#7 - Friday the 13th (1980)
I don't think this one needs much of an introduction. A group of young men and women are working to restore a long-abandoned summer camp, which unbeknownst to them has a bloody past... In 1957, a young boy drowned while the teens who were supposed to be watching him snuck off to have sex, and the following year two counselors were murdered (not sure if it was the same counselors or not, but it hardly matters). Now, 23 years later, the new group of counselors find themselves victims of a mysterious killer...
This movie spawned countless imitators and sequels, and the Friday the 13th films are probably the most iconic slashers of all-time. It was absolutely trying to mimic the success of John Carpenter's Halloween from two years earlier, and while it wasn't as big of a hit as that film (nor was it as good), it still made a buttload of money and proved that, for better or worse, the slasher genre was here to stay.
Much of this film seems formulaic today, but you've got to remember that there wasn't really a formula yet when this was made, and that this film helped to define it. It does take some beats from the great Italian giallos of the 70's - especially with the shots from the killer's POV - but it focuses much more on the kills than it does on the mystery of who the killer is. In fact, it's basically impossible to guess who the killer is because it's a character that is never mentioned or seen up until the reveal.
Other random thoughts: The makeup work by Tom Savini is excellent, as always. The "you're all doomed!" guy always makes me laugh because he's basically the same dude from Cannibal! The Musical. Mrs. Voorhees is not a very convincing killer, as she doesn't seem particularly strong or coordinated. I always forget that Kevin Bacon is in this.
So, if you haven't seen this, it's a pretty important part of horror movie history, and a decent slasher to boot - just not exactly a masterpiece.
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