MovieChat Forums > Friday the 13th (1980) Discussion > This movie is D-U-L-L

This movie is D-U-L-L

posted 10 years ago by edlitz36
39 replies | jump to latest

I fell asleep watching this last night, it is sooo boring. As a film fanatic, every October I do a horror movie binge of the classics I haven't yet seen. And I've always been curious about this, and how notorious it is for ripping off Halloween. But Jesus, I don't understand how this grossed $60 million at the box office. I'm rewatching it now, about 65 minutes into it, and the script, dialogue, characters, acting are all sleep-inducing. The direction is amateurish-- the only interesting aspect was the killer's POV, which of course was taken from John Carpenter. It has none of the charm or technical virtuosity of Halloween. It's just the bare-bones basic structure of the slasher flick and nothing more.

Religion should be made fun of. If I believed that stuff, I'd keep it to myself. -Larry David

[–] InherentlyYours 8 years ago

'It's just the bare-bones basic structure of the slasher flick and nothing more.'
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That was the point. Audiences in 81' didn't find it sleep-inducing.

I don't consider it a (woo--hoo) Halloween ripoff, since there were gory films before Halloween. 72's Last House on the Left could be considered a slasher, in terms.

[–] FridayOnElmStreet 8 years ago

Its not dull but I think its the least entertaining aside from the reboot.

[–] jefgg 7 years ago

Friday the 13th was very low budget. And audiences were more patient in 1980.

[–] edlitz36 7 years ago

Friday the 13th was very low budget. And audiences were more patient in 1980.

Bullsh-t, it has nothing to do with budget. Both Halloween and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre had little over half the budget of Friday the 13th and both are thoroughly engaging throughout their runtimes. Same can be said with Night of the Living Dead and it had about 1/5th of F13th's budget. The difference between these 3 horror films and F13th is that those 3 are exceptionally well made horror films made by real filmmakers, whereas F13th is garbage produced by a hack.

And it has nothing to do with patience. It's sh-tty writing, sh-tty dialogue, sh-tty acting, sh-tty directing etc. Everything about the film is unexceptional and hence dull.

Religion should be made fun of. If I believed that stuff, I'd keep it to myself. -Larry David

[–] Scarecrow-88 7 years ago

Exactly. Directors/editors cater to the masses who want everything fast and immediate. Not gradual and methodical. Can't win them all...

--
“Camp Blood…they’re opening that place again?”

[–] ElectricWarlock 7 years ago

I disagree. I think this is one of the best horror films of the '80s. In addition to the awesome death scenes it also created a genuinely creepy, unsettling atmosphere and interesting characters and story. Also the music is incredible. Everything about it just works and resonates with me. I can definitely see why we're still talking about it so many years later.

[–] Scarecrow-88 7 years ago

You are indeed not alone in assessment. Some find the films a huge waste of time. Some wonder how on earth anyone could like these films. Yet many do. And continue to. The critique has went all the way back to 1980 and there will be many like you years of many in the future. But there will still be generations who like Sean Cunningham's Friday the 13th after me. For whatever reason, many of us just like these movies. Boring as they seem to be...

--
“Camp Blood…they’re opening that place again?”

[–] krispykremekiller 7 years ago

Because you know what happens. It's really exciting if you saw it and didn't know anything other than that this was a horror movie. In 1980, I was on the edge of my seat!

[–] edlitz36 7 years ago

Because you know what happens. It's really exciting if you saw it and didn't know anything...

What are you talking about? It's a group of teens getting butchered one at a time, ya know a slasher film? It wasn't a new concept, even in 1980. This movie was a rip-off of Halloween-- people knew it back then. And no, I didn't know "what happens". I know it was a slasher movie that was thrown together really quickly to capitalize on John Carpenter's success. It's a terrible movie through and through with bad acting, writing and directing-- unlike Halloween and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre which it stole from so heavily.

Religion should be made fun of. If I believed that stuff, I'd keep it to myself. -Larry David

[–] SandyR (7345) 2 years ago

You sound D U M B!