I watched Friday the 13th and it wasn’t what I expected | Films | Entertainment

Even if you haven’t watched the film, there are numerous elements about 1980 horror classic Friday the 13th and the enormous franchise it spawned that you’ll instantly recognise. An isolated American summer camp filled with teenagers getting murdered one by one in progressively brutal ways, the unnerving soundtrack, and, naturally, the terrifying hockey mask-wearing killer Jason Voorhees.

The original 1980 film was a box office smash, generating almost $40 million (around £17.4 million at the time) against a budget estimated at approximately $550,000 (£240,000). It birthed a colossal franchise, with no fewer than nine sequels, along with a remake, and even a crossover film in which Jason battles A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger. To my shame, I’d never actually settled down to watch it, so, with March delivering the second Friday the 13th in as many months – nothing to be concerned about there, I’m sure – it seemed like as suitable an opportunity as any.