Camp Blood

1980's Friday the 13th might not have been the first slasher film, but based on the sheer amount of imitators released after it, it is definitely the most influential.

Starting with nothing more than a title and an ad announcing its release in Variety, writer Victor Miller and director Sean S. Cunningham created a tale that would spawn 10 sequels and a reboot that opens today.

The film's premise was simple. A group of teens arrive at a summer camp a few weeks before it is due to re-open after a very long hiatus. As they go about getting the camp ready they are selectively targeted and killed.

Is the camp truly cursed as some locals believe? Are the murders in some way tied in with a double murder from 20 years earlier? The film keeps its killer a secret until the final reel (which might just be one of its greatest weaknesses), but ultimately all answers are revealed.

The series would go in another (arguably better) direction after this film (retaining little more than the memorable main title theme and the setting) but this first film stands as a true horror landmark.

Rating: 8 out of 10 machetes.