Friday the 13th: The Series

Image credit*

I hope everybody had a good weekend.

I spent most of mine at the kitchen table, staring at my laptop, interspersed with occasional blank-eyed stares out the window. I saw a couple of squirrels hopping along the fence. I saw a friendly Steller's Jay. I typed words into a word processing program and watched some television.

Jer and I watched the first episode of the first season of the Friday the 13th television series from 1987. I remember watching it on the TV in my room growing up, the black and white TV with the dials that clicked into place for channels. There was always a lot of static between stations.

Sometimes I miss the static. Reaching a clear picture with clear sound after all that flickering felt like stumbling onto an oasis. Like a reward.

The series is about two cousins who inherit an antique shop from an uncle they'd never met, and soon discover the shop is filled with cursed antiques. Once they learn the items were cursed, these cousins decide to track down all the objects that have been sold and put them into storage. Cursed storage.

I can only remember flashes from when I watched the series the first time. It was on channel 69, the San Diego station that sometimes played horror flicks. There was usually an older man commenting on the movie during commercial breaks. Channel 69 was hit or miss. If I found anything worth watching out there, it was a surprise.

Did the series stand up after all these years? Well, it's only the first episode. There are some interesting things going on but overall it shows its age and the music is especially dated. I plan to keep watching though. It definitely had an impact on me.

Lastly, I was surprised to re-learn the main characters were cousins. There's a lot of sexual tension playing out for cousins.

*Image from the excellent fan resource for all things "Friday the 13th: The Series": Vendredi Antiques.