Friday the 13th (1980)

dir. Sean S. Cunningham

Friday the 13th has gathered such a massive following as a cult slasher film. Quite an impressive feat considering the total hilarity of where it all began. The teenagers being murdered one-by-one at a summer camp obviously do the classic horror thing of constantly running headfirst into danger rather than running away from it, but the danger in Friday the 13th is so campy that it’s hard not to laugh. The vengeance plot driving the whole thing works its way through arrows, knives, and even a machete. Of course. Obviously the Final Girl lives to tell the tale, including its outlandish “twist” ending. Still, this one has a tad more plot to it than Friday the 13th Part 2.