Why did anyone watch 'Friday the 13th'?

Haha, this reminds me of being terrified by “The Blob” for years because as a four year old I saw a short segment (when my mom ran down to the corner convenience store and left me alone in the house) that was the blob rolling around and enveloping people and the dog.

YEARS later (like, 20) I finally saw the whole movie and was rolling on the floor because of how awesomely campy it was.

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This should read:
TVTropes - because of this movie :wink:

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I think whedon fans begat tvtropes, and cabin and the woods was goddard and whedon’s response to tvtropes.

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Was it that bad at the time?

“The world has moved on”
-Roland of Gilead

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How many ways can we show you someone dying on screen is the main thing.
I never understood the appeal of Friday The 13th but the original Halloween is actually a good creepy film.
Also I have come to like Dario Argento’s work.

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I remember seeing “The Blob” when I was in kindergarten and being terrified out of my wits. Finally got the courage to watch it again in college and… it had a Burt Bacharach theme song!

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The 80s one or the original with Steve McQueen?

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So I’m not the only one who had nightmares after watching the Blob when I was younger. Good to know! :crazy_face:

I’m sure I’ve seen Friday the 13th at some point, but I don’t recall being that impressed. As a general rule, I like my horror to be more supernatural-- I prefer Freddy to Jason.

freddy krueger with glove

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I was scared of Norman Bates’ mother. When that woman turned the body of the sweet old lady, revealing that mummified face. I screamed out and didn’t sleep that night.

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If you allow TV shows, I have a Bacon Number of 3.

Weirdly, the only horror movie to ever give me nightmares was Razorback.

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Right?! It was awesome!

Original; never noticed a later one.

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Good. The 80s one has better Gore effects but otherwise fails. The original sets a much used formula for plucky high school kids knowing what is up and adults all think they are crazy.
Also it is part of The Criterion Collection.

If you want a hokey comedy horror version then the sequel Beware The Blob is worth a watch. Otherwise pass on it as it is a mess.

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Phantasm was one of my favorite horror flicks, and that’s another good one for fans of supernatural creepiness.

phantasm

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I read Stephen King’s “On Writing”, his book on why he writes, his method. Excellent book, I’m neither a horror fan or a Stephen King fan, but it’s a good book. He mentions a formative experiences, talks about how, as a kid, 7or 8? he was out in the woods, had to poop, asked his brother what to do to wipe, and his brother said use those leaves. Which turned out to be poison ivy. Required medical intervention. At some point, he was undergoing a procedure with his doctor, the uncaring doctor said “this won’t hurt”, and then it was excruciatingly painful.
I never got horror, but went full bore into fantasy and scifi. As a kid, 7 or 8, I used to spend most of my time out in the woods. For whatever reason I was always really good at identifying plants. I knew what poison ivy looked like, I knew the leaves for every edible berry, and which plants had hidden playthings. Possibly my brain is wired for it, like some people have a memory for faces.
So when I read his book, wondered if our different experiences in the woods was a major basis for where we diverged in interests.

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The Cabin in the Woods is excellent if you read about the writers’/directors’ inspiration to make the movie. It’s not just a slasher/horror movie but a criticism of horror movies as well.

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many normal people enjoy slasher films but I find anyone who has a low spot on the totem pole of life will feel a vicarious power trip cheering on the killer. its one good reason to have dumb jocks in the movies.

I preferred monster effects and creature designs as a kid although watched the occasional slasher flick

pro tip: if someone mentions finding out on second viewing that the Blob is more camp than scary they are definitely referring to the original since even if its considered a good film the remake has zero camp XD

with so many bringing up Kevin Bacon in Friday the 13th OR saying they preferred Freddie to Jason, I am surprised no one has mentioned Johnny Depp in a Nightmare on Elm St

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We have consider that this is one of those trailers that is working double-time trying to sell several things simultaneously: slasher flicks wasn’t a ‘thing’ yet, so they had to be very instructive about the concept, whilst not showing too much gore to get a R-rating on the trailer itself.
At the same time they had to try not to give away the twist ending, by concealing the fact that the whole movie was building up towards a twist ending.
Given all that, I’d say the editor did his best with what he had.

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the trailer for Blade Runner is fucking terrible too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eogpIG53Cis

I know this is off-topic, but here’s my contribution to the scarred-for-life stories.

When I was in 6th or 7th grade the high school drama class produced The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, and for some reason we were all herded into the high school gym to watch it.

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My God I love that movie. The experience of seeing it for the first time made me giddy. Initially you think “awww… they gave the game away too early. Where could they go from here?” But then it escalates SO MUCH.

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