FRIDAY THE 13TH

Friday the 13th changed summer camp forever, and introduced a new word for horror into our vocabulary - Jason. Quick to cash in on success of John Carpenter's Halloween, Friday the 13th was another low budget horror film made in 1980 for about a half million, earning a cool $39 Million at the box office.

Nicknamed "Camp Blood" by the locals after the brutal murder of 2 teenagers in the 1950's, Camp Crystal Lake is now being revamped by Steve Christy with the help of a group of teenage counselors. It's not long before bad things start happening to these counselors - among them, Kevin Bacon before he was "Kevin Bacon."

Like Halloween before it, Friday the 13th has it's distinctive score that will forever echo in the woods of campgrounds. What Jaws did for the water, this film did for camping... and along with Halloween, established the rules that all slashers must follow - or at least acknowledge.

I don't want to delve into plot or give away spoilers for those who haven't seen it - but the script plays out like a murder mystery, and it's not until several films later that the iconic imagery that made series so successful emerges.

It's difficult to pinpoint the origin of the superstition surrounding the day of Friday the 13th - there are many different theories - but I don't associate bad luck with with a Friday that happens to fall on the 13th... instead, I view it as a mini-Halloween, and a great time to watch this classic. It's one of my favorites.

5 Stars