Friday the 13th
Movie, 1980, Crystal Lake, Set in Camp Crystal Lake, 1980
Friday the 13th is #1 of 12 in release order and #1 of 12 in chronological order in the Friday the 13th.
The story
Camp counselors are stalked and murdered by an unknown assailant while trying to reopen a summer camp that was the site of a child's drowning.
Friday the 13th recap
In 1958, two counsellors at Camp Crystal Lake are murdered while sneaking off to be alone, and the camp closes. In 1980, Steve Christy is reopening it, and a group of young counsellors, including Alice, Bill, Brenda, Ned, Jack and Marcie, arrive to get it ready, ignoring warnings from locals who call it Camp Blood. A hitchhiking cook is killed before she gets there. On a stormy night, an unseen killer picks the counsellors off one by one: Jack is stabbed through a bed from beneath, Marcie is hit with an axe, and the others disappear. Alice finds the bodies of her friends and is left alone. A friendly middle-aged woman arrives, saying she is Pamela Voorhees, an old friend of the Christys.
Friday the 13th ending explained
Mrs. Voorhees is the killer. Her son Jason drowned at the camp in 1957 while the counsellors weren't watching, and she has been taking revenge ever since. After a long chase, Alice beheads her with a machete on the beach. Alice drifts in a canoe on the lake, and a decomposed boy, Jason, leaps from the water and drags her in. She wakes in hospital; the police say there was no boy, and she says he is still out there.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th is streaming on Netflix, Paramount+, Peacock, Philo, AMC+, and Kanopy in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 6.3/10, Rotten Tomatoes 48%
Where it fits
- Release order: first, before Friday the 13th Part 2.
- Chronological order: first, before Friday the 13th Part 2.
What to watch before Friday the 13th
Nothing. Friday the 13th is the first of the Friday the 13th essentials, so it's the place to start.
Cast
- Adrienne King as Alice
- Jeannine Taylor as Marcie
- Robbi Morgan as Annie
- Kevin Bacon as Jack
- Betsy Palmer as Mrs. Voorhees
- Harry Crosby as Bill
- Laurie Bartram as Brenda
- Mark Nelson as Ned
- Peter Brouwer as Steve Christy
- Rex Everhart as Truck Driver
- Ronn Carroll as Sgt. Tierney
- Ron Millkie as Officer Dorf
Directed by Sean S. Cunningham.