Search - Friday the 13th on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Nudity, Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children, Adult Language, Gore Movie Release: 1980 DVD Release: 10/19/1999 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 35 mins Studio: Paramount Total Copies: 11 Genres: Horror, Slasher Film, Teen Movie See Also: Friday the 13th [I Love the 80's Edition], Friday the 13th, Friday the 13th [Circuit City Exclusive] [Checkpoint], Friday the 13th Uncut [Deluxe Edition], Friday the 13th Uncut [Blu-ray]

One of the longest-running horror film series began with this gory shocker from director Sean S. Cunningham, who had previously produced Wes Craven's classic Last House on the Left. Entrepreneur Steve Christie (Peter Brouwer) re-opens Camp Crystal Lake after many years during which it has been cursed by murders and bad luck. The young and nubile counselors all begin to die extremely bloody deaths at the hands of an unseen killer during a rainstorm which isolates the camp. A woman is chopped in the face with an axe, another has her throat sliced in amazingly gruesome fashion, a male counselor (Harry Crosby) is pinned to a door with arrows, and a young Kevin Bacon has an arrow shoved through his throat from below a bed. Victor Miller's script is not particularly impressive, but Cunningham's tense direction, and some remarkable special-effects by acclaimed makeup artist Tom Savini are enough to make it worthwhile. 1950s quiz show regular Betsy Palmer appears as the cook whose son, Jason (Ari Lehman), drowned 25 years earlier while neglected by romancing counselors. Palmer was reportedly cast because she was willing to drive her own car to and from the set. Trivia buffs should note the decapitation scene near the end, in which the female killer exhibits rather hirsute hands clutching at the air. The hands belong to Savini's assistant, Taso N. Stavrakis. Friday the 13th made over 20 million dollars at the box office and spawned numerous sequels. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Betsy Palmer - Mrs. Voorhees
Adrienne King - Alice
Harry Crosby - Bill
Laurie Bartram - Brenda
Robbi Morgan - Annie
Mark Nelson - Ned

Sean S. Cunningham's slasher masterpiece Friday the 13th comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. English and French soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital Mono. English subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials are limited to theatrical trailers. Considering this film's iconic status, it is a disappointment that more extras were not put on this DVD release. All in all, the picture quality on this disc is strong enough to make it worthwhile for a genre enthusiast. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide