How many sequels again? It's safe to say that move paid off.
Yes, folks, Friday the 13th is 35 this week, and it all started as a huge gamble. That's not to say that the gamble was not a CALCULATED one, however, as the wizards at Paramount had done a phenomenal job selling this movie prior to that release. The magazine ad (bought by Sean Cunningham prior to filming) was only one part. The rest, from the TV campaign to the theatrical trailer, all focused on one aspect of the movie's plot and beat it down our throats. It was a device that had been hinted at in several previous horror films, but this was the one that took one very potent moral and decided to bring it to the forefront of slasher cinema.
This movie featured lots of kids having sex. And you could bet your ass that the ones that did were about to get offed.
Whether or not you agree with that as the idea that the marketing crew was going for doesn't matter. It's safe to say that it worked. Again, how many sequels? And we owe it all to a few ads and a big-time trailer.
And that is what we're looking at this week - this holy week in horror history when the greatest slasher franchise of all time came to be. We're looking at the first impression that many people had of not only this movie, but almost every movie ever in existence. Well, from a certain date onward, anyway. I'm not looking up when trailers first became a thing, because I don't get paid by the hour for these write-ups.
On with the countdown!
5.
This trailer is a textbook example of light and shade. By this point, the series had established Jason's M.O. very well, and the opening shots remind us that he's dead. But not really. The voice gives us the awesome poster taglines...and then the trailer turns busy. Moreso than any movie in the original eight films (and really, those are the ones that count), The Final Chapter is the one with the most money scenes, and the editing here really does a good job promising us that some hardcore stuff was about to happen without giving us all the grisly details. Jason's Unlucky Day indeed.
4.
This one is a choice at least partially inspired by anticipation. Folks, you have no clue just how much this movie was talked about in various online forums around the time I first DISCOVERED online forums. On horror fans' wishlist since the mid-'80s, this trailer did not disappoint when it came to promising us the main event between the two biggest icons of the modern era. It gives us virtually nothing in the way of plot, and that's just the way it should have been - that's Freddy and Jason up there on the screen together, and how it happens should be left for us to speculate.
3.
The one that started it all. I've spoken to a few horror fans that find this trailer irreparably cheesy. They might have a point in some regards, but screw it, I'm still going with this one. I love the "countdown" aspect of the whole thing, peppered with promised deaths to be seen in this forbidden movie (some of which didn't even turn out to be actual deaths). It's also got plenty of teasing when it comes to that pesky premarital sex and this was one movie in question circa 1980 audiences were WAY into. Like, to the tune of "biggest non-Empire box office gross of 1980" into.
2.
And now we get to my personal favorite trailers in the entire series. Once again, it's time for some LESS IS MORE put on display. There's virtually nothing to this trailer, outside of the iconic Frank Sinatra song, the reveal of Jason, and plenty of screaming teens - and it's absolutely perfect. Jason's in New York, he's pissed, and s**t is about to go down. Of course, what actually wound up HAPPENING in the movie (as it might as well have been called Jason Takes the Ship) doesn't even matter, because had I seen this in cinemas in 1989 I would have been ridiculously stoked.
1.
My personal favorite of all the F13 trailers is yet more LESS IS MORE. Audiences had just sat through the guilty pleasure but technically awful New Beginning featuring a killer paramedic disguising himself as the boy in blue. By and large, audiences just wanted Jason back. Would this happen? This trailer answered that question, complete with some admittedly VERY unnerving music, a rainstorm for added atmosphere, a lightning bolt, and that great shot of the casket popping out of the dirt. It all works, it's all perfect, and it piques your curiosity to see more. A+++.
Looking deep into the history of this series, it immediately becomes apparent that Paramount somewhat resented its successful franchise. You would never guess it from looking at the trailers, as every single one of them (yes, even the ones not listed) seem to get the atmosphere, the fun and the basic moral storytelling that the series became famous for, all while remembering that moviemaking is a business and needs to sell tickets. As Friday the 13th turns 35, the videos above are evidence of all of that. Campfire scary stories are vital morality tales, they're marketable...oh yeah, and they can make loads of cash.
Happy 35th, Jason!!
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