Launched in 1981, audience would possibly suppose that “Saturday the 14th” pokes amusing at Jason Voorhees and Camp Crystal Lake. However in spite of the name, “Saturday the 14th” spends its runtime parodying older horror classics like Common’s monster flicks. There’s no masked killer to be discovered because the movie makes a speciality of a pair who transfer right into a cursed house, with “Westworld” actor Richard Benjamin and “The Stepford Other halves” standout Paula Prentiss as its leads.
In spite of a stellar solid, which additionally contains long run “Arrested Building” megastar Jeffrey Tambor, the comedy-horror flick sports activities a ten% score on Rotten Tomatoes. It won a specifically detrimental evaluation from the Chicago Tribune’s Gene Siskel, who lamented that the movie was once extra a riff on “The Amityville Horror” than a right away parody of “Friday the 13th.” In spite of the ones less-than-stellar critiques, the movie is fondly remembered by way of those that grew up within the ’80s. “This has a different position in my center at the side of Transylvania 6-5000. Love me some campy horror parodies…” wrote Reddit consumer u/GroovinWithAPict. Person u/The_Pudding_King echoed that sentiment, announcing, “I beloved this movie when I used to be a child. I believed the monsters popping out [of] the books was once superior.”
Fresh critiques from horror fanatics proceed to be certain. “[The film’s] parodies of the Common Monsters and different old-school style hallmarks come so temporarily and gleefully that I cackled for the whole thing of its transient operating time,” wrote Letterboxd consumer anna nomaly. Different fanatics, like consumer Bob McCully, have been upset within the movie’s loss of humor however could not assist however indicate the creative creatures and particular results paintings.
Horror fanatics can watch “Saturday the 14th” on YouTube or Tubi.