Halloween (1978) vs Friday the 13th (1980)

I saw Halloween first so that is my favourite. Friday the 13th is a good film but I feel like Halloween is shot/directed a lot better.

Friday the 13th

Halloween.

Halloween.

One of two JC's Masterpieces.

I have to vote for Halloween. I find the entire production is better and I relate more to the characters.

better quality? Halloween definitely.

i like F13 cause of the campiness (no pun intended)

Halloween of course. It was the blue print slasher and the perfect slasher yet to be bettered, apart from the zero gore part which the original didnt need because Carpenter is such a good director.

Now the Friday series overall has better movies than the Halloween series.

Halloween 2 and 3 are good but the quality drastically drops after that.

Friday kept consistent for a good few films, never amazing but still on a decent level compared to its contemporaries. I understand there are some editions of Friday people dislike. With me I cant stand Part 5 but think part 8 is ok, watchable, decent kills. With Halloween I suffered watching Part 4 up until we get to H2O.

You have to admit the public vote Friday 1,2,3,4, 6 and maybe X are passable to good give or take peoples preferences.

With Halloween in my opinion its 1,2,3 and H2O.

Friday improved and adapted as it went along, it added new elements. On the 3rd Friday film it added the bad ass hockey mask Jason. The kills and SFX were some of the best of the 80s slasher even with the MPAA interfering. And in my opinion Friday Part 6 was probably the best of a slew of slashers in the 80s.

Halloween didn't really change, it was just Mike sticking a knife into a gut and staring at them. So many Mikes were unscary especially the weird looking H4 Myers. And when they tried change it failed like the man in black storyline. The kills in Halloween were weak and had no imagination, poor SFX once the series transitioned into the gore, body count race against other slashers.

There can only be so many bloodless knives to the stomach I can take without the mastery of John Carpenter directing.

I love them both, but Halloween is the better movie. It’s better shot and directed, plus it creates an iconic character with The Shape. Friday the 13th was able to maintain the spookiness longer, though. The first two Halloweens were excellent, and the third was good but no Michael. By the fourth it just wasn’t scary. The first four Friday the 13ths were scary and added to the mythos.