Friday the 13th starts off one night at Camp Crystal Lake, way back in 1958. That might seem way back to us, but it was only a little over 20 years before the "present day" in the film, given that this movie was released in 1980. All the campers are tucked into their beds and the counselors are having a wild and crazy party, singing church songs around a fireplace. Two of the counselors sneak off for a little hanky-panky. Much to their dismay, they are caught in the act and killed.
At this point, we flash-forward to present day, Friday, May 13th, 1980. The camp has apparently been closed since the deaths back in 1958. But there's always someone who wants to reopen an abandoned summer camp. The first counselor we see is a very friendly and nice girl named Annie (Robbi Morgan). Before she is killed off, she learns that the camp is cursed. Several people have tried to open it, but every time they do, something goes wrong. The place is just bad luck and should be left closed permanently. Annie should have paid more attention to people when she was told not to talk to strangers. After she accepts a ride from an apparently normal-looking person, she winds up dead in the woods before she even makes it to the camp. This does not bode well for the rest of the campers.
Why he's trying so hard to do it, we have no clue, but Steve Christy (Peter Brouwer) is determined to make this camp a reality again. He has hired quite a few counselors in addition to Annie. Steve drives off to pick up supplies, leaving Alice (Adrienne King), Marcie (Jeannine Taylor), Jack (Kevin Bacon), Bill (Harry Crosby), Brenda (Laurie Bartram), and Ned (Mark Nelson) to hold down the camp while he's gone. One by one, they will find out that this is one summer job they should never have taken. Will any of them manage to survive?
As they say in one of the special features, timing is everything. They took that into consideration when making Friday the 13th. The deaths are paced well. They give you at least a few suspects for the killer, enough to keep you guessing. Not that it will help, because I don't think anyone could have guessed who the real killer is in this one. I haven't seen the original version in enough years that I can't pinpoint exactly where the added uncut footage is, but I don't remember all of the deaths being quite so bloody or the sex scene being so long with that much flesh shown. There are also several special features available that are quite interesting. I especially liked the cast reunion. It was interesting to see the cast as they are now, and even hear Adrienne King scream again.
Even if you already own Friday the 13th, I still recommend picking up the new uncut version. The special features alone are worth it, and you know you just can't resist uncut versions of films!
