Saturday the 14th (1981)

A family moves into a house inhabited by scary creatures and a number of close calls ensue.

Director:

Howard R. Cohen

Writers:

Jeff Begun (story), Howard R. Cohen (screenplay)

Stars:

Richard Benjamin, Paula Prentiss, Jeffrey Tambor

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Benjamin	...	John
Paula Prentiss	...	Mary
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Waldemar
Severn Darden	...	Van Helsing
Kari Michaelsen	...	Debbie
Kevin Brando	...	Billy
Rosemary DeCamp	...	Aunt Lucille (as Rosemary De Camp)
Stacy Keach Sr.	...	Attorney
Carole Androsky	...	Marge, the Real Estate Lady (as Carol Androsky)
Roberta Collins	...	Cousin Rhonda
Nancy Lee Andrews	...	Yolanda
Paul 'Mousie' Garner	...	The Major
Annie O'Donnell	...	Annette Muldowney, the Next Door Neighbor
Thomas Newman	...	Cousin Phil
Allen Joseph	...	Uncle Bert

Storyline

Primarily a spoof of the Friday the 13th series, but also takes shots at several other horror films. After his family moves to a new house, a young boy discovers a mysterious book describing the curse hanging over the date of Saturday the 14th. Opening the book releases a band of monsters into the house, and the family must join together to save themselves and their neighborhood.

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Plot Keywords:

eyes watching from behind a painting | book | creature | monster | spoof | 

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Taglines:

Just when you thought it was safe to look at the calendar again.

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 October 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sábado 14

Company Credits

Production Co:

New World Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Directorial debut of Howard R. Cohen.

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Goofs

At about 18:34, there is a box of Froot Loops on the breakfast table. Later in the scene, it's gone.

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Quotes

Van Helsing: In one minute, terrible things are going to happen! (A scream is heard off-camera.) Um, less than a minute?

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Connections

Referenced in Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (2006)

User Reviews

Not hilarious, but kind of fun.

I wouldn't say this movie was hilarious, in fact I didn't laugh very hard at all throughout this film, although there are some good jokes here and there. A lot of the jokes were either really corny or just aren't very funny to me. I wouldn't say that is a bad thing, I just think that's a sign of the times. I think it's safe to say that comedy of the early 1980's is a great deal different than comedy of the 2000's, at least for this type of movie. There are a few movies that are just as old, if not older, that are still outright hilarious, so this isn't true in all cases.

I can't really say much about the cast, because the only person I recognized in the film was Jeffrey Tambor (Waldemar). Although, I did think that Kari Michaelson (Debbie) was quite the looker in this film. As far as acting goes, both Jeffrey Tambor and Kari Michaelson did just fine in their roles, as well as a few of the other cast members. But, I must admit that some of the acting was just TERRIBLE! It literally sounded like he/she was reading the words off a queue card or something.

This film is by no means a great film, but if you're a fan of horror/comedy film, then you should probably check this out. If you not really a big fan of horror/comedy films, then you might want to spend your money elsewhere. In any case, if you do end up seeing the film, I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading,

-Chris