Friday the 13th (1980 film)

Friday the 13th
Theatrical release poster by Alex Ebel
Directed by	Sean S. Cunningham
Written by	Victor Miller
Produced by	Sean S. Cunningham
Starring	Betsy Palmer Adrienne King Harry Crosby Laurie Bartram Mark Nelson Jeannine Taylor Robbi Morgan Kevin Bacon
Cinematography	Barry Abrams
Edited by	Bill Freda
Music by	Harry Manfredini
Production company	Georgetown Productions Inc.[1]
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures (United States) Warner Bros. (International)
Release date	May 9, 1980 (1980-05-09) (United States)
Running time	95 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$550,000
Box office	$59.8 million[2]

Friday the 13th is a 1980 American independent slasher film produced and directed by Sean S. Cunningham, written by Victor Miller, and starring Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram, Mark Nelson, Jeannine Taylor, Robbi Morgan, and Kevin Bacon. The plot follows a group of teenage camp counselors who are murdered one by one by an unknown killer while they are attempting to reopen an abandoned summer camp with a tragic past.

Prompted by the success of John Carpenter's Halloween (1978), director Cunningham put out an advertisement to sell the film in Variety in early 1979, while Miller was still drafting the screenplay. After casting the film in New York City, filming took place in New Jersey in the summer of 1979, on an estimated budget of $550,000. A bidding war ensued over the finished film, ending with Paramount Pictures acquiring the film for domestic distribution, while Warner Bros. secured international distribution rights.

Released on May 9, 1980, Friday the 13th was a major box office success, grossing $59.8 million worldwide. Critical response was divided, with some praising the film's cinematography and score, while numerous others derided it for its depiction of graphic violence. Aside from being the first independent film of its kind to secure distribution in the U.S. by a major studio, its box office success led to a long series of sequels, a crossover with the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series, and a 2009 series reboot. A direct sequel, Friday the 13th Part 2, was released one year later.