Midnight Movies

CineVegas features cult movies in ‘Area 52 Screening Series’

Let’s face it, college students have a lot to think about - what credits are needed to graduate, paying bills, how to survive the weekday, etc. Deciding weekend plans shouldn’t be one of them.

To help the unsettled weekend goers, CineVegas is back with another event showcasing a series of bizarre midnight cult films starting Sunday, Feb. 22.

The CineVegas Area 52 Screening Series at the Onyx Theatre is a series of out-of-this-world science fiction movies that will be shown Sundays at 9 p.m. for four consecutive weeks.

Remember those nights as a kid, staying up past midnight watching the most unusual and strangest television programming? Those late night B-movies are a classic example of the “midnight movie” that started this particular cult genre of entertainment.

“The first time I watched [a cult genre movie] was at a friend’s house back in Dakota,” said UNLV sophomore Luke Quam. “We were at his house and he knew I didn’t like those kinds of movies from my past history. This was at like 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. in the late hours of the night.”

The midnight cult genre started during the late 1950s in films that were dubbed “midnight movies.” The most recognizable shows were “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “The Vampira Show” featuring the pop culture phenomenon and busty bloodsucker, Elvira.

“When I was a kid… in the 70s and early 80s, I would watch replays of the old genre movies on Saturday afternoons,” said Jim Finn, director of the cult film “Interkosmos. “The whole cult genre is a little bit weird and unclassifiable.”

Now those “midnight movies” are revived for a limited time with a modern twist. Finn’s “Interkosmos” will be one of the four films to be shown at the special screening series and is a modern example of a midnight cult movie.

“It’s a more of a unique brand of movie,” Finn said. “You’re going to have to open up to something different. Often times, movies that I don’t like the first time, I’ll like later on after watching it over again.”

“Interkosmos” will be shown on the opening Sunday of the special screening series. The film is about the peculiar account of a secret collaboration between the Soviet Russia and West Germany. taking place in the murky vacuum of space.

“The idea of not having any real rules and to be totally open is really appealing about the genre,” Finn said. “You can ignore rules like physics and go at the speed of light. The past is done and somewhat limited as far as imagination goes, while the future is more epic with an unknown quality to it.”

A reception will be held at 8:30 p.m. before each film and tickets are $7 per person and may be purchased at the Onyx Theatre. The special screening series will include film shorts and trailers along with the feature-length films.

“I think a lot of young people will like the series of films,” Finn said. “It’s nutty and smart, and a lot of college students are used to challenging the ideas in films and literature.”

Source - http://unlvrebelyell.com

The first and only X-rated film to win an Academy Award for best picture (later revised to R), “Midnight Cowboy,” arrives at Northwest Film Forum for a week’s run tonight. Joined by the late Sydney Pollack’s dance-marathon drama “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” it’s part of NWFF’s tribute to the films of 1969. Both screen nightly in 35 mm through Thursday: NWFF, 1515 12th Ave., Seattle; 206-267-5380 or www.nwfilmforum.org.

Seattle Art Museum concludes its Black History Month musicals series with a screening tonight of “Carmen Jones,” the Oscar Hammerstein adaptation of Bizet’s opera, directed by Otto Preminger and starring Dorothy Dandridge (who’s dubbed by opera star Marilyn Horne) and Harry Belafonte. 7:30 p.m., Plestcheeff Auditorium, SAM, 1300 First Ave., Seattle; 206-654-3121 or www.seattleartmuseum.org. Tickets are $7 (cash only) at the door.

The Grand Illusion continues its Akira Kurosawa series with “Yojimbo,” the 1961 samurai-for-hire tale which would later inspire “A Fistful of Dollars.” Nightly through Thursday, 1403 N.E. 50th St., Seattle; 206-523-3935 or www.grandillusioncinema.org.

And finally, this week’s midnight movie at the Egyptian is Paul Verhoeven’s 1997 sci-fi adventure “Starship Troopers,” based on the novel by Robert Heinlein. Tonight and Saturday at 805 E. Pine St., Seattle; 206-781-5755 or www.landmarktheatres.com.

When Adrienne Langlois ‘10 wanted a Friday full of suspense, she would go to midnight showings of Alfred Hitchcock or the Coen brothers movies at the Avon Cinema. Now, she will have to settle for duller evenings and, when the clock strikes 12, she will just have to go to bed.

Until eight months ago, the Avon Cinema ran midnight shows of classic Hollywood movies every week of the year. It also showed movies that had come out in the past six months and received renewed attention at this time. But decreasing attendance forced owner Richard Dulgarian to cancel the midnight movies.

“People just weren’t coming,” he said. “It was obvious that the shows were not paying for themselves.”

Dulgarian doesn’t know the reason why people stopped coming to his midnight shows.

“Maybe our society is going to bed earlier,” he said. “Or maybe there’s just more things to do on a Friday or Saturday night.”

The news disappointed the Avon’s loyal costumers like Langlois, a contributing writer for post-, who spent several nights of her first two years at Brown in the theater.

“I’m gonna miss it,” Langlois said. “I have very fond memories of my time there.”

Langlois smiled as she remembered when she went to see “The Big Lebowski.” The theater was full and the audience was excited to see the film, she said.

“I went with a group of friends to see this movie,” she said. “And, those who were watching it for the first time had the opportunity to see it on the big screen and not on their laptop screens.”

For some moviegoers, the schedule was not the issue, it was money.

“They still charge the regular admission price to watch an old film,” Langlois said. “It becomes expensive.”

Another regular costumer, Bonnie Min ‘10, said that canceling all midnight functions was too radical.

“They could have one each month,” Min said. “They could print out flyers and make sure that everybody knows about it.”

Min also mentioned that the Avon should try to have midnight screening in weeks when there are no midterms or final exams.

“I’m sure that the week after midterms would be a good idea,” she said. “People would want to have that unique experience after studying hard.”

Committed to getting the “films to the population,” Dulgarian has made some changes in the schedules. The theater now screens all movies earlier, with the latest showing around 10, he said.

“We’re trying to slip in the 10 p.m. show,” Dulgarian said. “We want to see if there’s an interest, a response.”

This week “Doubt” is playing at the Avon at 9 p.m., and this coming Friday there will be a screening of “Milk,” which just won two Academy Awards, at 10 p.m.,he said.

Source - www.browndailyherald.com

New offering comes via pact with Fantastic Fest

The South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival has struck a new partnership with Fantastic Fest, which will offer a midnight movie sidebar, premiering six new films, at SXSW, which runs from March 13-21 in Austin, Texas.

The “SXSW Presents Fantastic Fest at Midnight” will play at the Alamo Drafthouse, which has been a partner of SXSW for 11 years.

“In fact, our very first show at the original Alamo Drafthouse location was opening night of SXSW 1997,” Fantastic Fest director and Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League said. “We are proud to work so closely with such a respected institution, and in 2009 with ‘SXSW Presents Fantastic Fest at Midnight,’ we plan to deliver one of the best movie experiences of the year for genre film fans.”

The midnight film lineup will be announced later this month.

SXSW also will present more than 60 Film Conference panel from March 13-17.

They will include such panels as “A Conversation With Bob Berney & John Pieson,” “Crash the Server — How to Market Your Movie by Achieving Webisode Awesomeness,” “Marketing Meets New Media: Building Your Audience Online” and “The Incredible Shrinking (Expanding) Film Critic Profession.”

Source - www.hollywoodreporter.com

When the guy who programs the Midnight Madness slate at the Toronto Film Festival gets excited about a new event, you can bet that it’s going to be something pretty geek-tastic. So last night I got an email from Mr. Colin Geddes and here’s what he was so psyched about: They gave writer / director / movie nerd Edgar Wright a chance to program a mini-festival of his very own, and the man delivered a week’s full of evening screenings that any flick geek would have a ball with.

Of course the event (called The Wright Stuff) will open with the unbeatable double feature of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, but as the week goes on, attendees will be able to savor one-two punches like The Warriors and The Wanderers; Shaolin Soccer and Riki-Oh; and Drunken Master 2 with an as-yet-unannounced but undoubtedly ass-kickin’ martial arts movie. (Plus, dang, they’re showing The Brood on the big screen!) Oh, and one evening will offer a very nifty Spaced marathon. And if you’re wondering what makes a guy like Edgar Wright qualified to program his own mini-festival, I suggest you sit in on those Spaced, Shaun, and Fuzz screenings — because this is a filmmaker who bleeds flick love like nobody’s business.

A full press release for the event is included after the jump, and our readers might like to know that our own Monika B. lives RIGHT NEAR that movie theater, so perhaps you should be nice and ask for a couch to crash upon. And hey, here’s a report on a similar event that Mr. Wright hosted in L.A. a few years back. Heh, “Mr. Wright.” Hear that, ladies?

The Wright Stuff (Toronto Edition!) - Edgar Wright presents some of his favourite films at The Bloor Cinema

Following its successful Kevin Smith Fest, the Bloor Cinema is proud to announce that filmmaker Edgar Wright (director/co-writer, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) will be presenting The Wright Stuff, a selection of his favourite movies every week from March 1st through April 12th.

Wright has curated a film series that promises to fill the bottomless void inside your soul with all the excitement, gut busting laughter and life changing moments that can only be delivered by an unhealthy dose of cinematic fried gold. Edgar Wright will be introducing and doing Q&As following the February 28th and March 1st screenings, and will also attend the others, his schedule permitting.

COMPLETE LIST OF THE WRIGHT STUFF SCREENINGS:

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28
7:00 Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004)
9:30 Hot Fuzz (Edgar Wright, 2007)
Plus the night will also feature UNCUT trailer of the Grindhouse trailer ‘DON’T’

SUNDAY, MARCH 1
7:00 Shaolin Soccer (Stephen Chow, 2001)
9:30 Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (Ngai Kai Lam, 1991)

SUNDAY, MARCH 8
7:00 The Wanderers (Philip Kaufman, 1979)
9:30 The Warriors (Walter Hill, 1979)

SATURDAY, MARCH 14
9:45 Head (Bob Rafelson, 1968)

SUNDAY, MARCH 15
7:00 Dames (Ray Enright & Busby Berkeley, 1934)
9:00 Phantom of the Paradise (Brian De Palma, 1974)

SUNDAY, MARCH 22
5:00 Spaced Marathon (Edgar Wright, 1999-2001)

SUNDAY, APRIL 5
7:00 Kung Fu film TBA
9:30: Drunken Master 2 (Chia-Liang Liu, 1994)

SUNDAY, APRIL 12
7:00 The Brood (David Cronenberg, 1979)
9:00 Last Night (Don McKellar, 1998).

EVENT PAGE: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=48855385746

Single movie tickets are $8 for Bloor Cinema members and $11 for non-members. Double bills are $14 for members and $17 for non-members. (Non-member prices include a six-month Bloor membership.)

Pick up your Wright Stuff series passes now! For $90 you can:
• See Shaun of the Dead/Hot Fuzz
• See the SPACED marathon
• See EVERY NIGHT of the Wright Stuff film series.
• Be let in first.
• Receive a 10% discount at the Silver Snail

A pass for all screenings is $90, or $75 if not including Shaun of the Deadand Hot Fuzz. Pass-holders receive priority seating and 10% off Silver Snail products from the merchandise table set up at various screenings. Passes are available in advance via TOtix (http://totix.ca), Silver Snail, and the Bloor Cinema box office.

Source - www.cinematical.com

It’s been too long since we turned our caffeinated gaze to what’s happening on the midnight movie scene, but the moment we saw that “Nightwing” is playing at the Nuart at 11:59PM on Friday, February 27, we contacted a pal who knows his 1979, vampire-bats-gone-crazy flicks. His succinct summary? “Right, that came out when all the killer bees and wild wombats and packs of cranky badger movies came out; it was a trend.”

Do you miss those days? We do. Maybe a comeback is due. Until then, for your prepping-to-find-that-perfect-flick pleasure, there’s…

“Ghostbusters”: Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver, New York City, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Slimer, some beautiful, soon-to-be-slimed hotel hallways, a lot of on-the-prowl ghosts, a nasal-voiced Annie Potts, and, maybe our favorite cast member of the whole lot, Rick Moranis. Holy phantom but we’re stoked. And, the quote of all quotes: There is no Dana, only Zuul! Friday, February 27, midnight. Regency Fairfax Theatres, 7907 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles

“The Garbage Pail Kids Movie”: Your eyes do not deceive. Those crazy tykes, which made a huge splash in the trading card/toy arena years ago, have their own movie, and if you missed it 1987, your chance has come back around. We were a tad surprised to see “Bedknobs & Broomsticks” running as a late show a few weeks back in town, but now we think kids’ flicks at midnight is a trend? Or, at PG, is this more for the grown-ups? More research required. Friday, February 27, midnight. The Art Theatre of Long Beach, 2025 E. Fourth Street, Long Beach. 562-4385435

Source - www.nbclosangeles.com

Not long ago, I compiled a wee list of actors who started in horror before moving out of the genre to become household names. Sure, it’s all well and good when Jennifer Aniston wants to expand her resume beyond Leprechaun, but the actors who have my heart are the ones who have their feet more or less planted in the world of the fright flick. Though these folks have certainly done more, they’re best known for their horror work — and horror is better for it.

Tom Atkins
Any genre fan worth his weight in Karo syrup will tell you straight up: Tom Atkins is the man. As his non-genre work on shows like The Rockford Files and The Equalizer demonstrate, Atkins is usually cast as a cop; barring that, he’s a tough guy. Is it his gruff demeanor and no-nonsense attitude that make him horror’s King of Cool (yeah, I said it — take that, Bruce Campbell!)? Maybe. Whatever “it” is, Tom Atkins has it; he must be as charismatic off-screen as well, because directors tend to work with him repeatedly. Atkins has appeared in two John Carpenter movies and three George Romero ones. Finally, a whole new generation of genre fans are getting a good dose of Tom; he appears in My Bloody Valentine 3D where he plays — you guessed it — a cop.
Notable movies: The Fog (1980), Creepshow (1982), Night of the Creeps (1986)

Karen Black
You know what they say: Once you battle to the death with a Zuni fetish doll, there’s no going back. OK, so maybe no one says that, it’s still true! Early in her career, Karen Black appeared in films such as The Great Gatsby and Five Easy Pieces; in 1975 she famously duked it out with that evil doll in the made-for-TV classic Trilogy of Terror and horror found a new queen. Thirty years on and she’s still going strong in the genre, working alongside folks like Rob Zombie. And if he likes her, she has to be cool, right? All hail Karen Black!
Notable movies: Burnt Offerings (1976), Mirror Mirror (1990), House of 1000 Corpses (2003)

Ken Foree
With his imposing stature, his deep voice, and his ubiquitous sunglasses, Ken Foree simply exudes cool. In fact, he was the height of cool in one of his very first roles: Peter in George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead. Peter is the type of guy you want on your side during the inevitable zombie apocalypse — the type who’s simply going to kick zombie ass. After a decade or two relegated to bit parts on TV shows, Foree returned to zombieland in the Dawn of the Dead remake, intoning the famous tagline “When there’s no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the Earth.” He forgot to add, “…and then I’ll kick their asses.”
Notable movies: Phantom of the Mall: Eric‘s Revenge (1989), Black Santa’s Revenge (2007), Halloween (2007)

Bill Moseley
I was recently watching an episode of Unsolved Mysteries (don’t judge) and lo and behold, there was Bill Moseley in one of the re-enactments. As you might expect, he wasn’t portraying some guy who was reunited with a lost love or something equally heartwarming; rather, he was a real wackadoo who held a classroom of kids hostage with his homemade bomb. Though he’s appeared in horror movies since the early days of his career, Moseley’s status as a true genre icon was solidified after his appearances as the homicidal Otis Driftwood in House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects.
Notable movies: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 (1986), Night of the Living Dead (1990), Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)

Debbie Rochon
If you seen a horror movie in your lifetime, chances are at least one of them has starred B-movie goddess Debbie Rochon. Sure, titles such as Who Wants to Be an Erotic Billionaire? might give you pause…  but make no mistake: Rochon can actually act, and she brings a bit of quality to even the lowest-budget affair. She’s the undisputed queen of Tromaville, having appeared several efforts by Lloyd Kaufman and company, including Citizen Toxie and Poultrygeist. As her appearance in the 2007 mockumentary Being Michael Madsen proves, she’s got crossover appeal. Genre fans should be thankful, however, that she stays firmly entrenched in horror.
Notable movies: Tromeo and Juliet (1996), American Nightmare (2002), November Son (2008)

Dee Wallace
New horror filmmakers are finally discovering what we old folks have known for years now: Dee Wallace freakin’ rocks. She was hugely popular in the early ’80s but dropped off the genre radar for a while as she appeared in a string of family flicks. Since the new millennium she’s been back with a vengeance in movies such as Halloween and The House of the Devil. It looks like she’s not going anywhere soon: Wallace has nearly 20 films in the pipeline. Young and old horror fans alike, rejoice!
Notable movies:The Howling (1981), Cujo (1983), The Frighteners (1996)

Horror fans are nothing if not extremely dedicated…or do I mean “deadicated”? (Ugh, no wonder I never bust out the puns.) Anyway, the point is that if you’re an actor whose appeared in horror movies — no matter the film, no matter how small the role — the fans will repay you by lining up for your autograph at conventions and following your every career move. For those actors who have carved out their own niche in the genre by appearing in film after film, the sentiment is undoubtedly tenfold. Unless that’s creepy, in which case we should all just say, “Thanks!”

A fan of horror movies and scary stuff, Stacie Ponder started her blog Final Girl so she’d have a platform from which she could tell everyone that, say, Friday the 13th, Part 2 rules. She leads a glamorous life, walking on the razor’s edge of danger and intrigue.

Source -http://blogs.amctv.com

ROYAL OAK - Yes, it’s time to throw off the winter blues and get caught up in the fun and frivolous time warp of “The Rocky Horror Show.” The outrageous cult classic will be presented live on stage by Stagecrafters at the Baldwin Theatre in downtown Royal Oak. By the way, Stagecrafters is asking you not “to come as you are” and not “to be quiet during the show!”

“The Rocky Horror Show” (book, lyrics and music by Richard O’Brien) is full of campy, twisted antics, a rompin’ rock-n-roll score, and flashy, suggestive costuming.

In a show that has long been known for its interactivity, Stagecrafters is encouraging audience participation and sass, as well as inviting people to show up in their best “goth get-up” or “Rocky-inspired costume.”

“Because audience participation is such a large part of the ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ experience, Stagecrafters’ production will proudly uphold the time-honored tradition by offering audience participation kits with all the props they will need to have the full ‘Rocky’ experience,” says Stagecrafters’ Development Director Lesley Phillips.

Props included in the participation kits, which sell for $10 a bag, include a boa, serpentine throws, party hat, noise maker, rubber gloves and fake toast. Phillips added, “Besides a few items like the boa, which can be taken home as a keepsake, our participation bags also have a little extra bonus of coupons from some of our local retailers such as Caribou Coffee and Five15 in Royal Oak.” Stagecrafters is requesting that no flashlights or squirt guns be brought into the theater due to safety concerns for the actors.

A Time Warp Costume Contest will be held at each performance and the best “Rocky” dressed audience member will be invited on stage to dance with the cast in the “Time Warp Reprise.”

“The Rocky Horror Show” begins with young, clean-cut couple, Brad Majors (Lance Jones of Rochester Hills) and his fiance Janet Weiss (Randi Bartecki-Hamilton of Ferndale), on their way to visit a college professor when they run into car trouble. They seek refuge in a kinky castle, “The Frankenstein Place.” Greeted by a group of motley misfits, including the hunchbacked handyman Riff Raff (Vince Kelley of Roseville), the imposing maid Magenta (Diana Geralt of Beverly Hills) and the quirky Columbia (Jennifer Stallings of Auburn Hills), they are invited to stay and meet the master of the house and host of the evening, Dr. Frank-n-Furter (Gary Castaneda of Detroit), a sweet transvestite from the planet Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania. Unbeknownst to Brad and Janet, a night of mad science, debauchery, decadence and forbidden pleasure is about to unfold.

On this unconventional night, Dr. Frank-n-Furter is about to start one of his maniacal experiments - this time he’s created an Adonis, the perfect man so named Rocky Horror (Frank Hampton of Ferndale). Before the birthday party for Rocky begins, Frank-n-Furter must contend with burly biker Eddie (Nathan Napier of Warren), a previous experiment who has come crashing into the laboratory. Not to be shown up by grand entrances, Dr. Scott (Mark Hammell of Lathrup Village), the very professor that Brad and Janet set out to visit, arrives in search of his missing nephew, Eddie. Dr. Scott knows Frank-n-Furter’s secret, but isn’t sure if he can he reveal it in time to save Brad and Janet before they give themselves over to the dark side of “absolute pleasure.” The show’s ending can only be summed up as a throwback to the age of monster movies and science fiction.

First conceived as a play, “The Rocky Horror Show” has entertained audiences and gained cult classic status for its bewildering plot line and unusual audience participation since its U.S. theatre debut in 1970s. The show was performed at the Royal Court theatre Upstairs in London between 1973 and 1980. Arriving in the U.S. at the Roxy Theatre in Hollywood in 1974, the show ran for a dismal nine months, doing even worse in New York.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t s

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A movie version of the play “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975) was filmed in England with most of the original English cast including Tim Curry and writer/creator, Richard O’Brien (as Riff Raff). With the addition of American actors Barry Bostwick (as Brad) and the then-unknown, Susan Sarandon (as Janet), they created a film that would become totally adored by “Rocky” cultists around the world. Since its film debut, audiences have taken ‘absolute pleasure’ in dressing up as cast members, adding dialogue, using props at various points during the show and even acting it out in full costume in front of the movie screen during the presentation.

Adult and sexual situations including simulated sex. Anyone under 17 must be accompanied by an adult.

Tickets for all shows are $14. Call 248-541-6430 for tickets. Visa and MasterCard are accepted. All seats are reserved and there is no late seating.

Source -  http://www.pridesource.com

Los Angeles, CA (CNS) - “Superman Returns” producer Gilbert Adler is reuniting with the film’s star Brandon Routh in a $20 million indie horror flick for Hyde Park Group and Platinum Studios.

Society has come to expect the obvious from horror movies: nudity, drugs, sex, blood, killing and bad acting. What’s not expected is the revamped attitude of the new “Friday the 13th.” The film manages to provide the right mix of blood and humor to please any horror-film buff.

The film’s focus as a reimagining of the first four “Friday the 13th” films brings it back to its roots. It is produced by Michael Bay, who also produced the remakes of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “The Amityville Horror,” and directed by Marcus Nispel, director of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Unlike the other two movies, which were set in the ’70s, “Friday the 13th” provides an old-school horror style set in the modern day.

The film opens with a flashback to Friday, June 13, 1980, where a young, soon-to-be-killer named Jason Voorhees witnesses his mother get decapitated by a female camp counselor who is trying to escape from the mother’s murderous rampage. Jason’s mother “speaks” to him and orders him to avenge her death. The film then fast-forwards to the present day where a group of friends vacation at Camp Crystal Lake. One by one, each of the unfortunate 20-something’s are picked off, except one, Whitney (Amanda Righetti), who is spared because she reminds Jason of his mother.

The movie boils down to a standard hunter-versus-prey game. The fun is waiting to see when and how Jason is going to pounce.

Jared Padalecki and Aaron Yoo are the two standout actors, who both deliver their lines with tact and ease.  Padalecki, the resident horror star of “Supernatural,” manages to portray a smart and tough character convincingly. He gives the character a sense of justice and a feeling of security. Yoo, on the other hand steals the show with both his comic timing and iconic death scene of a pole slowly being shoved through his neck.

The film works well by not taking itself seriously as an intelligent movie. This is what brings “Friday the 13th” its bloody charm. When the characters are not drinking or smoking, they’re just ripping off their outerwear in order to better accommodate their desires to be naked. This really makes the nudity over-the-top, yet enjoyable, to watch. It provides little to no background, and rather than portraying Jason as a sympathetic, misunderstood character like recent serial killers, he is instead seen as a menacing figure that literally runs after his intended victims when he is ready to strike. The high death count makes the plot a never-ending rampage of slashing and stabbing, creating a high amount of tension that keeps viewers on edge.

The film, unfortunately, is plagued with traditional horror-film flaws. It doesn’t give any new material to the dying genre but, rather, adds more meaningless fluff and annoyingly predictable scenes. The main characters always manage to say and do things to get themselves killed with little character development. However, this shouldn’t detract from the murderous bloodbath of Jason, who takes pleasure in killing off the main characters in outrageous style. Whether it is an ax through someone’s back or an arrow through the head, Jason’s murders are elaborately crafted and carried out.

While each different element in the film is overused and hackneyed by almost every other horror film created, it’s the execution of “Friday the 13th” that sets it apart. The pacing is flawless and a sense of despair is effortlessly implemented. Unlike other sequels, a follow-up for this film would not leave viewers dreading it.

By Steven Terrezza

Source - http://theithacan.org