This is a beginning of one of the longest running series of all time, and began one of the most successful horror villains of all time: Jason Voorhees. However, this first film didn't feature him, but rather his mother. I still think that some people forget this, but this film launched the career of Jason, who stands aside Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, and Leatherface as Slasher Kings.
So here is the rundown of the plot:
We start with a group of teenagers going to Camp Crystal Lake to restore it and re-open it. Little do they know the true reason it was shut down in the first place: a boy named Jason drowned in the 50's, and two counselors were murdered the next year.
So after the adult in charge of the teens leaves to buy supplies, and one by one they disappear, but we actually see them murdered. We eventually get down to Brenda, Bill, and Alice, the three leads, I suppose, who are playing Strip Monopoly while the rest go off on their own or to have sex and all get killed.
Brenda decides to go to sleep, but is killed when distracted from her cabin. The man in charge, Steve, returns and is murdered before he gets to Alice and Bill, who are sleepy. The power is shut off and Bill goes to check it. After he doesn't return, Alice goes out to find him and finds him dead.
Afraid, Alice is discovered by Mrs. Voorhees, who is up to the camp to see things after a storm, which has happened with the murders. She tells Alice about Jason and how the camp shouldn't have been opened ever again, and how she will make sure it isn't, and tries to kill Alice. However, Alice succeeds and gets into a canoe and drifts toward safety.
Alice wakes up in the morning and sees a police car across the lake, but Jason leaps out of the water and drags her out of the canoe down to the bottom of the lake. Alice awakens in hospital where she learns she fell out of the canoe, and that Jason was never found.
The grading scale is up now. This one might be a little rough.
Acting: 5 out of 10. Standard and sometimes pretty bad.
Entertainment: 7 out of 10. A few slow spots.
Screenplay: 6 out of 10. Cheesy diolague that makes even the actors laugh.
Directing: 6 out of 10. Very standard.
Technical Credits: 10 out of 10. Fantastic make-up effects and music.
Genre Fit: 8 out of 10. Not very scary anymore, but a few jumps are effective in ways to some.
MPAA Rating: 8 out of 10. Quite graphic at times.
Stupid Scenes: 7 out of 10. Cheesy diolague,
Deeper Message: 0 out of 10. Nothing.
Beginning: 18 out of 30. A dull start.
Middle: 23 out of 30. Gets better when the kills start.
Ending: 25 out of 30. Now it gets a lot better.
Final Score: 123/180, or 68%. A B, but just barely. Good film overall, but nothing too fantastic.
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