Milton Jackson

This is an overall solid horror series from the late 1980s. Despite the name,, Jason Voorhees never appears, nor has the series any direct onscreen connection to the slasher movies. The premise is simple yet effective: Lewis Vendredi made a deal with the Devil resulting in cursed objects that will extend Satan's dominion over Earth. Upon reneging on the deal, Lewis found himself a victim of the Devil. Shortly thereafter, his niece and nephew, Michelle "Mickie" Foster and Ryan Dallion, inherit Lewis' shop and decide to sell off its inventory, not realizing they are unleashing He'll on Earth until Jack Marshak, a former associate of Vendredi's, arrives and informs them of the true nature of the objects. For a relatively low-budget '80s series, Friday the 13th features worthwhile atmospherics and creepy production design that underscore the tension and dread in the series. Notably Fred Mollin provides a haunting score that, together with the creepy visuals, sets the tone for the series in the opening credits. Where the series is at its best is in developing the characters. Each of the leads, along with most of the secondary characters, has a fleshed out backstory that makes the person transcend lazy stock cannon fodder. Jack, Ryan, and Mickie all have solo episodes that irreversibly change them and add to the mythos of the series. Noteworthily each of the objects has its own traits, becoming a character in its own right as it wreaks havoc with both its possessor and anyone he or she comes in contact with. Refreshingly the series sometimes deviates from its established formula, introducing running subplots involving Lewis' attempts to escape Hell and Satan's attempts to attack and/or influence the protagonists. In one of Jack's solo episodes in particular, a variant of the cursed object trope appears in a relic from his days fighting the Nazis in World War II. Although not a cursed object associated with Vendredi, the relic is potent and dangerous and serves as the focal point of one of the best episodes in the series. Unfortunately Friday the 13th would be abruptly canceled in its third season. It never had a proper resolution but still holds up well as a well-done example of '80s horror series.