Sunday, July 13, 2014

Outré Intro: Friday the 13th: The Series (1987 - 1990)



The syndicated horror TV series Friday the 13th (1987 - 1990) ran for three seasons and over seventy hour-long episodes, despite the fact that the program had nothing to do with the popular Paramount film franchise of the same name.  

In broad strokes, the series involved a small shop -- "Curious Goods" -- where all the antiques were haunted or demonically-possessed, leaving the intrepid owners (played by Robey and John Le May) to retrieve them.

The series was highly repetitive -- each week a new cursed antique! -- but also often highly entertaining. David Cronenberg directed an episode of the series, and stories like "Tales of the Undead" demonstrated a familiarity with and love for the comic-book crowd and milieu.

The introductory montage for Friday the 13th: The Series is simple, short and highly-effective.  It looks primitive by today's standards, yet nonetheless gets the job done.  The montage is augmented by the low-key and yet menacing score by Fred Mollins.

The montage begins with the perspective of a voyeur, after a fashion.  We stand at a door, move below the knob, and observe an interior space (Curious Goods) through a small keyhole.




We peer through the keyhole, catching a glimpse of the treasures beyond, and then move right through it, into Curious Goods, home of the haunted or cursed items. 



Next up, we get our first view of some of the demonically-influenced antiques in the store, including an old juke-box, an antique chair,a lamp, and a slot machine.


As the camera prowls through the store's interior, in a wide-ranging pan we meet the cast and crew of the series in their individual title cards (replete with creepy font...)






Next, the camera alights on an empty glass jar or canister. Something like a ghost starts to swirl inside; something malevolent. It's the series title, marking an unlucky day for all involved: Friday the 13th.



Next, the jar breaks, in the process releasing the title (and evil) inside, into our world.


Finally, we see a re-vamped title card noting the exact title of the program, differentiating Friday the 13th: The Series from the cinematic adventures of Jason Voorhees.



You can see a pre-amble and the introductory montage to this series below. The intro starts at around the 27 second point.


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