Saturday the 14th (1981)

A family inherits an old mansion which houses the dangerous 'Book of Evil' that has all the monsters of the world trapped inside it.

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 Hyatt
Paula Prentiss	...	Mary Hyatt
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Waldemar
Severn Darden	...	Van Helsing
Kari Michaelsen	...	Debbie Hyatt
Kevin Brando	...	Billy Hyatt
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 | murder of a police officer | psychotronic film | vampire | fish man | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Star Billing: Richard Benjamin (first) and Paula Prentiss (second).

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Goofs

At about 24:50, Debbie has bath soap on her as she runs down the stairs. A moment after the camera moves to Billy and back to Debbie, the soap suds are gone and her skin is dry. As she then hides behind Billy, is being chased around the table and eventually falls down, her skin is wet and the soap suds return in varying amounts.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Spoofs Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)

User Reviews

Old 80s Cheese.

This movie formed part of my childhood.

Sitting down in my bedroom, 8, 9, 10 years old and sneaking on a black comedy every now and again. I had been looking for this film for years (not too actively I'll admit) and when it finally came on at 4 in the morning, I was all set to go.

My only advice after watching it is, if this film held a special place in your heart when you were a kid like me, is leave it there. It does not stand up to the test of time.

Old black comedies like Transylvania 65000/Ghoulies/Critters etc have stood the test of time to a certain extent, but this just hasn't.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 October 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Saturday the 14th

Company Credits

Production Co:

New World Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1