Book Review: Making Friday the 13th: The Legend of Camp Blood by David Grove

 Few films have had as profound effect of the horror genre as the infamous Friday the 13^th film series.  It seemingly came out of nowhere and changed the face of the slasher genre for years to come.  David Grove’s book Making Friday the 13^th: The Legend of Camp Blood goes into elaborate detail on all the films in the franchise as well as getting to the heart of the film series from all those involved from the directors and stars of the film to the crew behind the films.  This is an exhaustive study of the films for both the good and the bad.

Grove makes no apologies for the films that make up the ten films in the Friday the 13^th saga not to mention the television series and the Freddy Vs. Jason film as they all have their faults.  Grove may spend the first several chapters on the original 1980 film but he spends a good amount of time on each subsequent film examining not only plot but how each of the films fit in the horror pantheon when it was released.  The greatest asset to the book is the candid way in which the cast and crew speak about their experiences which is a revelation for those tired of the “PC” response that most films get upon their initial release.  It is noteworthy to say that despite the quality of each film everyone involved seemed to have a wonderful time making the films.

There is no end to the plethora of information on the Friday the 13^th franchise out there due to the popularity of the films so there would be little reason to purchase this book other than the fact that Grove has a very entertaining view and outlook on the films that keep the reading fast and furious and there is obliviously a fan appreciation that goes with it.  Fans will appreciate the book and discover details about the productions that even they might not know.  Not all films are perfect but this is a pretty damn good book about those imperfect films.