Friday the 13th

Name: Friday the 13th
Genre: Horror
Released: May 9, 1980
Duration: 95 min
Rating: 22
Cast: Adrienne King, Betsy Palmer

1980

METASCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 273 Ratings

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5.9

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5.9	Your Score
5.9	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 273 Ratings

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Friday The 13Th

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Movie Details & Credits

Paramount Pictures | Release Date: May 9, 1980 | R

Starring: Adrienne King, Betsy Palmer

Summary: Camp counselors are stalked and murdered by an unknown assailant while trying to reopen a summer camp that was the site of a child's drowning.

Director: Sean S. Cunningham

Genre(s): Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 95 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Dave Kehr

The crude technique of director Sean Cunningham borrows whatever sophistication it has from Halloween's precise and elegant point-of-view shots of the killer, though Cunningham often cheats by using the ploy inconsistently. For all its shoddiness, the film manages, just barely, to achieve its ignoble goals--it delivers what it promises. Read full review

Jeremiah Kipp

It's a formula with no pretensions. Read full review

James Berardinelli

Friday the 13th is neither tense nor frightening (although, to be fair, it is at times creepy and atmospheric, due in part to budgetary limitations that led to a low-key style). Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

A tame, poorly plotted serving of schlock, less horrific for its ketchup-smeared murders than for the bare-faced fashion in which it tries and fails to rip off Carpenter's Halloween in matters of style and construction. Read full review

Josh Larsen

A woefully bad low-budget slasher flick, complete with a requisitely inept cast (including Kevin Bacon in uncomfortably tight shorts); laborious pacing; and an interminable catfight climax. Read full review

Staff [Not Credited]

Lowbudget 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. Read full review

Gene Siskel

A disgusting, artless shocker...A cruel film that offers teen-age girls in peril, as well as a gruesome beheading. Only for sickies. [11 July 1980, p.8]

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User Reviews

kevinswag95

Jul 18, 2014

Suspense and lots of thrills to say about this slasher film that the mystery of the killer keeps killing people to get out of Camp Crystal Lake. Cummingham's film is one one of the best slasher films of the 1980s.

5 of 9 users found this helpful54

Alv257sp

Apr 3, 2023

Esta película hay que verla con la mente abierta, no tanto con lo técnico o lo cinematográfico sino disfrutar del gore y la revolución que trajo los efectos especiales del aclamado Tom Sabino, disfrutar de la icónica banda sonora de Harry manfredini o la atmósfera espeluznante que está teEsta película hay que verla con la mente abierta, no tanto con lo técnico o lo cinematográfico sino disfrutar del gore y la revolución que trajo los efectos especiales del aclamado Tom Sabino, disfrutar de la icónica banda sonora de Harry manfredini o la atmósfera espeluznante que está te puede llegar a generar, y no estar tan centrado en lo malo, porque obviamente la película no es perfecta. Tiene relleno y se nota la serie B que trae y las actuaciones poco creíbles de los actores. Pero si dejas atrás todos esos puntos bajos y disfrutas de los efectos especiales y la música, te aseguro que como visualizador de películas horror slasher ochentera, te lo pasarás muy bien y un rato entretenido. (Recalco que esto es solo en base a mi opinión)… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

GamecubeLover

Aug 20, 2016

This movie should never be hated it is very amazing and scary. I do agree the remake is bad but the amazing original should NOT be hated. Right now the user rating is 5.3 and I think it should be like 8 or higher!

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

Panchogul

Mar 28, 2020

Viernes 13 (1980)

*No se porque carajo se llama Martes 13 en latinoamérica, pero bueno* Sinopsis: El campamento de verano del lago Cristal reabre sus puertas tras permanecer varios años cerrado a raíz de un accidente. A partir de ese momento, comienza a aparecer gente muerta en extrañasViernes 13 (1980)

*No se porque carajo se llama Martes 13 en latinoamérica, pero bueno*

Sinopsis:

El campamento de verano del lago Cristal reabre sus puertas tras permanecer varios años cerrado a raíz de un accidente. A partir de ese momento, comienza a aparecer gente muerta en extrañas circunstancias.

Opinión:

Tiene más pifias que el Festival de Viña, pero su estatus de culto y éxito financiero la respaldan, además de que sus secuelas fueron en su mayoría mejores que esta, en lo personal es la que menos me gusta pero tiene lo suyo.

Valoración:

3 ⭐ de 5 ⭐… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

akshatmahajan

Sep 7, 2020

First of all, this movie was more of revenge-suspense drama and not horror. The main idea of this film came only after "The Halloween (1978)". The acting was less than satisfactory. Actors could've done a lot better. It took a little too long getting going. It was the last half hour when theFirst of all, this movie was more of revenge-suspense drama and not horror. The main idea of this film came only after "The Halloween (1978)". The acting was less than satisfactory. Actors could've done a lot better. It took a little too long getting going. It was the last half hour when the main screaming and offscreen killings and action happened. Some of the fighting and action was cheesy and kinda funny. Overall, it is famous for giving character like Jason but this part was not that good. It could have been much better.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

SketchesofPlain

Jun 19, 2017

Clearly a cash-in on the style that Halloween popularized, Friday The 13th is FAR inferior to that which it attempts to emulate. Halloween is suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat thrilling. Friday The 13th seems to have none of that. It loses a lot in never showing you anything of the killer,Clearly a cash-in on the style that Halloween popularized, Friday The 13th is FAR inferior to that which it attempts to emulate. Halloween is suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat thrilling. Friday The 13th seems to have none of that. It loses a lot in never showing you anything of the killer, besides a hand at the beginning, until the big reveal. Another major issue is that while Halloween had a foreboding killer with seemingly no motive, Friday The 13th presents their killer the same way, until the big reveal, where we are told the backstory and "reasoning" for all of the horror. Because of this "hidden" backstory, the opening sequence seems confusing and pointless, as does much of the film. The combination of never showing the killer and trying to have an explanatory backstory really takes most of what make Halloween so good away from this film. What's left is a group of characters you don't care about and a series of fairly uncreative deaths. It's amazing that this film started such a huge franchise and led to the birth of one of the most iconic horror characters of all time.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

AgentZ

Jan 5, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Wow....this movie was HORRIBLE. It is shockingly outdated with corny music and TERRIBLE acting especially from the annoying lead actress and the actress who played Jason’s mom. Their over-the-top performances were so annoying. I can’t believe this is the teen horror movie many people STILL consider a classic. I was so disappointed when I watched this for the very first time on TV this month.
This movie aged HORRIBLY! It’s not even scary. This is just another one of those overrated, outdated horror film classics like Psycho (1960), The Shining, and Halloween (1978). The characters in this film are so one-dimensional that their names aren’t even important. And where the hell was Jason Vorhees in the third act? Why wasn’t he the one trying to kill that annoying, dumb, blonde ****
Why did Jason’s annoying, fat, and ugly **** mother end up being the final antagonist in the first film? Where the hell was he when this movie desperately needed him? If he’s marketed on the posters wearing a hockey mask then why didn’t I see that in the first movie? The stupid, annoying, blonde **** made so many stupid decisions in the final battle with Jason’s mom that I honestly didn’t care whether she was going to die or not. The corny music in the final battle wasn’t helping either and was just the icing on the **** cake.
That final fight was wack! I honestly enjoyed Freddy vs. Jason a lot more than this outdated, cheesy 80s horror B-movie. At least that teen horror B-movie was a fun guilty pleasure unlike this outdated, corny, terribly acted teen horror movie. It wasn’t even a fun cheesy B-movie, it was a boring cheesy B-movie. This film does NOT hold up at all.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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