Friday the 13th Retro-Review: Cooking With Pam

On finally seeing the horror classic (?) from beginning to end

I think if you'd told Boomer academics like my parents in 1980 that, four and a half decades later, Friday the 13th would be better remembered and celebrated than, say, The French Lieutenant's Woman or Danton, they'd have been at least mildly outraged. Friday the 13^th and its sequels were viewed as scarcely better than dreck, so much so that critic Gene Siskel infamously not only spoiled the ending, but also gave out actress Betsy Palmer's home town so that people could complain to her directly. Criticism didn't have a lot of rules back then, house or otherwise.

Wait, what the hell, Luke? You’re putting a paywall up to read the rest of this? Why?

Yep, because I could use the money. Also, I see many professional colleagues who thrive on retro-reviews doing exactly that, so I’m trying this out.

But you said just the subscriber bonuses and religion stuff would be paywalled?

I said we’d try stuff out.

Is everything gonna be paywalled now?

No. New reviews won’t be. Nor, in general, the random personal columns and toy stuff. I always want to keep this site worthwhile for free subscribers AND add value for those who pay.

Okay, I guess.

See ya later, strawman…