The Friday the 13th films are not renowned for being high art storylines. The series sits at a median rating of 5.3 from the IMDB scores, and many professional film critcs like Siskel and Ebert have shat on the films for their contrived storylines. While the first movie might not focus on the killer as much (at least not showing them,) it still has largely unlikable characters who always do immoral stuff minutes before they die. Also, the "twist" villain is only established in the last third of the movie, and they're revealed as evil not long after showing up. In terms of aspects the movie has going for it, the gore effects done by Tom Savini of Dawn of the Dead fame look spectacular. Heads are chopped off, axes are lodged in faces, gratuitous in the most spectacular way. Also, the cinematography and music are pretty good.
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