Saturday the 14th (1981)

User Rating:

3.5/10   

Director:

Howard R. Cohen

Writers:

Jeff Begun (story)
Howard R. Cohen (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 October 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror

Tagline:

Just when you thought it was safe to look at the calendar again.

Plot:

A Family moves into a house inhabited by scary creatures and a number of close calls ensue.

Plot Keywords:

Book | Creature | Spoof | Monster | Shark

Cast

Richard Benjamin	...	John
Paula Prentiss	...	Mary
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Waldemar
Severn Darden	...	Van Helsing
Kari Michaelson	...	Debbie
Kevin Brando	...	Billy
Rosemary DeCamp	...	Aunt Lucille
Stacy Keach Sr.	...	Attorney
Nancy Lee Andrews	...	Yolanda
Carole Androsky	...	Marge, the Real Estate Broker
Roberta Collins	...	Cousin Rhonda
Paul 'Mousie' Garner	...	The Major (as Paul Garner)
Annie O'Donnell	...	Annette, the Next Door Neighbor
Thomas Newman	...	Cousin Phil
Allen Joseph	...	Uncle Bert

Runtime:

75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor) | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Ryder Sound Services)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Norway:15 (video premiere) | UK:15 | USA:PG

Company:

New World Pictures

Quotes:

Van Helsing: Some vampires will believe anything.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (2006)

Goofy spoof

A family of four moves into a decrepit old house they've just inherited. Soon after, a young boy starts flipping through a large book and, with every turn of the page, a monster is released into the house. That's when strange things start happening to the family (sandwiches are eaten, dishes are done.) and anybody else who enters the house is not safe (one poor cop gets decapitated). All the while, the parents are oblivious (they blame everything on lack of curtains?!) but eventually call an exterminator (named Van Helsing!) to get rid of some bats in the attic.

The movie plays it for laughs but doesn't always succeed. Some of the jokes, especially early on, work rather well but it quickly becomes tired and it just feels like they are trying to rip off Mel Brooks or something. Some of the funnier moments include the scene where the parents are in bed and blame all the strange noises (including a monster falling out of a window) on a `damn owl'. But that's about it. Since the movie is PG, the film heavily relies on goofy situations, exaggerated acting (Van Helsing), cutesy monster designs and obvious jokes to get the laughs. Still, it's not a bad film for kids and there is an interesting bathtub scene that was later ripped off in Nightmare on Elm Street.