Friday the 13th:
40th Anniversary
Limited Edition Steelbook
review by Bobby Blakey
In the world of horror the Slasher reigned supreme for years with a handful of iconic on screen killers. One of the biggest was no doubt Jason from the Friday the 13th franchise. Now to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the original film Paramount has released an all-new limited edition steelbook Blu-ray.
Friday the 13th follows a group of young counselors preparing for the reopening of Camp Crystal Lake, where a boy drowned years earlier. One by one, the counselors are stalked by a mysterious and violent killer. The film stars Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, and Kevin Bacon in one of his earliest roles. I love this film and think it still holds up today despite being made in 1980. I’ve always loved the fact that it isn’t anything like what the franchise became with future installments outside of the slasher aspect. There is no classic Jason here, but still so much to love.
If you haven’t seen this for some reason I don’t want to spoil it for you so not going to go into all that, but it sets the tone to the future of the franchise with some iconic kills and moments that helped to change the horror genre. It’s always amusing to me how most of what we tend to remember from these franchises often didn’t happen until later installments such as Jason not getting the iconic hockey mask until Part
III, but it’s the most recognizable feature of the entire franchise. The twist ending is fun and still one that I love right alongside that of films like Sleepaway Camp.
This new release is awesome featuring not only a great transfer of the film but also all the usual bonus content including commentary, interviews with cast and crew, and behind-the-scenes featurettes. As if that wasn’t already enough to add this new release of the iconic film to your collection, it features artwork from the original movie poster and includes the uncut, unrated version of the film, as well as access to a digital copy of the original theatrical version.
Grab your copy of Friday the 13th: 40th Anniversary Limited Edition Steelbook Edition available now from Paramount Home Entertainment.