10 Horror Movie Franchises That Forgot How To Be Scary

Speaking of cheap knock-offs, Friday the 13th started as just that - a project that saw the money to be made from a slasher flick and set out to be one itself. The first film, from 1980, had a poster and a title before the script was even finished.

Say what you will about Friday's first outing, but it deserves some credit for its novel twist of an overprotective mother and a truly chilling cliffhanger ending. There's an eerie sense of dread that director Sean S. Cunningham manages to maintain through endless scenes of teens just hanging out, playing strip poker or meandering the forest.

Oddly, it was intended as a one-off. The idea of Jason appearing at the end scene was tagged on at the last minute, allowing a cliffhanger that Paramount grasped to and drained for all its worth.

Interestingly, the series is more interesting and fun when it's not trying to be scary. Audiences for a Friday film know what they're in for - some gratuitous nudity, elaborately gory kill scenes and a lot of trees. Tom McLoughlin's Jason Lives was the first film to actually have some fun with the formula, even throwing in a 007 Bond opening and a playful spirit. He was originally Kevin Williamson's pick to direct Scream.