Horror films, and more specifically slasher films, have never been a high priority for me. In fact, until this week, I don't think I had seen a single slasher film. So, in recognition of the iconic reputation held by some of the classics of the genre, I am now setting out to remedy this gap in my film history. This film was the second in my journey, following _Halloween (1978)_. Unfortunately, two movies in, I'm already starting to remember why these movies weren't a high priority.

To put it simply, this movie just doesn't have much to it. Most of the characters are lacking in meaningful development, and even in the cases where an attempt is made, the characterization doesn't end up mattering, with no connection to the plot, narratively or thematically. At the end of the day, the characters only purpose seems to be to die, which doesn't make for all that compelling of a film.

As with _Halloween (1978)_, this movie undoubtedly inspired any number of tropes/clichés, and while credit should be given for introducing such elements, at the end of the day, they don't hold up. The final segment of the film is the worst offender, [spoiler]with the "final girl" walking away from an incapacitated (but still very much alive) villain, not once, but **three** times. That whole sequence was unbelievably hard to swallow[/spoiler].

As the only other slasher I have seen, I can't help but to compare and contrast this film to _Halloween (1978)_. This film's soundtrack was not as effective for me. The villain didn't have as much of a presence throughout, which took away from the tension. On the plus side, I think the acting on display in this film was slightly better over all. The kills were also a bit more visceral (although still pretty tame to a modern audience).

Finally, as with _Halloween (1978)_, I was pleasantly surprised that I was unspoiled as to the plot of such an iconic movie, totally unaware of [spoiler]the origin story of Jason Voorhees and the fact that he wasn't the killer[/spoiler]. Also, I was pleasantly surprised by the appearance of Kevin Bacon, who I had no idea was in this. Mr. Bacon's less than graceful dive into the lake was probably the most unintentionally hilarious scene in the movie for me.