I’m not sure how many of these movies I’ve seen but I have to admit (with apologies to the fans) that I didn’t think any of them were good. I enjoyed them as guilty pleasures that are fun to laugh at but are any of them legitimately scary and well acted? If so, I definitely missed those installments.
I feel ya Deckster, and this is something I hear quite often from folks who aren't huge fans of the series like I am.
As such a fan I'll add my two cents, for whatever it's worth to ya. I personally feel that the
Friday series was never given its fair shake from critics. And lest anyone question my sanity, I'm not gonna try to argue that these are awards-worthy films lol. However, I would argue that there's more going on with these movies than they've been given credit for.
For one thing, it always amazes me how consistent the
Friday movies are, both thematically and structurally. To get the full experience, you really need to watch the first eight films sequentially. Watching them scattershot doesn't work for these movies. When consuming them this way, you might be surprised at just how much of a piece they actually are. Squint just a little bit and they could almost pass for the work of one director instead of eight different helmers.
Now compare this to other long-running horror franchises like the
Halloween and
Nightmare movies. I also love those franchises dearly but they're definitely more scattershot in nature than the
Jason movies, especially the
Myers movies which feel compelled to reboot and reset their narrative every couple entries or so. The first eight
Jason films are actually one continual narrative, which is relatively unique for an '80s horror franchise.
Another common complaint I come across with the
Friday movies is how shallow and stupid the victims are, which I do concede has some merit. But if you watch closely enough, you might notice something seriously
sad going on in these movies. The deaths in these films generally don't happen in a vacuum, and they often have a lingering pall-like effect on the narrative. More often than not, the people who die in these films are either in established or developing relationships, which lends an inherently tragic dimension to the overall narrative. They really hammer home the finality of death, as well as the sadness of love in a temporary world.
There are lots of examples, from Shelly dying as an unlovable loser in the third film, to Trish losing her first serious boyfriend in the fourth film, to Sam getting killed before finding out that she was Paul's first choice in the fourth film... the list goes on and on.
Anyway I could go on for hours but it is what it is. You're either into these movies or you're not. But if you ever decide to give them a chance and watch with fresh eyes, you just might be pleasantly surprised.
