It just so happens to be Friday the 13th of March and Paramount Home Entertainment is making good use of the day by giving horror fans a bloody little treat. Friday the 13th, the original 1980 slasher classic, is getting a brand new steelbook Blu-ray release in honor of the movie's 40th anniversary. The studio has unveiled the artwork, as well as some additional details regarding the release, which looks to offer quite a bit of bang for the buck.
The Friday the 13th limited edition Blu-ray steelbook features artwork from the original movie poster, with the hollow silhouette of the iconic killer and the unlucky group of counselors at its center as they wander about the infamous Camp Crystal Lake at night. The forthcoming release includes the uncut, unrated version of the film, as well as a digital copy of the original theatrical version. Hardcore fans may be particularly interested in the bonus content including commentary, interviews with cast and crew, and behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Friday the 13th was originally released in theaters on May 9, 1980. Directed by Sean S. Cunningham and written by Victor Miller, it went on to become a huge hit and spawned one of the most successful and long-running horror franchises in history. Ten sequels were released over the ensuing decades, as well as a reboot in 2009. The series is best known for giving us one of the most enduring horror icons in cinema, Jason Voorhees. Yet, the original movie hardly featured Jason at all, as it was his mom who was the killer, with Jason only popping out of Camp Crystal Lake at the very end. It wasn't until Friday the 13th Part 2 where Jason truly took up his mother's mantle.
The original movie centers on a new owner who takes over Camp Crystal Lake and several young counselors who gather to reopen the camp. The site is notable as a young boy drowned there and several vicious murders occurred years earlier. The group has ignored warnings from the locals who say the place has a death curse. One by one they are stalked by a violent killer. The cast includes Adrienne King, Betsy Palmer, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram, Robbi Morgan, Mark Nelson, Jeannine Taylor and a young Kevin Bacon in one of his earliest movie roles.
At present, the franchise is at a standstill as a lawsuit between Victor Miller and Sean S. Cunningham over the rights has been dragging out in court. That's why we haven't seen Jason on the big screen since 2009's reboot. With any luck, that will get sorted out sooner rather than later. In the meantime, it might be the perfect time to revisit the original. The Friday the 13th limited edition Blu-ray steelbook is set to arrive on May 5 from Paramount. It is currently available for pre-order on Amazon for $14.99. Be sure to check out the artwork for yourself.
