Director/producer Sean S. Cunningham has admitted that his 1980 slasher film "Friday the 13th" was a deliberate effort to imitate the style and success of John Carpenter's "Halloween," which had come out only two years prior. Cunningham tried to copt Carpenter's "killer's eye perspective" camera angles, and it's no coincidence that both films take place on dates famous for horror, bad luck, and death. Cunningham's gambit was successful, though, and his $550,000 movie ended up making nearly $60 million at the box office. It also spawned 11 sequels, many of which came to define the horror trends of the '80s. Although none of the "Friday the 13th" movies are particularly beloved by critics, they are a gestalt-defining phenomenon.

Holiday-themed horror films began popping up regularly in theaters. The years after "Friday the 13th" saw the release of "April Fool's Day," "New Year's Evil," "Prom Night," and "Silent Night, Deadly Night."

But...