Friday the 13th - Paramount Pictures (4k UHD/Digital Code)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1980
Director: Sean S. Cunningham
Writers: Victor Miller, Ron Kurz
Cast: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Jeannine Taylor, Robbi Morgan, Kevin Bacon, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram, Mark Nelson, Peter Brouwer, Rex Everhart, Ronn Carroll, Ron Millkie, Walt Gorney, Willie Adams, Debra S. Hayes

Release Date: September 13th, 2022
Approximate Running Times: 95 Minutes 27 Seconds (Uncut Version), 95 Minutes 9 Seconds (Uncut Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10 (Both Versions)
Rating: R, NR
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English, Dolby Digital Mono French
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $25.99

"The thrills start when the new owner, and several young counselors, gather to reopen Camp Crystal Lake. Years ago, a young boy named Jason Voorhees drowned, and a series of vicious murders occurred thereafter. Despite locals’ warnings that the place has a “death curse,” the new crew continues to relaunch the camp. One by one, they find out how unlucky Friday the 13th can be as they are stalked by a violent killer." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Friday the 13th comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 58.9 GB

Feature: 47.9 GB

The source used for this transfer looks excellent, and it is a noticeable improvement over Paramount’s 2019 Blu-ray. Colors are nicely saturated, flesh tones look healthy, contrast, black levels, and image clarity are solid, there are no issues with compression, and the image retains an organic look. That said, this is the best this film has ever looked on home video.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English and a Dolby Digital mono mix in French. For this review, I only listened to the DTS-HD 5.1 English track. The DTS-HD 5.1 mix sounds good for a remix track; dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and channel separation is very good. Also, ambient sounds are well-represented, and the score sounds robust. There are removable English, English SDH, and French subtitle options.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a digital copy, a slipcover, a short film inspired by Friday the 13th titled Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part I (7 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English and French subtitles), a featurette titled Secrets Behind the Gore (9 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English and French subtitles), a featurette titled The Friday the 13th Chronicles (20 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English and French subtitles), a featurette titled The Man Behind the Legacy: Sean S. Cunningham (8 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English and French subtitles), a featurette titled Fresh Cuts: New Tales from Friday the 13th (14 minutes 7 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English and French subtitles), a featurette titled Friday the 13th Reunion (16 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English and French subtitles) and an audio commentary with director Sean S. Cunningham, screenwriter Victor Miller, actresses Adrienne King & Betsy Palmer, editor Bill Freda, composer Harry Manfredini, assistant editor Jay Keuper and moderated by Peter Bracke, author of Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday The 13th, for the uncut version. 

Summary:

Friday the 13th was directed by Sean S. Cunningham, whose other notable films as a director include A Stranger is Watching and The New Kids. Other notable films on which he has worked as a producer include The Last House on the Left and House.

All great horror films have memorable opening sequences. Friday the 13th’s opening sequence is a textbook example of how to open a horror film. And though Friday the 13th’s opening sequence is not indicative of the gruesome kill scenes that have become synonymous with the Friday the 13th films, this restrained opening sequence perfectly underscores the latter kill scenes.

With that being said, though, kill scenes are horror cinema’s main draw. They quickly become redundant if the narrative is weak. And Friday the 13th’s narrative is a solid example of how to build a narrative. And nowhere is this more clear than when it comes to backstory and character development. Another strength of the narrative is how there are lengthy intervals between the first three killings.

Friday the 13th does not disappoint when it comes to killing scenes. The kill sequences are gory enough, and there are plenty of well-executed jump scares. With Friday the 13th’s most memorable kill being the scene where a camp counselor gets impaled by a killer lurking underneath the bed, apparently, a kill scene from Mario Bava’s Bay of Blood inspired this kill scene.

The visuals do an excellent job of reinforcing the mounting menacing by effectively employing stalking shots from the killer's POV. Another way the visuals work well is that some of the killing scenes take place off-screen, with only the aftermath of the carnage shown. Not to be overlooked is composer Harry Manfredini’s exceptional score. He delivers a minimal score that at times is reminiscent of Bernard Herrmann’s use of strings, and the centerpiece of the score is a piece that plays when the killer stalks its victims.

Performance wise, the cast is all great in their respective roles, especially Betsy Palmer (Mr. Roberts) in the role of a grieving mother named Mrs. Voorhees. She delivers an utterly convincing performance that perfectly captures her character's state of mind.

Another performance of note is Adrienne King in the role of a camp counselor named Alice. She delivers a well-rounded performance that more than fulfills her character’s status as The Final Girl. Also, Kevin Bacon (Footloose) plays a camp counselor, and Walt Gorney (Day of the Animals) plays Crazy Ralph, a locale who tries to warn the camp counselors about the evil lurking at Camp Crystal Lake. Finally, Friday the 13th is a solid horror film that has stood the test of time and is considered one of the pinnacles of 1980s horror cinema.

Friday the 13th makes its way to 4K UHD via a solid video upgrade from Paramount Pictures that comes with a wealth of informative extras, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer