by
Kristin Battestella
No,
this 1987 television series has nothing to do with Jason Voorhees and
the Friday the 13th film franchise.
This Friday the 13th is
an American/Canadian co-production that debuts with twenty-six
episodes of curses, scares, creepy, and campy charm.
Distant
cousins Micki Foster (singer Louise Robey) and Ryan Dallion (John D.
LeMay) are bequeathed a mysterious antique store from their
suspicious and relatively unknown late Uncle Lewis Vendredi (R. G.
Armstrong). Unfortunately, this eclectic inventory isn't for sale, as
the store's contents is comprised of cursed items from Uncle Lewis'
deal with the devil. All previously sold and demonically
indestructible merchandise – ranging from as small as a compact
mirror to as big as an electric chair – must be reacquired and
returned to the special vault beneath the Curious Goods store. With
the help of occult researcher Jack Marshak (Chris Wiggins), Micki and
Ryan must now pursue former customers who aren't always so willing to
part with their antique's particular evil enchantment.
Yes,
some of the antique retrieval plots are silly and dated, but Friday
the 13th has
many memorable episodes beginning with “The Inheritance”
and its devilish retribution complete with flaming hoof prints on the
stairs. The series premise is introduced alongside a killer doll, a
little girl in peril, and playground dangers with creepy lullabies,
thunderstorms, and howling winds. It's easy to get behind our trio in
their evil object of the week quest, for the ravens, monastery,
suspicious brotherhood, and quill that writes the deaths to come of
“The Poison Pen” add an eerie medieval mood with hoods, candles,
chanting, spiders, and guillotines. Despite some rad eighties
moments, “A Cup of Time” has skeletons, murder, and deadly sips
from an ordinary looking mug. Maybe old ladies fighting over teatime
with a punk score is hokey, but the fountain of youth desperation
remains wicked. Normally, it would be good business to have some fun
dress up and magic tricks for “Hellowe’en,” however a crystal
ball, good scares, and ominous smoke and mirrors assure this party at
Curious Goods wasn't the best idea – especially when your guests
fiddle with the merchandise. This spooky atmosphere, demonic rituals,
and a race against the sunrise sets the tone for Friday the 13th
perfectly while the autopsies, hospitals, morgue drawers,
and elevator injuries accent the Jack the Ripper scalpel in “Doctor
Jack.” What if an operation with an accursed objected wielded by a
skilled surgeon with a superiority complex was your only chance at
survival? The titular effects, camera works, and enchanted gloves of
“Shadow Boxer” are no less preposterous yet Friday the 13th
is again memorable with a green
locker room patina, old school gym feelings, and a down on his
luck sports fall from grace. There's humor, suspense, justice being
taken into one's own hands, and they have to wait for the pictures to
develop overnight. The horror!
The
crazy, rich old ladies and killer yardwork of “Root of All Evil”
are slow at times, but we do get to know our characters'
relationships and responsibilities better amid this intense,
man-sized mulcher action. It's good to get away from the shop for the
harvest struggles and rural farms of “Scarecrow,” too. Scythes
and heads on the front porch create an off-kilter slasher tone before
the David Cronenberg (Videodrome) directed “Faith Healer”
and its rousing, fire and brimstone con man claims – and an ominous
medieval white glove that does the trick. Is such power for good or
ill when for every life it heals, it must take another? White, clean,
pure suits quickly become sullied with back alleys, leprosy sores,
and pestilence consequences as this glove literally burns itself onto
the hand where its deeds and demands cannot be escaped. These
impressive morality and faith debates give way to perhaps my most
memorable Friday the 13th episode,
“The Baron’s Bride.” A time traveling vampire fantasy
may see like a big leap of faith – especially once the colorful
gothic décor and capes switch to black and white carriages and angry
mobs. However, the Stoker myths and traditional vampire lore hold up
alongside fast action and a whiff of romance. Sunken treasures,
stormy nights, and scary phone calls in “Bedazzled” make being
alone at night at Curious Goods as spooky as you'd expect. This
bottle show takes place almost entirely in the store with good old
fashioned scares and invading crooks who don't stop once their cursed
antique has been locked away in the vault. “Vanity’s Mirror” is
another memorable Friday the 13th
hour thanks to beauty obsessions and an innocuous little
compact causing too much torment. Cruel teasing and ugly duckling
relatable forgive any hello eighties high school motifs – in fact,
the pitiful prom designs add to the creative deaths, quality gore,
and alluring retribution.
I'm sorry
doesn't cut it when you execute wrong man in “The Electrocutioner,”
but grainy jailhouse footage sets the mood for this electronically
charged dentist who's out for some shocking revenge. Unsympathetic
kills and nitric oxide play into our medical fears with this wrongful
sense of justice as do the trepanning techniques, draining spinal
fluids, and simple but desperate patients in “Brain Drain.” Cool
mad laboratory equipment and brains in tanks anchor the intelligence
transfers, trephanator talk, and intangible, Flowers for Algernon
sciences. Friday the 13th goes
all out for the mid-season two-parter “The Quilt of Hathor
(Part 1)” and “The Quilt of Hathor (Part 2): The Awakening” for
a trip to a good old fashioned thee and thou religious community
hiding the titular evil homespun and its sinful dreams brimming with
red décor, forbidden fruits, and baroque frocks. Horse
drawn carriages, snow, and culture clash suspicions accent the
forbidden romance and religious fervor. Who
knew being so penitent didn't mean you couldn't be any less nasty?
Okay, the old speaketh arguing may make some chuckle, but the
witchcraft finger pointing, fiery mobs, and comeuppance twists match
the horror where we least suspect it superb. Likewise, flashbulbs,
dark rooms, and a Geraldo-esque newscaster with best alibi ever
develop “Double Exposure” alongside gory bubbling,
doppelgangers, and machete killings. It's interesting to see this
early commentary on scandalous crimes boosting nightly ratings when
we have instant breaking news alerts everywhere today. Maybe this
episode felt the need to go all out with crazy dreams, evil
television motifs, and slasher slick after the slightly slower
two-parter before it and Ryan having two loves of his life two
episodes in a row is poor placement. However, the ticking clock
twists here are memorable fun before the pregnancy fears and medical
defects make for a warped sense of necessity in “What a Mother
Wouldn’t Do.” No one wants to harm a baby, but an evil cradle can
fix all that! The parental defense, Titanic history, and watery
deaths give this Friday the 13th debut
year a penultimate topper.
The
middle of this season is very strong, however, with such a high
episode number, Friday the 13th was
bound to have a few clunkers. Ugly statues, honky tonk
stalkers, seedy motels, and unlikable, obsessive frat boys ruin
“Cupid’s Quiver,” and the lack of authorities illumes one of
the series' ongoing impossibilities. Early on, our trio aren't very
smooth investigators and think they have the right to break in all
over a college campus because they're antique dealers! Magician
secrets, beautiful assistants, fatal theatrics, and the cutthroat of
magic show business don't save “The Great Montarro.” It's
a pity since this is one of the few Jack centric episodes, but the
sideshow tricks and Houdini wannabe divas are more laughable than
ominous. “Tales of the Undead” has comic book shop nostalgia and
an evil edition that kills you within its pages – a fantastic
possibility ruined by a trash can looking monster costume. The 'Take
on Me' music video from A-ha did it better! Though the poisonous
insects and creepy crawlies will disturb some audiences,“Tattoo”
is a cliché Chinatown crime plot with seemingly deliberate bad Kung
Fu lip reading, submissive Asian prostitutes, and every other old
Oriental stereotype crammed into one episode. Maybe the horror
aspects aren't all bad, but these mediocre episodes are a letdown
when following immediately after such memorable Friday the 13th
hours. “The Pirate’s
Promise” offers lighthouse quaint, eerie foghorns, and phantom
boats that take modern babes in exchange for gold bullion.
Unfortunately, the mutinous history can't help our cousins not bungle
it up without Jack, and the Miami Vice wannabes,
counterfeit money, and macho talk in “Badge of Honor” is
likewise D.O.A.. The up close camera shots, day glo lighting, and
jazzy score try for a jaded, gritty noir piece, but even with steamy
Micki times, this one is embarrassingly dated and out of place. The
Egyptian relics, trapped in the vault peril, and evil green effects
make for a great framework for “Bottle of Dreams,” but sadly,
this final episode of the season is largely a clip show that should
have been the second to last airing instead. Sure, it's an overlong
season, however we aren't going to forget all the good times that
soon!
Billed
as just Robey on Friday the 13th, our Micki
is certainly beautiful – but my goodness that is big red hair! Some
obvious extensions and then-vogue Jem styles make Micki always
seem MTV ready, but her frilly tank tops, skirts, and uppity shoulder
pads often make her appear more tiny compared to the baddies or
disproportionate with her giant bobblehead hair. Initially doubtful,
squeamish, and needing to be rescued, Micki's bad feelings about
their situation increase over the course of the season. She accepts
responsibility and wants to do the right thing – Micki isn't
willing to leave anyone in danger and chooses this antiques recovery
quest over her potential wedding. At times, she does regret giving up
her old life for this so-called job but also gets pretentious in her
righteousness. She's an antique dealer in a battle of good versus
evil and that gives her a license to go anywhere and intrude on
anyone – even going undercover as a boy! Micki gets in on the
action more and comes to handle herself alone just fine – except
when our intrepid team doesn't succeed or when the plot doesn't make
a whole lot of sense. Both cousins still have parents, so why did
they inherit the shop? Why do they all live at Curious Goods? Micki
has some romance and visiting Friday the 13th
old flames, however it's always
played as too eighties steamy – and we're expected to believe she
brings guys home when Ryan sleeps on the other side of a glass door?
Micki's not herself in “The Baron's Bride,” but it's fun
to see her personality changes and vamped persona because we already
like and respect her moxie.
Ironically,
watching Friday the 13th back in the
day, I always thought John D. LeMay's (also of the unrelated Jason
Goes to Hell: The Final Friday)
Ryan Dallion had a crush on Micki, and the dialogue always
makes sure to reiterate how through marriage or distantly related
they are. They do have fun chemistry even when Ryan is a jerky Andrew
McCarthy knock off to start. He thinks Curious Goods is cool and gets
his information on the supernatural from his comic books. Ryan is
self aware, however, and adds humor and realistic logic on how their
simplest answer must be the correct one – which helps ground the
audience when he enjoys playing the hero detective in a yuppie suit.
Some of the eighties brat pack cool is kind of meh today, but Ryan
fits right in undercover at high school! There are consequences to
their collection, of course, and he is injured a few times, adding a
sense of realism and not reset fantasy even though Friday the 13th
has an evil of the week design.
“Double Exposure” gives Ryan too many lady loves in a row, but
his romance in “The Quilt of Hathor” makes the character
grow up a little alongside the eerie colored smoke and his side of
the family's dangerous business prospects in “Pipe Dream.” Though
this plot is a little thin, the personal ties keep viewers
interested. Will Ryan treat the cursed object and its consequences
any different now that Uncle Lewis wasn't the only family member in
on the devilish bargains? Ryan openly discusses the series premise,
the evil behaviors, and moral turnarounds he's seen. By the end of
this debut season, it isn't so cool, and Ryan develops a cynical edge
with more than a few regrets.
Already
experienced in the occult and its negative allure, Chris Wiggins
(Babar) as Jack Marshak is a wonderful mentor for our young
cousins – an Obi-wan Kenobi who acquired the antiques that Uncle
Lewis cursed and re-released to the public who greatly regrets his
unwitting part. Ever resourceful, Jack uses newspapers and tabloids
to find curious stories that may lead to their quarry. At times, he
only appears briefly in bemusing ways to help, but his quirky street
connections add depth to the quest. Jack has a lot of exposition to
quickly deliver early on Friday the 13th,
but his knowledge of their evil
manifest and gruff authority grounds the fantastic. Unfortunately,
Jack doesn't appear in all the episodes, and the one-liners about him
being off elsewhere on a retrieval mission are convenient but
disappointing. Today, an older ex-occultist battling alone
against evil objects around the globe sounds like a good series
premise itself. The storylines with Jack present have just a bit more
finesse, and he has his doubts about whether our young team is up to
snuff. “Brain Drain” also offers a bittersweet rekindled romance
for Jack, but he nonetheless dusts himself off and is there to save
the day when things go wrong. But why does he have to sleep
downstairs by the creepy vault? In antithesis to Jack, television
veteran R.G. Armstrong (Pat Garret and Billy the Kid) also
makes several guest appearances as Lewis Vendredi, that devil
bargaining late uncle who sold his soul and spread evil all in a
day's work. Just because he's dead doesn't mean he won't pop up now
and again! Carrie Snodgrass (Diary
of a Mad Housewife) should have
stayed longer as Jack's love interest, however genre audiences will
find maybe not necessarily name players but numerous recognizable
character actors adding extra charm to Friday the 13th.
Ray Walston from My
Favorite Martian, Catherine
Disher of Forever Knight,
Sarah Polley from Avonlea – I
swear Philip Akin brought some of the dojo sets from
Highlander: The Series with
him!
Whelp.
This was 1987 and 88, so the shorts, sport coat, rolled up sleeves,
and slim tie together or the
big earrings, big belts, high waisted jeans, and giant shoulder pads
eighties meets forties caricature fashion should go without saying as
bad. Fortunately, Friday the 13th
does have spooky, to the point
opening credits complete with a creepy waving monkey to hit home the
peeking through the keyhole ominous artifacts tone. Curious Goods is
a neat and comforting shop in its own evil way. We never get to fully
see the entire set brightly lit with the layout completely known,
which works for on set logistics whilst adding the potential for
mysterious nooks and crannies where anything can happen. Dusty
interiors, record players, corded phones, and cassette tapes in the
answering machine add period nostalgia in addition to the past curios
and clutter alongside television static, adjusting the rabbit ears,
two whole channels, and a giant flash on that camera. Where else
could you use the line, “Let's go out to dinner – you, me, your
camera – and see what develops.”
*rimshot* Remember, on Friday the 13th
they couldn't just Google their
case. Our team goes to the library to make copies! Some
special effects are hammy and poor while other gore designs are
seamless enough to maintain the scary, desperate atmosphere despite
dim lighting and a flat picture
making it tough to see everything. The sound is also uneven at
times, but stormy effects and recognizable, fitting theme music with
whimsical tinkles and crystal chimes accent the shadows, silhouettes,
flashlights, and lanterns. There are some jump scares on Friday
the 13th, but
the gags are admittedly humorous, adding campy appeal to the
fast moving forty five minute episodes.
I'd
like to skip over the clunkers and Friday the 13th
has its fair share of dated,
cheap faults in this debut season. Fortunately, most of the fond
thoughts from watching the series then hold up now thanks to a not
always cut and dry good versus evil. It wouldn't be any fun if it was
easy to retrieve these cursed tchotchkes all wrapped in a pretty bow.
Even my mom wanted to know what channel Friday the 13th
was on – which surprisingly
doesn't seem to be anywhere despite the increasing popularity of
retro-themed channels and horror anthologies. DVD sets are available,
however, as well as Amazon Prime streaming. Today Friday the 13th may
seem like a relatively short-lived series, but this first year has
more than enough memorable curses, evil, and eighties fun for
paranormal audiences to revisit or enjoy anew.
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