If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if The Munsters crashed a monster movie marathon with a script full of dad jokes, look no further than Saturday the 14th. Released in 1981, this horror-comedy leans heavily into camp, delivering rubber creatures, goofy gags, and a plot that feels like it was made up on the spot—and honestly, that’s part of its weird charm. It’s not scary, it’s barely coherent, but it’s got that offbeat energy that makes it a late-night curiosity for fans who like their horror with a side of pure, unapologetic cheese.
Directed and written by Howard R. Cohen, Saturday the 14th is a horror-comedy that feels like it was pulled straight from the bargain bin of the Twilight Zone. Less a spoof of Friday the 13th (despite the title) and more a chaotic mashup of classic monster movie tropes, the film follows the unsuspecting Boyle family as they inherit a creepy old house, complete with cursed book, vampire neighbors, and a steady stream of rubber-suited creatures. As young Billy cracks open the evil tome, unleashing a parade of budget-friendly monsters, the movie leans into absurdity with the subtlety of a flying bat on a string. It’s silly, it’s sloppy, and somehow, it’s still kind of endearing.
I first stumbled across it when I saw the Scream Factory Blu-ray release and couldn’t help but laugh at the gloriously over-the-top poster. It screamed so-bad-it’s-good, and after finally sitting down to watch it, I can confirm: it absolutely delivers on that promise.
What makes the experience even stranger is that Saturday the 14th somehow got a sequel—Saturday the 14th Strikes Back released in 1988, a full seven years later. By that point, it feels like most people had either forgotten the original or assumed it was a one-off oddity (which, honestly, would’ve made sense). Financed by Julie Corman, wife of B-movie legend Roger Corman, the sequel takes the same kitchen-sink approach to horror parody, with even less concern for continuity or logic. But in a weird way, that lack of cohesion kind of works in the film’s favor. Neither movie is trying to make much sense. They’re more like loose collections of spooky gags stitched together with creaky monster-movie clichés and Halloween store aesthetics. The fact that the sequel doesn’t really follow the first one just adds to the chaotic charm of this strange little “franchise.”
The best way to enjoy Saturday the 14th is to not take it seriously at all. It throws everything at the wall — vampires, sea monsters, a cursed book — and hopes something sticks. Most of it doesn’t, but that’s part of the charm. The cast seems to be having fun with the madness, and the tone feels more like a spooky kids show than a horror film. It’s silly, awkward, and completely out of its mind.
At the end of the day, this is a movie made for people who love the weird corners of horror. It’s not scary. It’s barely a parody. But it has a strange energy that’s kind of fun to revisit. If nothing else, Saturday the 14th earns its place as a cult oddity, the kind of movie you stumble across late at night and wonder how it ever got made.
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