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Friday the 13th tells the story of a boy named Jason Voorhees, who in 1957 drowned at Camp Crystal Lake while the two counselors assigned to watch him were preoccupied with themselves. A year later two counselors were killed at the camp and the camp was closed. In successive years, attempts to reopen the camp failed.

Fast forward to present day, where Camp Crystal Lake is finally reopening and it appears that there will be no problems. As the new counselors arrive at Camp Crystal Lake, many are warned that the camp is cursed. As with any horror film style, the counselors don’t pay attention to the warnings. Once the full staff of counselors arrives, strange things begin to happen. The camp counselors begin to disappear with everyone asking who is behind the disappearances.

This film certainly brings back some memories for me as I recall watching a number of these films in the series at slumber parties. This was actually the first horror film I saw as a child and it introduced me to horror films. For someone who has never seen this film, it can be creepy at times and definitely is the best one in the series.

Watch for a younger Kevin Bacon as he makes an appearance following some less then memorable film and television roles.

For a horror film of the 80’s it has its moments of cheesyness, but it is definitely entertaining.

Video
For a film that was released in 1980, Paramount has done a fantastic job in the transfer of this film. It looks very good, as if it were made within the last few years. The colors are well balanced and the blacks are very crisp and clear, especially in the scenes that take place at night. Flesh tones are also balanced. I did notice a few scratches and some speckles throughout the film, however I don’t believe that it takes away from the viewing experience of this film. Congrats Paramount, you did a fine job on a film that is over 20 years old!

Audio
What can I say about the sound mix of this DVD other than there isn’t much of one. All that is included on DVD is the original mono sound. I was still able to here all the sounds and dialogue, however I think a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound would have sounded great. My only complaint about the sound is that other remixes were not included. Had there been other remixes, I think this would have made this DVD edition outstanding!

Extras
I really wish Paramount would look at other studios that release some of their older catalog titles with editions filled with extras. This DVD edition only contains a theatrical trailer. Once again, another barebones, edition from Paramount. I think an addition of some behind scenes footage, perhaps a making of feature or a "Where are they now" feature would have been a great addition to this DVD. Maybe some deleted scenes as well. For a classic horror film, this one had the potential to be a huge DVD with some fantastic extras.

Overall
Since I hadn’t watched this film in years, I am surprised to say that I found it just as enjoyable as I did with my first viewing. For first time viewers, this is definitely an edition that may introduce a new generation to Jason Voorhees. I thought the transfer was beautiful for such an old film. And a word of advice to Paramount keep up the good work, however, additional extra features would really make some of your catalog titles a lot more desirable to own.

If you are a fan of the Friday the 13th series or a new viewer, I recommend giving this DVD a spin.