Here are just a few recommendations from a girl who is currently packing for her vacation!
Happy Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th kind of snuck up on me this year, which is a shame because this is the only Friday the 13th that we’re going to get in 2025. I have a feeling that I’m not alone in being taken by surprise, though. Usually the streaming services make a bigger deal about Friday the 13th. This year, only Pluto TV has the complete series available to stream.
That said, you can watch the first Friday the 13th (1980) on Tubi. Though the films were never critical favorites and I doubt they’ll ever have a Halloween-style resurgence (and really, that’s the way I like it because the last thing that horror fans need or deserve is for David Gordon Green to screw up Jason like he did Michael), the first Friday the 13th is still entertaining to watch. It’s interesting to see how much the first few films drew from the Italian giallo movies. The first Friday the 13th is even a whodunit, featuring a killer wearing gloves! It also features a young Kevin Bacon in a speedo so what’s your excuse for not watching? Personally, I always relate to Marcie in this film. I imagine I’d share the same fate if I ever found myself working at a summer camp, wandering around in my underwear and saying, “C’mon, guys….” until someone got annoyed and hit me with an axe. You can watch the film on Tubi.
Friday the 13th: Part 2 (1981) is actually a really good horror movie, featuring interesting victims and, for the first time, Jason Voorhees as the killer. Jason dresses like a hillbilly in this one. Amy Steel is a badass heroine. Russell Todd’s an incredibly handsome man. The film itself actually has some wonderfully creepy shots, from the POV tracking shot that creeps up on Lauren-Marie Taylor to the shadowy shot of the cars driving into town. It can be viewed on Pluto.
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) was quite obviously not the final chapter but it was, in my opinion, the best of the films. Everyone remembers this one for Corey Feldman as Tommy Jarvis and Crispin Glover as one of the victims but really, the entire cast does a great job of bringing their characters to life and actually making them interesting for once. My heart always breaks a little for Peter Barton and Barbara Howard. They were such a cute couple. It can be viewed on Pluto.
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1987) is hardly the best of the Friday films but I have to admit that I’ve always kind of liked it. Not only does it feature the first appearance of Zombie Jason but it also features enough strange plot twists to keep things watchable. The recently passed Lar Park Lincoln plays Tina, the girl with psychic powers and she gives a far better performance than the material probably deserved. Terry Kiser plays “Bad News” Crews. It can be viewed on Pluto.
Mario Bava’s Bay of Blood (1971) is a classic giallo and it features a rare (and successful) stab at social satire on the part of Mario Bava. It’s also interesting to see the scenes that were lifted, almost shot-for-short, for Friday the 13th Part 2. It can be viewed on Tubi.
Happy Father’s Day
This s going to be a bittersweet Father’s Day for me and my sisters. Our Dad passed away last August. Indeed, one of the reasons why I’m going on vacation next week is so I can get away from the sad memories for a bit. If I had to think of any film that captured my Dad’s independent spirit, I’d probably go with Convoy (1978). When I was growing up, my Dad sometimes worked as an independent trucker. He liked this movie and he liked Rubber Duck and you know what? Rubber Duck would have liked him as well. Convy was notorious for the cost overruns and the amount of drugs done on set but I’ll tell you right now — if you don’t cheer when Kris Kristofferson, Burt Young, and other truckers defy the law, you have no heart. Convoy can be viewed on Tubi.
My Dad was also a Godzilla fan, which is one reason why I’m a Godzilla fan! I can still remember being little and watching Godzilla films with him. They used to air every Saturday afternoon. One of our favorites was Godzilla vs Megalon (1973), in which Godzilla teams up with the giant robot, Jet Jaguar. I know that Godzilla purists tend to be dismissive of this film but I don’t care. I loved it! It can be viewed on Max.
I guess it says something about my job here that I can get sentimental about a violent and bloody film like 10 to Midnight (1983) but I have to admit that I’m always touched by the father-daughter relationship of Leo (Charles Bronson) and Laurie Kessler (Lisa Eilbacher). It reminds me a lot of my relationship with my Dad. Of course, those of you just looking for a good Cannon-era Bronson flick won’t be disappointed either. Gene Davis turns Warren Stacy into a truly loathsome villain and Bronson’s final line is a classic. Plus, this film has got Andrew Stevens in the role of the liberal rookie detective who no one can believe is a cop. The film can be viewed on Tubi.
Happy Odds and Ends
If you want to watch a Bava film that’s a little less gory than Bay of Blood, Planet of the Vampires (1965) is an atmospheric delight. Just as Bay of Blood inspired Friday the 13th, Planet of the Vampires inspired Alien. Keep an eye out for Ivan Rassimov, who had the best head of hair in Italian horror. The film is on Pluto.
Jim Belushi celebrated a birthday this week and you can celebrate as well by watching one of my favorite guilty pleasures, The Principal (1987). This film is heartfelt, violent, occasionally funny, thoroughly ludicrous, and actually kind of touching in its determination to actually say something. Jim Belushi vs Michael Wright is one of the ages. Lou Gossett, Jr. appears to be amused by the whole thing. “He’s the Principal, man!” The film is on Tubi.
Have a great week!
Through the Shattered Lens 