Friday the 13th, one of the longest-running, most-frequently produced sequels in the horror genre, was at the forefront of popular gore movies of the 1980s. Starting as a follower of John CARPENTER’s Halloween, the film has added depth to its plot with each new production, establishing itself as a slasher classic over time. The secrets to its long-lived success are pure pleasure viewers get from watching merciless physical violence, and the utter simplicity of the plot. “Youngsters visiting Camp Crystal Lake are brutally murdered by someone or something.” — that’s it, believe it or not. Friday the 13th (1980), which opens the series, is unique because it is the only production wherein Jason VOORHEES himself, the ultimate horror-gore master, doesn’t even appear until the very end. (What strong impression he’s made with that scene!) Each of the eight victims is killed differently, and the way Kevin BACON is butchered is quoted time after time. The all-consuming sinisterness, the nerve-wrecking tension, is what has transformed the series into the horror fare legend. True all 12 of them are good — the 10 sequels, the cross-over Freddy vs. Jason, and the latest remake. But the 1980 rendition is absolutely the best! (KIM Jong Chul)