Why do people like this movie!

getting banned makes it more of a "WANT TO SEE" thing.

This ones way better then F13. Sure, it's nothing monumental, but it's goriest then most of the slashers then and it has more realistic gore scenes then most of the slasher now have.

Cropsy is also better then most of the slashers then. I really liked his make up, I won't tell what it is cuz of the spoilers.

Raft scene was classic and it's "scarier" then most of the slashers.

Now, JUST BEFORE DAWN... I think that was overrated (but it's ok movie in general, for a slasher movie)

I'll dare to go as far as saying I thought this was better than Friday the 13th. Perhaps Friday is a good film on it's own (it is). But compared to the films that followed, it was pretty bare boned. The characters weren't all that interesting, the cast was small numbered, and the killer wasn't all that interesting. And then Jason came into play, and we had this odd, creepy villain of a character, who we almost pity because of his life circumstances.

Same with this film. I liked the bigger, broader cast. There were more characters of all different ages and social class. Fischer Stevens was a geeky guy and a jokester, but not the stereotypical over-the-top F13 brand of goofballs. Jason Alexander was a good actor, and brought some real sarcastic wit to the film. The oddball Alfred was sympathetic and vulnerable. It seems like he set the horror standard of having an outcast/nerdy guy who nobody likes stumble upon the grisly truth before everyone else, and nobody believes him because he's such an outsider.

The film was stylishly shot. It almost resembles a comic in some manner. Things are very theatrical, the blood very red, the camera angles obscuring some things from the shot. The quick cuts and the shadowy killer (who we don't see until the very end) was nicely done and helped sell the ambiguity of the character and make us feel what the campers felt, as they only saw glimpses of him. I call it the JAWS technique. Less is more.

Of course, there's the awesome musical score, which I find much catchier and eerier than Friday's orchestrated score. The creepy spaceship synthesizers really added depth to the scenes (thanks, Rick Wakeman!). The theme is catchy and retro, and really appealed to me. I have the score on my IPOD, I liked it so much. Because of all the slasher films from that era which I have seen, this one had the best musical direction. Maybe you beg to differ, but I'm a man who loves his retro synths.

The setting, camp, would prove to be a popular one in the slasher genre. Being that it came out simultaneous to Friday the 13th Part 2, it's hard to say who started what, but I think this generally set a standard for gore and innovative kills, as well as the sense of familiarity with the camp atmosphere. It's definately inspired by Friday the 13th, but really only with the camp thing. You could also say Friday the 13th ripped off HALLOWEEN, which in turn was inspired by BLACK CHRISTMAS. But they are all good and unique because they all posess certain qualities that seperate them from one another.

For instance, most slasher films that followed used the tired old 'I hear a noise, let me go searching for it' trick. In this film, it was the other way around. Cropsy just came at them and stabbed them, in quite brutal ways, when all they were doing was minding their own business. So, in other words, it stayed away from the more tedious of horror cliches by making the characters a little more savvy and a little less "curious like a cat" wandering into traps because of their own stupidity. You know? Like that one girl who thinks it's her boyfriend outside so for some reason she decides to go out and look, ultimately leading to her demise? THE BURNING kept that scenerio on the down low, and that helped.

I'm going to wrap this up now, but I would just like to stress how awesome this film was for me. I have been wanting to see it for a long time, and I have to say it beat my expectations with some really shocking and suspenseful scenes. Maybe it's not OSCAR-worthy, and maybe it's got some editing flubs, but when you look at the positive aspects, it really boils down to being a fun ride, which I actually found superior to the first two films in the "Jason" series.

The actresses didn't hurt either. Nice full-frontal nudity, and charming modesty from the young ladies. They seemed a bit more in-charge than the bimbos in some other films. They didn't let some jackass guy take advantage of them. In fact, I believe only one couple had "true" sexual intercourse. The other girl was outraged by her boyfriend's advances and libido, and she didn't give in. I admired that character choice, because it shined a light on more independent females in horror films. And although there was no real FINAL GIRL, I felt like the film was fair to both sexes. It didn't glorify the acts, and it certainly didn't prove any kind of gender bias.

Those are all the reasons why I like this movie. Case closed.



People who don't close their mouths when they chew make me FURIOUS!
-Mr. Furious, MYSTERY MEN