Friday the 13th: A Trip Back To Camp Blood VERSION 2

Alright, so it's actually Saturday the 14th at this point . . . but who's really keeping track? Actually, come to think of it, somewhere in the Friday the 13th series, this blog post would be perfectly acceptable as taking place on the "very next day" (see Part II and Part 3D. So, anyway, enjoy this photographic tribute to original Friday the 13th!

One of the coolest things about growing up in New Jersey was some of the amazing history and connections to things I'm interested in. Let's see, you got the home of The Misfits up in Lodi, there's the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, the Jersey Shore, and of course, Troma Films. But, this one definitely takes the prize -- in 1979, a small group of filmmakers headed by Sean S. Cunningham were making a little Horror picture that they were hoping would become the
scariest movie of all time.

Little did they know.

Taking a page from John Carpenter's Halloween and Bob Clark's Black Christmas, Cunningham's aptly titled Friday the 13th shot in northern New Jersey in and around the towns of Hope and, of course, Blairstown. Camp Crystal Lake itself is actually a local Boy Scout camp called Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco, which is still active today.


Our first location is Main Street in downtown Blairstown. Seriously, this is pretty much the hub of Blairstown and the Friday crew utilized a lot from this location. Through some creative editing, the small strip of Main Street becomes all of the town of Crystal Lake. In the film, the first "present day" footage we see is of Annie, the cook for the soon-to-reopen Camp Crystal Lake. She crosses a small bridge as she enters town and heads.

As you can see in the photos, not much has really changed. I have no idea what happened to the original bridge, but I'm sure the concrete needed significant repair work over time.

Still, regardless of the changes that have taken place, it really is a sight to behold as you first turn onto Main Street. If you're turning left onto the street, you cross the bridge, with the wall on your right, leading to the Old Mill.

Built in 1825 and acquired by the Blair Academy in 1903, the Old Mill was eventually placed on the State and National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior, so I'm pretty sure it ain't going anywhere.

In the film, Annie walks through the Old Mill's classic arch ways.

This location is right next to the bridge, so this one of few geographically correct locations in the film. As you can see in the pictures here, nothing has really changed (the pic here is actually from 2004, but again, it still looks the same).

It's also worth noting that the road to Camp No-Be is actually the one in the picture that winds off and up to the left. So, um, Annie . . . you're going the wrong way!


Here, Annie lazily wanders through the tunnel before exiting through one of the arches.

The smaller arched windows have been updated with solid panels of wood, though still keeping the original color scheme. I'm also pretty sure the overhead lights were added in recent years, though.

Annie walks through the second arch.


This is where things get interesting....remember what I said about the producers using some clever editing to make Main Street seem a lot bigger than it actually is? In the start of this scene, Annie comes in from one end of the street and here, she's coming from the opposite end.

In the screen capture, I'm not really sure what the red building Annie is walking down in front of was back then. As you can see in the modern pic, the building has since been painted a ghastly light blue color and is now the Historic Blairstown Theatre. Why is it blue? I have no idea, but it's pretty much an eyesore as far as I'm concerned.

It looks like the building right next to it has had a bit of a facelift, as well.


Next up is one of the most famous locations, which to this day, remains pretty much identical as to when Enos, the truck drive, drops Annie off at "the crossroads" . . . the Moravian Cemetery in Hope, NJ.

Hope Township is actually south of Blairstown on Rt 519, so Annie has quite a trek ahead of her if she's still walking to Camp Crystal Lake, don't you think so?

I remember the first time I actually went to Blairstown to check out the locations back in 2003; as we were heading north on 519, I looked down the road to the left and immediately recognized the location. The Moravian Cemetery is just outside of the actual crossroads in Hope, NJ and, as you can see in the photo, still looks pretty much the same.



The next location is the Blairstown Diner, where Steve Christy has a meal before making his way back to Camp Crystal Lake. And, personally, I think Sandy was totally flirting with him and trying to pick him up.

The diner, as it appeared in the film, looked pretty much the same on the exterior until at least 2004 . . . Unfortunately, sometime in that year or the next, the diner was remodeled and "modernized" so to speak. I never did get to see it with the DINER marquee lit up (the place used to keep very odd hours, so I might have driven all the way up there in the evening, only to find it closed!). The interior of the diner is now very different, resembling your typical American diner establishment, with a large dining room area.



Inside, Steve Christy sits at the counter as he finishes his coffee and Sandy tries to work her magic on him. "Two and a quarter."

In the film, Sandy's back is the front of the diner. I'm not sure if there was a large dining area in there (behind Steve, a little further down the wall) as it stands today. And, frankly, I don't remember it that way the first time I got into the diner back in 2004.

In the first pic above, we're standing down by where Steve sat in the film. There is no longer a counter there, only booths. During filming, I'm not sure there was a counter where there is one, so it's possible it may have just been relocated to the other end of the front.

In this pic, taken in 2004, I'm sitting where Steve sat. At this time, the diner still had its original green paint scheme and the layout looked similar. To my left was where the booth behind Steve sat; it was pretty much removed or in the process of being removed, as I remember it.

At that time, my wife (then my girlfriend) Sandee and I were hesitant to go into the diner, as I'd heard urban legends that the locals are too fond of their town's connection to a cheap slasher movie from the 1980s. So, as we walked up to the counter and ordered a Coke, Sandee was able to take a pic of me (she was standing where the small booth is behind Steve Christy in the screen capture). I do remember that booth was either completely busted up and removed or in the process of being removed, as I don't recall an actual seat or table in that spot.

I used to go up to Blairstown every Friday the 13th and have lunch at the diner and, as it stands, it's not a bad little place! The food is great and the service is friendly and inviting. I highly recommend the chicken fingers and fries!

Needless to say, when we were there on Memorial Day, the staff of the Blairstown Diner were incredibly friendly and inviting. Though they were closing due to the holiday, we were welcomed inside to take as many photos as we needed! Thank you Blairstown Diner staff!

That's all for now . . . stay tuned for Part II of "A Trip Back To Camp Blood" when Constriction Pictures will actually visit the original Camp Crystal Lake itself!

Super 8 (2011)

There’s a scene early in J.J. Abrams’ Super 8, set in the summer of 1979, where we’re shown two of the main characters’ bedrooms. In that of our hero Joe Lamb’s, we’re treated to Aurora model kits of famous Universal monsters like the Hunchback, a Frankenstein mask, and a Creature From The Black Lagoon doll, as well as various era-specific comics and even an issue of Famous Monsters of Filmland (what, no love for Fangoria #1?). The bedroom dwelling of aspiring filmmaker Charles has its walls adorned with theatrical one-sheets for Halloween and Dawn of the Dead. It’s quickly established that Super 8’s young characters are self-described “Monster Kids” and, if you have even a remote interest in horror or science-fiction, you just might be one, too, or at least grew up as one.

JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg definitely fall into that category and, with Super 8, wear that love proudly on their sleeves.

Abrams, along with producer Spielberg, hopes to awaken those possibly forgotten feelings of excitement over the latest b-movie playing at the local, single screen, movie theater or the newest monster make-up technique from Dick Smith (Tom Savini/Rick Baker/Stan Winston/Rob Bottin if you grew up in the 80s). At the very least, you might be able to go to the movies this summer and say “Finally. Someone gets it. I really don’t have a single thing to complain about with this movie.”

The top secret story involves a group of kids making a zombie movie with a borrowed Super 8 camera, who stumble upon a horrific train crash and subsequently get tangled up in the enigmatic red tape of an Air Force conspiracy. Their small Ohio town becomes invaded by uniformed scientists as townspeople begin mysteriously disappearing. Sheriff’s Deputy Jackson Lamb (played by Friday Night Lights’ Kyle Chandler) starts asking questions and, before he knows it, crosses paths with his young son, Joe, and his adventure-seeking friends.

There are certainly elements of Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E. T. present here (there are even some direct references throughout) and, it’s precisely the spirit of those early blockbusters Abrams is recreating. Sure, there is the standard use of summer movie CGI, but there’s also a subtlety and heart that has been missing in these types of films for a long, long time. Recalling early Spielberg, at its core Super 8 is about a family – Joe and his recently widowed father, trying to put their lives back together and fill the increasing void between them. Their loss has also affected many of the townspeople (not counting the families of Joe’s friends) as well and the town as a whole is in need of something uplifting.

It’d be easy to sit here and point out things like “That town meeting bit was lifted from Jaws”, “this dialogue exchange between the kids echoes Goonies or Stand By Me”, or “that kid constantly hitting the dining room table is a direct homage to Close Encounters”, but it’s even easier to just sit back and enjoy what is truly a breath of fresh air for American summer movies. This summer, multiplexes will again be overcrowded with super-heroes, talking animals, and big, dumb, loud sequels to pointless CGI eye-candy. In fact, I’m interested to see how some of the younger moviegoers will respond to a picture like Super 8, given that they may have only grown up on movies like this through home video – that’s if movies like Goonies, Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Close Encounters aren’t too “old” in their ever so critical eyes.

Even if you didn’t grow up in 1979, Super 8 hits all the right beats of adolescence and the types of kids you probably hung around with; there’s the total geek, the pyro maniac, the shy kid who probably hasn’t hit puberty just yet and, of course, the dreamgirl who’s totally out of your league and you think you’d die if she even talked to you. The young cast, as headlined by newcomer Joel Courtney (as Joe), and rounded out by Riley Griffiths (Charles), Zach Mills, Ryan Lee, Gabriel Basso, and Elle Fanning is terrific all around. All of the kids bring believable life to their characters and, frankly, I was pretty impressed to see such range coming from this bunch of actors. Their talent and relative anonymity is surely a treat given today's blockbuster standards of casting familiar faces from hit television shows.

Overall, Super 8 is a great summer movie and if it, along with 2009's Star Trek is any indication, we're all in for a treat as J.J. Abrams continues his flourishing career. See it!

Shock Waves (1977)

Ken Wiederhorn's Shock Waves is one of those "Holy Grail" Horror movies as far as I'm concerned. It's got everything needed for enjoyment:

-Awesome 70's poster art
-Great cast
-Creepy music (no need to really argue the difference between a horror movie with a score versus a horror movie with a soundtrack featuring music from and inspired by the film) -rustic 1970s (or 1980s, depending on the movie) cinematography
-Rad 1970s vibe
-Atmosphere. Atmosphere. Atmosphere.






I'd first come across this movie in a book called Clive Barker's A-Z of Horror, where it was discussed under "Z" for Zombies. All that was really shown was the poster art, in a glorious black and white reprint. Instantly, I thought to myself, "I NEED to see this movie!"
And so began my search at what seemed like endless Chiller Theatre conventions, always asking dealers if they had a copy of the long out of print VHS from Prism Video. Of course, like clockwork, I was always met with a "I just sold it" (sure ya did...). One day though, I finally score a copy of the film (albeit a dubbed copy with a black and white photographed cover, depicting the poster art on both the front and back -- but I didn't need any key plot points spelled out...I knew I'd love this movie)!!
















Upon that first viewing after getting home from that Chiller show (seriously, at like 2am), I'll admit I had a rough time trying to stay awake, eventually falling asleep, but what I did see amazed me. It was everything I'd hoped it to be and then some!

The plot is pretty simple: A group of strangers are stranded in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida when the touring boat they've boarded breaks down. Luke Halprin (of TV's Flipper) plays Keith, the heroic deck hand to John Carradine's Captain. After an encounter with a ghost ship (straight out of Death Ship actually), the group must take the boat's dingy over a desert island after someone spots a large hotel. But, as they soon find out, the island isn't completely deserted and a Nazi secret has been lying dormant in the depths of the ocean for the last 32 years....

Throw in the legendary Peter Cushing as a weird old Nazi commander and you've got yourself one hell of a 70s drive-in movie!















"Man, I was in Vampire Hookers -- what movies have you been in?"

One of the cool things about Shock Waves is its prologue, featuring an ominous voice-over and a creepy photograph of Nazi stormtroopers. The narration talks about Germany's secret investigation into the Supernatural before the start of World War II and how Der Führer had enlisted a group of scientists to experiment on the bodies of the dead. Awesome, huh? Believe it or not, because of this intro, many people believe Shock Waves to be based in some fact . . . which it may very well be . . .

Story-wise, as I said, it's pretty simple and straight-forward. It really delivers on its premise. There's no outlandish action sequences and you really get the sense the film was made on a slim budget at an actual abandoned hotel in Florida.

Co-writer/director Wiederhorn would later go on make such fare as Meatballs II (which, incidentally, features clips of Shock Waves in it!) and, of course, Return of the Living Dead Part II . . . but this is creative peak, hands down. Seriously, there is nothing wrong with this movie. I'd have given anything to have caught it on "USA's Up All Night" or "Shocktober" on WPIX 11 back in the day. It would definitely be one of "those" movies where you'd have a fuzzy recollection of it and can't remember the name, all the while wracking your brain trying to remember more about it.















Underwater Nazi zombies. What's not to love?

Back on 6/29/01, I was fortunate enough to finally catch Shock Waves on the big screen -- as the second movie on a double bill with Cannibal Holocaust! While not really the perfect pairing in the truer sense of the word, it was still something to behold. Most people laughed and scoffed at the idea of water-logged Nazi stormtroopers stomping around the depths of the ocean, but man . . . I was in seventh heaven!!















"Carradine thinks he's the man, prancing around with his vampy whores, but I was in Star Wars sucka!"

William Lustig's amazing Blue Underground finally released Shock Waves onto DVD back in 2003 (though it still has no Bluray planned unfortunately) in a pretty nifty special edition featuring a commentary track from Wiederhorn, make-up designer Alan Orsmby, and filmmaker Fred Olen Ray. There's also a brief featurette with Luke Halprin, wherein he recalls his transition from television teen heartthrob to adult actor and shares some fond memories from the making of the film. Rounding out the set is a theatrical trailer (which, as far as I'm concerned, looks to be in better shape than the movie itself), a TV spot, radio spots, and an extensive gallery of posters, stills, and production photos.

A note about the print used for the DVD: according to the disc's liner notes, the film's original negative mysteriously disappeared nearly 30 years ago, so the film was transferred from Wiederhorn's own vault print and digitally restored for the DVD release. The overlook of the film is a bit soft and grainy with some minor print damage throughout -- which I'm certainly not complaining about at all (that just adds to its greatness as far as I'm concerned).

Overall, if you're in the mood for a great, often forgotten gem of a 70s horror movie, you owe it to yourself to track down Shock Waves. Also, being that it's rated PG and there is virtually not one drop of blood or slip of the nip, it would make a great gateway introduction for young horror fan in training in your household. See it!















"The sea spits up what it can't hold down."

Final Exam (1981)

In honor of Horror Hound magazine's awesome tribute to all things 1981 in their latest issue, I decided to finally check out some of the titles I've had for a while, but have somehow managed to avoid.

Where do I start with this "gem"?

Lanier College in Anywhere, USA is coming upon the end of its system where...wait for it...final exam(s) are taking place. One of the local frats pulls a pretty insane prank (I'll get to that in a little bit), which sets up the school nerd/tattletale/over-achiever/self-appointed genius Raddish, to become a whistle blower for all things abnormal. Of course the joke's on him because of the prank and now the frat wants to rough him up a bit and the backwoods sheriff accuses him of being a Boy Who Cried Wolf. Man...this kid can't get a break. Suddenly, students start dropping like flies and the bodies start piling up. Will Raddish call the cops again and risk looking like a fool? Will he survive his Final Exam?















Things start off promising with some cool, grainy cinematography.

Alright, so the poster looks kinda cool despite the obvious Friday the 13th ripoff. Maybe the killer is wearing some sort of cool mask that will make up for whatever shortcomings the movie might have . . .

Nah, he's a Gerard Depardieu stunt double wearing an olive drab Army longsleeve, a pair of jeans, and your average, shit-kicker work boots. Hardly impressive, right? Maybe he's got a cool backstory or some insane motive for knocking off all these stupid college students . . .

Nah, he just comes and goes with the wind. Dude doesn't even have a name for crying out loud!! I guess maybe writer/director Jimmy Huston was trying to channel the creepiness of Michael Myers' "killer with no motive"/pure eeeeee-vil vibe . . . but failed miserably.















Ladies and gentlemen: our killer.

Honestly, the only thing the killer can do well in Final Exam is catch arrows with bare hands and ride a dumbwaiter standing up(seriously!). The kills are pretty unimaginative and the gore is nowhere to be found except for some blood coming out of a victim's mouth or appearing on their face when their body turns in the last reel.

Raddish, as played by Joel Rice, should be the example of the type of character every Horror character shouldn't be. He's whiny, nerdy beyond words (the kid friggin' announces "I can't help it! I'm a genius!" when he finishes a final exam before the rest of the class) and probably wouldn't even be able to make friends with someone as annoying as Encyclopedia Brown. There's one scene where he visits a female character who's stressing about boys . . . to give her the sort of pep talk Stuart Smalley would blush over. Dude...and I'll only say this once: she's stressing about a guy who's being a butthole -- her defenses are down. Make your move! Give her that shoulder to cry on and those arms to hold her. But yeah . . . poor Raddish comes off like a
nerd prototype for "Degrasi, Jr High" (the original one). Dude gets what he deserves.















Somewhere, Jack Torrance is proud. I guess.

One of the things Huston tries to do to make Final Exam stand out from other slasher pictures of the times is focus more on the kids . . . er, college students. I'll give him an "A" for effort, but the execution is so terribly boring that it really makes the movie become bad ABC After School Special with "some" scenes from an amatuer slasher movie thrown in. There is so much time spent trying to develop the characters (none of which can really act all that well) that I forgot I was watching an '80s slasher movie!!

Remember that prank the frat pulls that I mentioned earlier? Yeah, well, speaking of forgetting which movie you're watching . . . early on, the killer is driving around in a black van, right? Not too long after this is established, another van -- which is brown and clearly doesn't look anything like the other one -- roles onto campus. Did the killer decide to switch vans? Did the production think no one would notice that they banged up the director's Uncle Seymor's van and figured the audience wouldn't noticed if they replaced it with a brown one?

The head-scratching continues when dudes in ski-masks, brandishing M-16's hop out and start mowing people down. Seriously.















Somebody better call The A-Team because some dollar store terrorists are shooting up the local college.

So Final Exam just turned into Kent State? I'm confused.

Oh wait . . . it's just the frat pulling a prank way too elaborate for their star keg-stander, Wild Man, to execute. They grab the "bodies" of the two kids who fall victim to their gunfire and drive off with them. Is this some sort of hazing prank, part of Hell Week? Oh, it's all a distraction so the lead frat guy can switch write a passing score on his final exam and waltz out of the building like he just finished his test.

Sure, the movie is pretty confusing, but you wanna know the single most insane bit about Final Exam? The DVD is currently out of print and copies of it are going for ridiculous prices on ebay and Amazon.

Go ahead and do a search right now. I'll wait.

Forget it, I'll show you myself.

Nuts, isn't it?















Yup. That's the body of a dumb jock stuffed into that skinny locker.

Anyway, this movie is pretty terrible and those who know me know that some of my favorite movies are pieces of trash. But man . . . this one sucks so hard. Skip it!