Friday the 13th (1980)

Director:

Sean S. Cunningham

Writers:

Victor Miller (screenplay) and
Sean S. Cunningham (story)
(more)

Release Date:

9 May 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

On Friday The 13th, They Began To Die Horribly, One......By One (UK - Theatrical Tagline)

Plot:

Camp counselors are stalked and murdered by an unknown assailant while trying to reopen a summer camp that was the site of a child's drowning.

Plot Keywords:

Lake | Summer | Camp Counselor | Murder | Teenager

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Betsy Palmer	...	Mrs. Pamela Voorhees
Adrienne King	...	Alice Hardy
Jeannine Taylor	...	Marcie Cunningham
Robbi Morgan	...	Annie
Kevin Bacon	...	Jack Burrel
Harry Crosby	...	Bill
Laurie Bartram	...	Brenda
Mark Nelson	...	Ned Rubinstein
Peter Brouwer	...	Steve Christy
Rex Everhart	...	Enos, the Truck Driver
Ronn Carroll	...	Sgt. Tierney
Ron Millkie	...	Officer Dorf
Walt Gorney	...	Crazy Ralph
Willie Adams	...	Barry
Debra S. Hayes	...	Claudette
Dorothy Kobs	...	Trudy
Sally Anne Golden	...	Sandy
Mary Rocco	...	Operator
Ken L. Parker	...	Doctor
Ari Lehman	...	Jason Voorhees
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Noel Cunningham	...	Boy in 1958 Camping Circle (uncredited)
Irwin Keyes	...	Busboy (uncredited)
Tom Savini	...	Man The Knife Killer (uncredited)

Directed by
Sean S. Cunningham

Writing credits
Victor Miller		(screenplay)
Sean S. Cunningham		story
Ron Kurz		uncredited
Victor Miller		story

Produced by
Sean S. Cunningham	....	producer
Alvin Geiler	....	executive producer
Steve Miner	....	associate producer (as Stephen Miner)

Original Music by
Harry Manfredini

Cinematography by
Barry Abrams		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Bill Freda

Casting by
Julie Hughes
Barry Moss

Production Design by
Virginia Field		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Virginia Field
Robert Topol		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Caron Coplan

Makeup Department
Tom Savini	....	special makeup effects
Taso N. Stavrakis	....	special makeup effects assistant (as Taso Stavrakis)
Katharine Vickers	....	hair stylist: Miss Palmer
Katharine Vickers	....	makeup artist
Cecilia Verardi	....	key makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Steve Miner	....	unit production manager (as Stephen Miner)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Stephen Ross	....	second assistant director
Cindy Veazey	....	assistant director

Art Department
Christine Gardyasz	....	assistant properties (as Chris Gardyasz)
Alice MaGuire	....	property mistress (as Alice Maguire)
Daniel E. Mahon	....	assistant to art director (as Danny Mahon)

Sound Department
Lee Dichter	....	sound re-recordist
Richard Murphy	....	sound mixer
David Platt	....	boom
Jerry Trent	....	foley artist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Steven Kirshoff	....	atmospheric effects (as Steve Kirshoff)

Stunts
Tom Savini	....	stunts
Robert Tramontin	....	motorcycle stunt

Camera and Electrical Department
Phil Beard	....	second electric (as Philip Beard)
Jim Bekiaris	....	best boy (as Jim Bekaris)
Richard Berger	....	second assistant camera
Robert Brady	....	second assistant camera
Richard Feury	....	still photographer
Mike Hirsch	....	assistant camera: second unit
William Klayer	....	electric: second unit
Braden Lutz	....	camera operator
Tad Page	....	gaffer
Carl Peterson	....	grip
Larry Reibman	....	gaffer: second unit
Robert D. Shulman	....	key grip (as Bob Shulman)
Peter Stein	....	camera: second unit
John Verardi	....	first assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Anne King	....	wardrobe assistant
Jan Shoebridge	....	wardrobe mistress

Editorial Department
Susan E. Cunningham	....	associate editor
Jay Keuper	....	assistant editor

Transportation Department
Rudy Churny	....	transportation captain (as Rudy Churney)

Other crew
Willie Adams	....	production assistant
Michael Barry	....	production assistant
Michael Calvello	....	location auditor
Michael Hall	....	production assistant
Martin Kitrosser	....	script supervisor
Ted Lowry	....	titles
Denise Pinckley	....	production office coordinator
Cecilia Verardi	....	production assistant (as Cindie M. Verardi)

Thanks
Norman Bedell	....	special thanks: Chief, Blairstown Police Department
Richard Skow	....	special thanks: Chief, Blairstown Fire Department

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures (presents)
• Georgetown Productions Inc.
• Sean S. Cunningham Films

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1980) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1980) (Non-USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1980) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1981) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1981) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• T&O Film (1981) (Norway) (theatrical)
• PIC Distribuzione (1980) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Victor Michailides (1981) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (1986) (Greece) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (1999) (Canada) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Das Vierte (2006) (Germany) (TV)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (deluxe edition)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2003) (Finland) (DVD)
• Sub (2009) (Finland) (TV)
• Warner Bros. (198?) (UK) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (19??) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Cinefear (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-Ray) (uncut)
• Paramount Home Video (198?) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (1980s) (Australia) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Blairstown Fire Department  special thanks to (as Blairstown Fire Department, Blairstown, N.J.)
• Blairstown Police Department  special thanks to (as Blairstown Police Department, Blairstown, N.J.)
• Logo Music  music copyright by (© 1980, All rights reserved.)
• Optical House, The  opticals
• Panavision  lenses and Panaflex camera (as Panavision®)
• Ross-Gaffney Inc.  sound effects
• Six Feet Under  hair styles by (as Six Feet Under, Westport, Connecticut)
• TNI Casting  casting by

Also Known As:

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Canada:R | France:-16 | Iceland:(Banned) | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM18 | Mexico:C | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 (DVD rating) | Norway:16 (heavily cut) | Norway:18 | South Korea:15 (DVD uncut version) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) (1987) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R (Reg. No. 25901) | West Germany:18 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Singapore:M18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted | Finland:(Banned) (1980) (1985) | Finland:K-18 (2002) (self applied) | Portugal:M/18 | New Zealand:R16 | Hungary:18 | Portugal:M/16 (re-rating) | Australia:MA (Cable TV rating) | France:-12 (DVD rating) | USA:Unrated (uncut) | USA:X (original rating) | Chile:(Banned) (Original rating) | Chile:14 (re-rating)

Filming Locations:

New Jersey, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Victor Miller admitted that he was purposely riding off the success of John Carpenter's Halloween (1978).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Alice runs into the boathouse to get the gun, there are several pieces of wood leaning on the right side of the boathouse. As Alice opens the door and enters, one piece falls diagonally, but in subsequent shots it is back in its original position.

Quotes:

Bill:If this is a joke, I'm gonna brain 'em!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Spice World (1997)

A Classic, genre defining

Without a doubt, the work of Cunningham and Carpenter during 1978 & 1980 rocked the world of the horror genre. Friday the 13th is one of the films that to this day still has repercussions. It demonstrated the importance of setting the tone in horror movies, making the audience themselves feel as if they too were being stalked. Cunningham also was one of the few directors to introduce the idea of a possible female serial killer.

Without this film, Scream's Randy would have never uttered those famous words, 'There are certain rules to surviving a horror movie..' This film combined with Carpenter's Halloween, firmly etched the rules in stone. The creepy music, the infamous "ch-ch-ch-ha-ha-ha", the crude photography and the graphic depiction of the murders of the counsellors all blend together to give a classic piece of film history. It scared the hell out of multitudes of teenagers who, in many instances could see themselves in the victims of the stalker. These weren't bad people getting killed, these were just your typical average American kids, having a good time, getting picked off.

That is what makes this film so defining, that is why, for all its crude and harsh imagery, this is a classic. This is why alot of recent attempts at horror don't measure up. It's not the effects or the blood necessarily, it's the atmosphere and the familiarity that bring it home.It is more frightening to think, "That could be me"