A Few Words About A few words about...™ Friday the 13th -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

I first viewed F13 at a screening in NY just before it hit final cut, and especially for its extremely low budget, it was obviously a very nice piece of work.

Its limited budget meant (among other things) that it had neither a crew of 200 nor enough lights to illuminate Yankee Stadium, but this probably worked in its favor.

Paramount's Blu-ray is a nice looking disc that appears untampered with. Dark scenes may be played a bit more open than I recall on home video in the past, and this will exacerbate what some may consider a grain "problem." Going just a bit heavier may have covered a good bit of this, but even the coarseness of the grain, probably caused by pushing the stock, looks fine at the proper viewing distance. The nice thing is that F13 looks like film.

Taking a quick look at the cast, many of the young actors seem to have entered and left the industry quickly. The Bacon fellow has appeared in a few things over the intervening years, and Adrienne King has a nice career in vocal looping, a craft in itself.

Friday the 13th from Paramount is Blu-ray done right.

Recommended.

RAH

Thanks for the comments Mr. Harris. Glad to hear this title was handled with respect.

I've actually never seen any of the F13 movies (and I'm almost 37) so I may give this a rental - hopefully Netflix carries it although they have been guilty of NOT carrying some of these BD catalog titles. I'm glad to hear grain is intact and the image looks film-like. You never know what to expect from catalog titles these days especially considering how over-processed some of Paramount's catalog titles have looked.

Here.

SWEET!

This is exactly what I was hoping to hear in regards to F13 ... my MOST anticipated Blu-ray release of '09.

I cannot wait to get this, now.

It's a shame that Paramount doesn't seem to have the rest of the series planned for Blu-ray. I want all 8 in high definition!

It's a really awful film, and yet I'm compelled to buy it. Glad to hear about the grain -- I found with Black Christmas that the abundant grain helped give everything a very film-like look.

I'll get excited when 2, 4, and 6 hit Blu...

Yes.. it is a bad movie... but it is a guilty pleasure. parts 3, 4 and 6 are my favorites. They were intentionally campy and fun. Part 6 is basically a parody of itself. Good fun!

a bit off track... but this always cracked me up

I'd argue it wasn't a bad movie since I'd bet no one watching it ever guessed who the killer was. It's certainly a lot better made then at least thirty slashers I could name right now. Of course it pissed off housewives as well as Siskel and Ebert but that's about it.

That's because it's a cheat. It's a whodunit that doesn't introduce the killer until act 3. It's literally impossible to guess the killer for the first 70 minutes of the movie because they haven't ever stepped foot on screen.

But really, what makes it a bad film?

It doesn't really have much aim other than taking its audience for a ride, and it does. For many people, seeing the cast of characters killed in brutal, on screen ways was a first.

Tom Savini's work in F13 is great and the movie is a terrific showcase of that. But more than that, it's got its share of creepy bits. The stuff with Marcy in the bathroom is really damn scary and suspenseful and there's a really good atmosphere pervading the entire thing.

F13 accomplishes what it sets out to do (at least to me). And if some of the sequels are better (2, 4 and 6), this movie is still a blast to watch. The wait for the Blu-ray is killing me!

I disagree completely. I found the Marcy stuff to be incredibly dull.

One of the reasons I like Part 2 so much is that it feels like the first done by a competent director. The characters are better, the villain's scarier, and there's a sense of excitement throughout the whole thing.

I think the only scary or suspenseful F13 movie is the first one (although the fourth one has some tension). I'm not saying it's Citizen Kane or that Sean Cunningham is an unrecognized genius but I think the rawness/inexperience of the movie gives it a creepy feeling that none of the others had.

Good point Travis. I love the first one as well, but The second film in the series has always been my absolute favorite.
From characters, to creepy(er) atmosphere. I'll buy the first one, but I'm passing on the new S-DVD of 2 in hopes of a Blu-Ray release.

Despite what I said above, I like Part 2 more than the first one too (eventhough I don't think it's as scary as the original). Like Matt Thompson, I like the characters more, there's a more competent director and I love that potato sack.

I don't think the acting is bad at all. There isn't much for any of the characters to do, really, but most of the actors handle themselves well enough. There aren't even any real line deliveries that feel stiff or forced. It sounds like you really dislike the film but I feel like deeming the acting as "crap" is pretty harsh.

Travis, I would disagree in that I think The Final Chapter is probably the scariest of the series. Joe Zito really paced that sucker like a bat out of hell while capturing some real intensity at the same time. I also think Part 2 has it's share of tension. In fact, I would agree with Matt Thompson in that the sequel is a better film than the first in nearly every respect. Although the original is still a nifty slasher flick.

The Final Chapter is my favorite entry in the series so I can see your point since Jason is pretty brutal in that one. Like I said, I guess it's the original's very low budget nature and great location that makes it more scary to me.

I think i stopped watching these after Part 3. Same with Halloween, i stopped with #3. Damn, that was a long time ago!

I am in for Part 1 on Blu, and i will buy 2 and 3 on Blu. If the day comes that i can.

^ I really dig the feel of the first movie as well. It's slow at times and the pacing is off, but there's a lot to like about it, too.

Steve Christy in 1080p will be amazing.

I plan on counting the wrinkles on Crazy Ralph's neck.

Hahahaha, yes! I am also anxious to see Officer Dorf in high def.

"What, you just get off a spaceship or something? Come on, Coloumbian gold, man. Grass, hash, the weed, you dig?"

Oh, and Rick, I know I'm a little biased, but I would HIGHLY recommend the first 6. Don't stop at 3. 4 is amazing, 5 needs to be seen to be believed and part 6 is probably the smartest and most enjoyable of the whole series.