MovieChat Forums > Friday the 13th (1980) Discussion > Maybe not the best depending on your tas...

Maybe not the best depending on your taste but....


I say it is.

By far the creepiest/scariest. Has the best stalker p.o.v. shots.
It has the best setting. The camp, woods and lake never looked as good in the later entries. Very atmospheric.
Easily the best ending with Jason popping out if the lake.
The soundtrack is well utilized and not overdone.
Realistic and well adjusted characters you sympathize for when they die instead of cheering for their inevitable demise.
Plus the mystery of who did it if you never seen it or any sequels before.

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I prefer Part 2, mainly because of Ginny and the fact Jason makes a scarier, more formidable opponent. That being said, Part 1 is the clear winner in terms of atmosphere (though Part 2 is no slouch in that department either). My favorite scene in Part 1 is the long, uncut shot of Alice making coffee. The fact Alice is alone in a dark, quiet room, coupled with the fact we know she's the lone survivor, makes for an extremely chilling setting.

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I like most of the movies in this series, though Part IV is my favorite.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVauip2djLw

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It may be because I grew up in the woods and identify with the setting, but this has always been one of the most atmospheric slasher movies to me. I'll never forget watching it on VHS when I was maybe ten(?) and being terrified by it. It's a fantastic slasher film, and in my top-5 for sure. I like Part 2 as well, though not nearly as much.

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This started it all so there has to be a soft spot in your heart for it. It really wasn't that great to me because I love watching Jason so much more but through the years I have come to appreciate this one a lot more. This has the most creepy original feel though that none of the other films captured. The screaming kid begging for help luring the counsler to her death is the creepiest of them all Imo.

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I was the same way. I had an affinity for the Zombie Jason movies as a kid, and in my 20s I started jiving to the early films a lot more. At 39, I'm at home more with the first four because of the camp/wilderness setting, and its place in the early 80s significantly seems to put a shine on me. A lot of folks wouldn't attach atmosphere to the Friday series but I keep seeing others mention it often which pleases me because I agree. There are young adults without a care in the world totally devoid of any cognizant realization that a killer is among them, watching them, and waiting to kill them. They carry on, feeling they have all the time in the world. But they don't. And then the woods surrounds them and the rain pours. The full moon is out. There are cabins stretched out across the premises, and when nightfall comes the killer has better access to kill them. I think appreciation comes in all of that with the early films.

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

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Best of the series by a long shot, and I say that loving parts II, III, IV and V. Creepy Central.


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I think it's the best, too. It has an air of suspense that the other don't have, which sets it apart from the get-go. The characters are all pretty well-drawn and likable, and of course the kills and the effects are top-shelf Savini.

Yeah, I've probably watched The Final Chapter and Jason Lives a ton more, but the original is still, objectively speaking, the best of the bunch from my point of view.

Also, Marcie's ass crack in those panties. 

'Remember when' is the lowest form of conversation. - Tony Soprano

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It has climbed up in my rankings over the years.

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