offer this up to the high def Friday fans, as this should be your last time buying this movie.

Rating: