Making Friday the 13th [Paperback]

David Grove (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2004

The definitive history of the world's most popular horror film franchise! Fresh light on a cinematic phenomenon that's still going strong a quarter of a century after its debut, this an exhaustive detailing of all eleven Friday the 13th films, including * detailed production histories of each film * rare anecdotes * scores of previously unseen photos from private collections * hundreds of rare interviews featuring, among others, Kevin Bacon, Wes Craven, Sean S. Cunningham, Robert Englund, Adrienne King, Betsy Palmer and Tom Savini * iconography, including Jason, the hockey mask, and a body count in the hundreds

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: FAB Press (October 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1903254310
• ISBN-13: 978-1903254318
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #614,153 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book from a publisher that actually cares...., March 30, 2005

By 

Aaron Synn "Aaron Synn" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Making Friday the 13th (Paperback)

I picked up this book a couple of weeks back at my local comic shop. The book well worth the price for Friday fans. It contains lots of good pictures, and many interesting stories.

Each film has a few chapters dedicated to it.

(Edited 6/11/05)I am editing my review for this book, and there's a good reason for that.

In my original review, my only complaint about this otherwise fine book was that there were a few factual errors that I spotted in the plot summaries.

Within a couple of days of posting that review, I was contacted by the editor of the book. He asked me if I would be willing to inform him of any errors I spotted within the book.

This impressed me.

In a world where the Friday the 13th films are generally regarded as trash, the good people at Fab Press actually cared enough to make sure that their book was as accurate as it could be.

I recently was mailed a copy of the second printing of the book, and all of the errors I had mentioned, down to the most tiny, insignificant ones, have been corrected.

So, now I am very happy to give this book a whole-hearted five star seal of approval for anyone interested in these films.(although I can't figure out how to change the little gold stars from the original 4 to a five)

*AND* an added five stars for Fab Press for caring enough to make sure all the little details are correct.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Informative And Respectful Towards The Most Hated Movies In Hollywood!, August 7, 2005

By 

A. Estes (Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Making Friday the 13th (Paperback)

Who would have thought, with so many movies released on a shoe-string budget, with (mostly) no-name actors and directors, and repetitive plots, that the "Friday the 13th" series would have so many stories and so much history behind it? "Making Friday The 13th: The Legend Of Camp Blood" covers just about every bloody detail of the popular, but critically scorned horror series that started in 1980, and pretty much stayed a steady course the whole decade, before hitting troubled waters. Everything you ever wanted to know about "Friday The 13th," it's sequels, and even it's short-lived TV series, is contained within this book. If you grew up on this series, such as I did, and can forgive the corny plots and bad acting, just out of pure love, than this is one history lesson worth taking.

Author David Grove takes a respectable approach to telling the story of this awesome, but troubled horror franchise. The book begins with the origins of the original "Friday the 13th" movie, and deals with the story of how producer/director Sean S. Cunningham came about in the movie business. From there, he goes into detail with each of the eleven movies, naming off the entire cast, and usually describing in detail how each are dispatched, along with funny anecdotes from just about everyone involved. Not only does Grove dig deep into the plot, but he also goes at lengths sometimes to study the ground-breaking special effects used in the original movie (and some of the later sequels). Each movie is given a fair portion of the book, although obviously some movies get more space than others (the original movie, for example, takes up almost a quarter of the book). Although he does sort of skim through the later movies, even the climactic "Freddy Vs. Jason," it's still nice to hear from someone who actually LIKES these movies. As we all know, and as it is documented in the book, the critics absolutely buried this franchise. After listening to so many people treat these movies that me and so many others treasure, it's good to have a professional point of view from someone who actually gives a damn.

Although the book is very thorough, it still has some flaws. Aside from Grove's overall apathy for the later movies, he also tends to repeat himself a bit too often, sometimes within the same chapter! Plus, I can't help but be bothered by various typos throughout the book. The trash-talking between some of the crew members and some of the bitterness they harbor tends to drag down the affair. Take, for example, Adam Marcus, director of "Jason Goes To Hell" who states that "Nobody liked 'Jason Takes Manhattan'" (uh, speak for yourself) and that his film is only connected to the original movie and "parts" of the second (where did Jason get that hockey mask, then?). And then of course, we have the bickering about just who exactly played Jason in "Part 2," don't even get me started. Regardless, Grove still takes a fair approach when criticizing the movies, as he is obviously a fan. This is a book made by a fan, and it couldn't have been made any other way. It's a very informative, speedy read. If you have a passion for horror movies, and the "Friday the 13th" series especially, then this book belongs on your shelf.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A FABULOUS and FUN look at the Friday the 13th Films, February 28, 2005

By 

Fright Factory (northern Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Making Friday the 13th (Paperback)

David Grove did a FABULOUS job at the writing and producing of this spectacular book outlining the Friday the 13th films. His unique views and probing questions, brought forth the stuff in writings that real Friday Fans want to know about. I'm a huge fan of the first film, and there are many things I didn't even know about in the production of the first film. I can't say enough great things about this book. It's a book that details the production histories of each film - very extensive research of a book that was much anticipated among the Friday fans. It also offers really nice, high quality photographs (a ton of them in this book!) that are in color and black and white. Many of the photographs are ones the fans haven't seen yet because they come from private collections of the producers involved. This is a very successful book from David Grove - GREAT JOB!!