Customer Reviews

Making Friday the 13th

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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!!

THE SHORT: Extremely informative, thorough account of every Friday film to date. Lots of photos and comments from those who matter, both positive and negative. The book does lose some of its objectivity when the worse films begin (anything after part 4) but it stays interesting throughout.

THE LONG: To begin, I need to say that I like the films in roughly this order: 2,4,1,6,9, then the rest all about the same with 5 and 8 pretty low and FvsJ close to the top. This doesn't matter too much, just that I find it interesting that this book gave me enough reason to question several of these choices. Not how much I liked / disliked them, but how well they stack up in the public (and author's) eyes. Part 2 was considered a poor stepchild because it didn't have much blood? That sucks, I guess I just got distracted by the most interesting plot, realistic dialogue, and best acting in the series. But that's what I mean; this book gave me an illuminating glimpse into the mindset of traditional fan acceptance as well as the thoughts of those who made these films. You'll be happy to know that Mr. Jason himself, Kane Hodder, didn't like the lame ending of part 8 either.

The book was written by a fan/journalist who did his research. Aside from more traditional English text usage (such as "colour" instead of "color"), he writes with a familiarity and appreciation of the series that makes it easy to read and follow, but stays mostly away from choosing sides. If an actor/actress wasn't proud of their role in the series, the author allows them to say their peace without judgment, and he stays pretty open-minded about the quality of each film, though it's clear that he finds most of the entries after part 4 to be pretty lacking. That's a fair assessment, and while a book like this usually stays objective, he doesn't tear into or thoroughly praise any of the films to the point of being one-sided. For example he seems disappointed Jason X was pretty lame, but he uses nicer words than I would in describing it.

The book is loaded with comments from pretty much anyone else if you need balance. Series creator Sean Cunningham, Mrs. Voorhees Betsy Palmer, and famous victims Crispin Glover, Corey Feldman, and Kevin Bacon (among many others famous and non) all weigh in on several issues. I was surprised to learn of what seems like some friction between Palmer and the crew, as well as strange revelations such as how Feldman was mimicking Jason's mother at the end of part 4, not Jason himself. All evidence points to the contrary and Feldman said he had a fever that day, so I'll grudgingly let this pretty obvious mistake slip, but from what I can tell the rest of the book is solid.

In addition to anecdotes like this, other more historical things are discussed- why Jason got his mask (simpler than you might think), why apparently permanent Kane Hodder was replaced with his bodyguard for Fvs.J, and stuff like how specific effects were achieved (and some were cut). You'll hear of small battles between who got screen credit for playing Jason, reasons why Jason X took place in space (as well as what the more interesting alternative was), and some of the craziness in trying to get Fvs.J off the ground which, if you have the dvd, you know how stupid some of those stories were.

Each of the movies gets a couple chapters, describing both the planning stage as well as the filming and box office (the original made the most), so every movie gets a healthy dozen or so pages. But again, though most of us love the original films best, it's important to note that this author does too: the book is about 240 pages and the first four movies alone take up half the book, so be prepared.

Lastly, I should mention that there's another Friday book slated for release this year, so it's up to you to see which one seems best. If they're different enough I'd like to own both, because with the amount of information and sheer crew commentaries, it's hard to imagine a better companion to the series than this book.

If you are looking for juicy details, behind the scenes gossip and explanations of the films...forget it. The author basically goes through the motion of relating each films' conception, it's production time and the business it did at the box office. There are a few quotes from cast members and Sean S. Cunningham but nothing that a fan would not know. For parts I to IV he takes up to three chapters to relate the history of the films from inception to release date; later, he only devotes one chapter to each film and only gives Freddie Vs Jason two. It got pretty repetitive afterwards and though it was an interesting read at times it's nothing that you need to read twice. The coffee table book Crystal Lake memories shows more promise and I received a copy during the Christmas holidays. I can't wait to begin that one. The pictures alone are breath taking. I recommend buying the coffee table book and leaving this one alone; it truly isn't that riveting.

David Grove's book on the making of the Friday the 13th movies is a must for any fan of the series. It is well done and includes many gruesome pictures. He covers the rise in popularity of slasher movies in general and a synopsis of what movies were influenced by other movies and so forth. Grove gives a rundown of each of the movies but begins to slack off for the later movies as you can tell he himself didn't like them much. Grove covers the troubles of production and funding along with finding cheap actors with the small budgets of the horror film industry. He gives appreciative nods to the effects artists despite the inconsistencies of Jason's appearance through the movies. Grove provided minor background on the set locations ranged from Connecticut, New Jersey, Georgia, California, and British Columbia.

For the early movies he gives the basic story and deaths of each of the characters with brief interview statements from a variety of the crew and cast. This I liked, however, the later movies he pretty much flies by them, not even listing all the cast as he had down previously. Even more briefly his covering of the deaths were often grouped it into the words of the hapless victims get slaughtered rather than describing the death scene as he did earlier.

You do pick up some interesting tidbits about the various Jason actors and the ungratefulness of a couple of them. I would have like to have seen a chapter covering some behind the scenes antics from the Jasons and other cast. The last few pages of the book gives you a running body count of the movies although there are one or two discrepancies (having myself already thoroughly done the body counts while watching the movies) but it was a great additive.

A great addition to the book would have been a thorough timeline of Friday events of the characters/stories. None-the-less, this is a great book for the fans of the series. For those complaining about it being less than they expected... well it's a book about B-grade horror movies, you shouldn't have expected a lot. The book is well worth the price and gives plenty of coverage and bit interviews.

This is a great book on the making of the Friday the 13th film series and a unique era in film history. The book details everything about the Friday the 13th films series - from the series' conception to the creation of the hockey mask(which I was shocked to read about)to the state of the franchise today. Great read. Excellent resource.

I thought this was one of tbe best Making of film books I've ever read. The detail was amazing with detailed production histories of all of the Friday the 13th films. I also liked the author's writing style and the way he answers all of the key questions about the films. My favorite part of the book was reading about the two actors who were cast as Jason in Part 2. Great book. Highly recommended.

Wow. This book has everything about the Friday the 13th. What I loved about the book was that it started with how Friday the 13th was created, a really interesting story, and told the story right up until today. I was especially interested in how the hockey mask was created which is a really funny story. The book answers every question about Friday the 13th and I thought it was realy good. A must-have film book.

David Grove's book, Making Friday the 13th, is one of the most thorough and extensively-researched film books I've ever read. This book covers everything - not just regarding the Friday the 13th film series but the horror era in general. I couldn't believe some of the stories in the book. Highly recommended.