FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2
Director: Steve Miner
Writer: Ron Kurz
Starring: Adrienne King, Amy Steel, John Furey, Kirsten Baker, Stu Charno, Marta Kober
Producer: Steve Miner
Music: Harry Manfredini
Special Makeup Effects: Carl Fullerton

With Friday the 13th clearing up at the box office and attracting major, albeit negative, attention from the press, just days after its release there was serious consideration for a sequel. Both Paramount and Georgetown, who had financed the film independently before selling it on for a huge profit, had not expected such a reaction from horror fans and knew that there was still money to be made. With Warner Bros. having secured the international rights to the movie, Mancuso Sr. was determined for Paramount to own the worldwide copyrights to the second film, whilst Georgetown pushed for the sequel to enter production as early as possible. Paramount had agreed to this but on the condition that Georgetown put up the money themselves and if they delivered a product that was as marketable as the original then Paramount would distribute it as a negative pick-up. Almost every studio in town had begun to emulate the formula of Friday the 13th (just like it had done itself with Halloween) and soon the market was becoming saturated with inferior clones that would turn effective plot-points into genre clichés. But which direction would the sequel take as almost all of the principal characters had been so successfully killed off at the end of the first movie?

The first blow came when Sean. S Cunningham, Victor Miller and Tom Savini all declined the chance to return, on grounds that a sequel was illogical and dumb. Miller had never envisioned a further instalment when he developed the story and Cunningham had no intentions of making the same film again. Savini, however, was the most out-spoken regarding the stupidity of a sequel and instead opted to work on another summer camp slasher, The Burning. With all of the key participants clearly unavailable, Georgetown were forced to search elsewhere for talent that could keep the project alive. Phil Scuderi had already drafted in former theatre manager-turned-screenwriter Ron Kurz to doctor Miller’s script for the first film and so he was the obvious choice when it came to developing a sequel. Kurz had been omitted from the credits for Friday the 13th due to irregularities with the Writers Guild and had decided to amend the errors so that he would receive full credit for the second script. There first major obstacle was which direction should the new story take? After all, Mrs. Voorhees, the vengeful killer who was still mourning the death of her son, had been decapitated at the end of Miller’s script so it was impossible for her return, unless the sequel was to take a supernatural turn. Scuderi was adamant from the very beginning that the focus should shift to the son, Jason, and that somehow he should have survived the drowning all those years ago and somehow remained out of sight from the townspeople (and Mrs. Voorhees it would seem) for over twenty years. It was this illogical suggestion that alienated Cunningham and his collaborators. But not all were so sceptical about bring back Jason.

Steve Miner, who had been a major driving force in the production of Friday the 13th, from storyboarding elaborate effect scenes to directing the second unit (most notably during the hospital scene that had closed the first film), and so Georgetown offered Miner the chance to finally make his directorial debut. Immediately, Miner set about trying to bring back crew members from the first film, including cinematographer Peter Stein (who had acted as DOP for the aforementioned hospital scene), editor Susan Cunningham and production designer Virginia Field. Miner also attempted to convince Savini but he had already begun work in New York on his next feature and so he contacted Stan Winston, his neighbour from his time in Los Angeles who had been a struggling stand up comedian whilst developing an interest in special effects. Unfortunately, Winston was also preoccupied but sculpted a head mould of Betsy Palmer who would cameo as Mrs. Voorhees’ severed head. Respected makeup artist Dick Smith suggested an up-and-coming talent called whose impressive work on Friday the 13th Part 2 would sadly be almost non-existent after the MPAA butchered the movie. Carl Fullerton first entered the industry in the mid 1970’s after applying for an apprenticeship with NBC-TV in New York, primarily due to his idol, Smith, once being the head of makeup there. During his time at the network, he worked on the likes of Saturday Night Live before making his feature debut on the low budget horror The Rituals, which starred The Fog’s Hal Holbrook. His next project was the Michael Jackson/Diana Ross vehicle The Wiz, a black adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, before finally collaborating with Smith on Ken Russell’s 1980 cult classic Altered States.

One young face to appear among the crew was a man who would later become a major driving force within the franchise and who, after taking his first steps into the industry as a teenager working as a booker for Paramount, liaising with theatres in Canada, would eventually rise to become one of the most successful producers of the eighties. Frank Mancuso Jr. was the son of the then-head of Paramount, who had taken a gamble with Friday the 13th the previous year and turned it into a blockbuster. Initially brought on set to keep an eye on the studio’s investment, Mancuso would assist the filmmakers in every aspect of production, earning himself an ‘associate producer’ credit and a reputation as a shrewd businessman. With a trustworthy crew in place, Miner then had to find a suitable cast to play his machete fodder and, more importantly, a stuntman who could portray his faceless antagonist. With Alice, the first film’s headstrong heroine, a hit with the fans, Minasian and Scuderi immediately began negotiations with Adrienne King’s agent to bring the actress back for the sequel. Unfortunately, neither party were able to agree on a fee as the agent had demanded a higher salary for their client and so the producers were forced to ask Kurz to kill the character off after the opening scene. This meant that they needed a new heroine and so Ginny Field, named after the production designer, was created. Eventually, the producers settled on Amy Steel, a twenty-year old former model-turned-actress from West Chester, Pennsylvania who had previously had recurring roles in such television shows as Guiding Light and All My Children. Her co-stars would include several young faces who had already appeared in horror films, such as He Knows You’re Alone’s Russell Todd and Dressed to Kill’s Bill Randolph.

For the role of Jason, one of the most important aspects of the production, Miner approached Taso Stavrakis, who had portrayed the killer for the majority of the first film, though the stuntman declined, later admitting it to be one of the worst decisions of his career. Warrington Gillette, who was just five months older than Steel, had initially auditioned for the role of Paul Holt, Ginny’s boyfriend and the male lead. With the producers eventually settling on John Furey, a TV actor who had appeared in the likes of ChiPs, Logans Run and The Waltons, Gillette was offered the part of Jason after claiming to have minor stunt experience. After excessive prosthetic application, which involved at least six hours in makeup and a pair of fake dentures, Gillette’s first day of filming was to be for a scene towards the end of the movie where an unmasked Jason jumped through a window. When it became clear to both Miner and stun coordinator Cliff Cudney that their actor was incapable of performing the stunts that were required for the role, he left the production and the filmmakers suddenly found themselves without a villain. At a loss, Cudney suggested a friend of his who had quit the NYPD to pursue a career as a stuntman and actor. Steve Daskawisz had ironically made his feature debut playing a cop in Neil Diamond’s 1980 hit The Jazz Singer before making the acquaintance of Cudney during the filming of Sylvester Stallone’s Nighthawks soon after. Out of work due to the actor’s strike (though Friday the 13th Part 2 had been given permission to continue), Daskawisz was broke and desperate for another role, borrowing $25 off his brother for gas and making his way down to the shoot in Kent, Connecticut the following day.

Prior to Daskawisz’s involvement, principal photography had commenced and Jason’s first appearance during the fourteen minute opening sequence would see two crew members filling in for the role. The film opens with a child splashing in rain puddles, only for Jason’s feet to appear moments later. This specific shot saw costume designer Ellen Lutter playing the part, before being replaced by production assistant Jerry Wallace for the scene in which Jason stabs Alice in the head with an ice pick. This relatively bloodless prologue would show off Winston’s handiwork with the head of Mrs. Voorhees seen in Alice’s fridge. Despite the lack of gore shown throughout the movie, there were several elaborate and graphic set pieces shot for Friday the 13th Part 2, courtesy of Fullerton and his crew. The death of Todd’s character, Scott, was to an excessive bloodspill that was reduced to mere suggestion for the version that was released. For the effect, which saw Scott strung upside down from a branch before having his throat slit, makeup assistant John Caglione Jr. (who had made several student films with Todd in high school) had cast his neck and created a foam appliance in which a deep cut was carved in which blood would later run from to simulate a knife wound. A tube was attached to the actor’s leg and ran up into the tree above where another effects artist would operate a pump that would send the blood down to the wound. Unfortunately, at least for the actor, far more blood than expected was pumped out and made its way into Todd’s eyes, forcing him to have to remain in character until Miner had completed filming.

For perhaps the most impressive effect of the movie, in which wheelchair-bound Mark (the late Tom McBride) receives a machete to the face before falling backwards down a set of steep steps, Fullerton modified a catcher’s mask to place over the actor’s head and then played the footage of the machete, constructed from balsa wood, in reverse to give the illusion of the blade striking his face. For the shot of Mark falling backwards, stuntman Tony Farentino (who had worked alongside both Fullerton and Calgione Jr. on Nighthawks) performed the dangerous stunt with the help of a special rig which had been designed to help avoid the wheelchair from losing control. One criticism levelled at the movie was that it had almost plagiarised a scene from Mario Bava’s notorious Reazione a catena (Twitch of the Death Nerve), in which a young couple are impaled during sex. Another impressive effect, this was achieved by the actress (Marta Kober in the role of Sandra) lying on her back with her shoulders against a couch support with Randolph lying on top of her. Dick Smith’s son, David, operated a pressure tank that was fixed to release the blood (made from jelly) on demand. An appliance was designed to attach to the actor’s back to double as his body (with skin created from gelatin), for which the pitchfork would be driven through.

During the shoot, Daskawisz would receive several injuries that would see him rushed off to the emergency room. The first time was during a scene where Jason is chasing Ginny through the woods, where the killer would jump out from behind a tree. The actor was supposed to hit a mark which had been dug out in a clearing but during one take, he landed with his pitchfork underneath his chest, cracking four of his ribs. Perhaps the most known of these accidents was during the climax when Ginny confuses Jason by wearing his mother’s jumper and pretending to be her. As Jason kneels down, Ginny raises a machete above her head and brings it down, only for Jason to realise just in time and knock the weapon to the ground with his axe. At one point, the blade of the machete struck Daskawisz’s hand and almost resulted in him losing a finger. Thankfully, thirteen stitches later he was back in front of the camera. Despite this, the producers were forced to bring Gillette back to shoot the scene where Jason is unmasked as the makeup appliance was designed to fit his face and body. This decision meant that Gillette would receive screen credit as Jason, even though he would only appear in one scene, while Daskawisz would be reduced to a mere stunt double credit.

Once the film was complete, it was submitted to the MPAA who, still embarrassed by allowing the first film to pass uncut, forced severe cuts on the filmmakers, which resulted in the final edit being rather neutered with regards to gore. In fact, it has often been considered by fans that the makers of Friday the 13th Part 2 intentionally filmed a bloodless sequel, though nothing could be further from the truth. If the footage still exists, as over time film can deteriorate, especially if it is not preserved well, then maybe one day Paramount will release an uncut version of the movie, though with their track record of so-called ’special editions’ this is highly doubtful. After all, it was only last month that they finally released Friday the 13th uncut, despite it being released in that form in the UK by Warner Bros. as early as 2003. 1981 saw countless slashers released, including The Prowler, My Bloody Valentine and Halloween 2, and Friday the 13th Part 2’s seemingly tame approach meant that many fans were unsatisfied with the result, despite an impressive box office performance. The producers knew that if the series was to continue they would need to find a new gimmick, something to make it stand out among its contemporaries. Finally, it was decided that Jason would have to go 3D.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Further reading -

CRYSTAL LAKE’S BLOOD LEGACY pt1. – Friday the 13th (1980)

FRIDAY THE 13TH
Director: Sean S. Cunningham
Writer: Victor Miller
Starring: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Jeannine Taylor, Robbi Morgan, Kevin Bacon, Harry Crosby
Producer: Sean S. Cunningham
Music: Harry Manfredini
Special Makeup Effects: Tom Savini

It is strange to think that before the hockey mask, before the merchandise, before the sequels and the imitators and the pop culture superstar that is Jason Voorhees, it all started with one film. In fact, before that there was just an idea – let’s rip-off Halloween. There was no desire to make art, or to challenge the audience in any way. Friday the 13th was created purely from a business standpoint, by a fledging producer who had enjoy one success story, only for it to be followed by a string of disappointing flops. The aim wasn’t to create an iconic movie monster or usher in a genre of low budget slashers, all he wanted to do was avoid bankruptcy and earn a small profit. He had seen one idea after another be squandered or abandoned and the horrible truth was slowly creeping upon him – perhaps the film industry wasn’t for him. But then Halloween was released and became a surprise success. This convinced him that if he could conceive a premise for a cheap horror film then he would be able to sell it and this would allow him to develop a television idea he had been considering. With this in mind, Friday the 13th was born.

Sean S. Cunningham was born on December 31, 1941, in New York City and had graduated from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania before attending studying a Drama and Film Master’s degree at Stanford University. Despite considering a life in medicine, he had strong aspirations of becoming a filmmaker and landed a job as a stage manager for a theatre company. Eventually progressing to industrial films and television commercials, Cunningham’s first job as a director was the self-financed sex-education feature The Art of Marriage, which he produced on a budget of $3,500. Earning a modest profit for his efforts, he hired out an office space in New York and raised $50,000 from family and friends for another adult film, a pseudo-documentary entitled Together, which he developed alongside his production partner Roger Murphy, who had previously worked as a cinematographer on Monterey Pop, a 1968 film that covered the Monterey International Pop Festival in California. Shooting in his home town of Westport, Connecticut, Together starred future adult actress Marilyn Chambers (who would later become familiar to horror fans from her performance in David Cronenberg’s 1977 Canadian shocker Rabid) and was intended to follow a similar style to his last feature.

When the editing process proved to be a challenge, Cunningham hired another wannabe filmmaker, Wes Craven. Having earned degrees in English and Psychology at Wheaton College in Illinois and Philosophy and Writing from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Craven had quit the profession to focus on breaking into the movie industry, a decision which had cost him his marriage. Having gained experience working in post-production, Craven had come to the attention of Cunningham, who was desperate to finish his film. Once completed, he took his product to Boston to meet with the owners of Esquire Theatres of America, a New England-based company that had recently expanded to film distribution, having acquired the rights to Mario Bava’s latest flick Reazione a catena, which they had renamed Twitch of the Death Nerve. The company was run by Stephen Minasian, Philip Scuderi and Robert Barsamian, who had created a division of Esquire, Hallmark Releasing Corporation, to focus on feature films. Suitably impressed with Together, they paid $10,000 for the distribution rights and offered Cunningham a further $50,000 to develop a low budget horror.

Craven was offered the chance to both write and direct and began loosely adapting Ingmar Berman’s 1960 Swedish classic Jungfrukällan (The Virgin Springs), which told of a trio of herders who rape and murder a girl, before unknowingly taking shelter in her family’s home, only to be brutally murdered by her parents upon discovering the truth. When Cunningham submitted Craven’s screenplay, Sex Crime of the Century, to Hallmark, Minasian and Scuderi enthusiastically allocated a further $40,000 to the production. Cunningham began to assemble a crew, which included a twenty-year old by the same of Stephen Miner, an art school graduate and ski bum who had moved back from California after travelling with a group of friends in a rock band and had decided to make a start in the industry. Principal photography commenced in Connecticut and New York between 2 October and 6 November 1971, eventually being released on 30 August 1972 under the alternative title, The Last House on the Left. The film proved to be a major success but both cast and crew would be heavily criticised for their involvement in such smut. David Hess, who had played the key antagonist, Krug, would become stereotyped as a sadistic villain, while both Cunningham and Craven would be considered one step up from pornographers.

Desperate to shake off the stigma, Cunningham and Miner attempted to explore different genres whilst Craven and his production partner, Peter Locke, went their own direction. Scuderi contacted Cunningham with the proposition of copying the success of the recent hit Bad News Bears by producing a family sports comedy and soon he had met the acquaintance of writer Victor Miller. The two would collaborate on Here Come the Tigers, as well as the similar Manny’s Orphans, who United Artists had expressed interest in transforming into a pilot for a TV series. But in late 1978, an independent thriller that had been made with a mere $320,000 was released and would take the industry by storm. Halloween had been the brainchild of Irwin Yablans, a producer who shared many of the same qualities as Cunningham. Directed and co-written by twenty-nine year old John Carpenter, a USC graduate whose previous effort, Assault on Precinct 13, had won him minor acclaim, Halloween boasted many elements that had appealed to audiences – startling cinematography, a creepy score and, more importantly, a menacing villain. Cunningham immediately contacted Miller and suggested that he watch the film to dissect its formula and find the winning ingredients.

Although initially hesitant about returning to the horror genre, Cunningham knew that if he could develop something similar then he would have a product that he could sell. The two began discussing the story that Miller could adapt into a script and found that there were several aspects of Halloween that could be reproduced – the strong heroine, the sexually promiscuous teenage victims and some prior evil that has cast a curse upon the town. Miller knew that the key element had to be an isolated setting where the kids would be out of reach of adult help and suggested a summer camp. He began developing his screenplay, entitled Long Night at Camp Blood, which would take two rewrites before Cunningham was satisfied enough to take to the investors. Knowing that Halloween’s success was partially down to its instantly gripping name, he eventually settled on Friday the 13th and published a full page ad in Variety that declared, “ The Most Terrifying Film Ever Made! Available December 1979.” His old friends at Esquire immediately contacted him expressing interest in his new project and offered to distribute it under their banner Georgetown Productions. Although they were impressed with the concept, they had reservations regarding Miller’s screenplay and commissioned Ron Kurz, a struggling author from New Hampshire, to work as an uncredited script doctor.

Cunningham calculated that he would need $500,000 to make the feature but the investors were only willing to offer $125,000. Unsure of how to proceed, he received a call from Scuderi who informed him that they were now willing to finance the entire budget but in return they wanted full control over the film. Cunningham refused and it seemed that the project was dead in the water until the following morning when he called Scuderi back to accept. By August 1979, Cunningham had a workable script and set out to scout for locations and a crew, whilst casting was handled by New York-based Barry Moss and Julie Hughes. After searching for a suitable summer camp in which they would be allowed to shoot a gory horror, Cunningham and Miner eventually settled on Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco, a New Jersey resort located between the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and the Kittatinny Ridge in the region of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York. The script focused on a group of teenage counselors who head up to Camp Crystal Lake in order to help prepare it for its grand re-opening, having been closed for over twenty years after a series of bizarre events. But, one-by-one, they are slaughtered until only one, the smart and resourceful Alice, remains. In a surprise twist, the killer is revealed to be Mrs. Voorhees, a middle-aged former employee of the camp whose young son, Jason, had drowned due to staff negligence back in 1957.

The cast was primarily made up of relatively inexperienced young actors. Twenty-one year old Kevin Bacon had studied at the Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York before landing his first film role in National Lampoon’s Animal House before finding himself waiting tables. Having moved in the same acting circles as fellow wannabe stars Mark Nelson and Jeannine Taylor, the three had auditioned for Friday the 13th and had won the roles of Jack, Ned and Marcie, respectively. For the role of Mrs. Voorhees, however, Cunningham knew that he needed a recognizable name – much like Halloween had done with Donald Pleasence – and so approached Estelle Parsons who had appeared in the 1968 classic Bonnie & Clyde. Having been rejected on the grounds of the script being too violent, the producer then contacted the agent of Betsy Palmer, a faded star of the 1950’s who had since been reduced to forgettable television roles. Despite hating the script, she needed to pay for repairs on her car and so agreed to ten days work for $10,000. Knowing that he lacked the visual style of Carpenter, Cunningham needed a hook that would get audiences talking and, after viewing George A. Romero’s zombie epic Dawn of the Dead, decided upon its makeup artist. Tom Savini was a Vietnam vet and had made an impression with his groundbreaking special effects work on several low budget horrors throughout the ’70’s and, along with his close friend and assistant, Taso Stavrakis, agreed to work on the movie.

Filming on Friday the 13th took place between 4 September and 3 October 1979 in Blairstown, New Jersey and was a relatively enjoyable experience for all involved. The beautiful location allowed for Cunningham, who had taken the role of director as well as producer, to give an immediate sense of danger, with his protagonists lost in the wilderness. Savini’s work proved to be the magic ingredient that Cunningham had hoped, producing one breathtaking set piece after another, with perhaps the most astonishing being reserved for Bacon’s demise. Commonly referred to as the ‘arrow-through-the-throat’ gag, which had been storyboarded by Miner in explicit detail, and was achieved by Bacon’s body being hidden under the bed and a dummy lying out in front of him. A neck cast was applied to give the impression that Jack was lying on the bed and then a spear was driven through his neck from underneath. Unfortunately, the tubing was blocked, forcing Stavrakis to blow down the other end, resulting in the blood spraying out like an artery. Savini’s other high point was the decapitation during the action-packed climax which saw Mrs. Voorhees being beheaded by Alice (Adrienne King) with a machete. This was a relatively simple effect, in which Stavrakis (who had doubled as the killer for the majority of the movie as his face is never seen) poses as the antagonist (with his head out of view) and a mold of Palmer’s head attached on top with tooth picks. When the machete is swung – by Savini, no less – the picks were snapped and the head was severed from its body.

Knowing that the film needed a proper ending, and that the success of Brian De Palma’s 1976 hit Carrie had relied on its ‘jump’ at the end, it was decided that the final scene would see Alice adrift peacefully on the lake the following morning as a soothing piano tune from was played by composer Harry Manfredini (whose work would also be a major factor in the movie’s success). Suddenly, the deformed body of Jason jumped out of the water and dragged her down below, only for her to awake in a hospital bed to discover that her drowning was only a dream. The producers had no idea that this brief appearance of Jason would become a catalyst for thirty years of cinematic bloodshed, as Jason Voorhees would go on to become one of the most recognizable faces in horror history. There has been much dispute as to who actually conceived the ending, as everyone from Savini, Cunningham, Miller and Miner all claimed at one point to have been the instigator, but there is certainly no denying the effect that it had on audiences. With the film now complete, Cunningham set out to find a distributor, eventually settling on Paramount Pictures (with Warner Bros. securing he international rights).

Friday the 13th was finally released on May 9 1980 and would go on to earn almost $40m, largely due to an excessive marketing campaign that Paramount had Frank Mancuso, Sr. had produced. Its success would be responsible for the glut of slasher films that would be released during the early ’80’s – many of whom featured a deranged killer slaughtering a group of teens on a significant date – and so followed such efforts as Prom Night, My Bloody Valentine, Graduation Day, Happy Birthday to Me and April Fool’s Day. The MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) had allowed the film through uncut, but when it became a hit they fell under pressure to enforce stricter regulations on censorship, resulting in many films that followed being severely edited prior to release. Many critics, most notably Roger Ebert and the late Gene Siskel on their weekly show Sneak Previews, expressed their distaste at the graphic nature of the movie and the slasher film, specifically Friday the 13th, fell foul of moral watchdogs and campaigners. Despite Paramount receiving major criticism for its involvement in such trash, once the box office figures began to roll in there was no question that there would be a sequel.

TO BE CONTINUED…

ARTICLE: Christian Sellers

Back in 1993, author William Pattison, under the pen name Eric Morse, wrote four Friday the 13th novels to tie-in with New Line Cinema’s recently released Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday. One of those stories, Mother’s Day, was adapted by independent filmmaker Cory Stevens, and now another one is currently in pre-production, to be directed by Jeff Wilson, whose previous work includes the Stab trilogy (fan made films based on the Scream spin-offs). Wilson discusses his love for Jason Voorhees and his upcoming project, Friday the 13th: Jason’s Curse…

When did your interest in Friday the 13th first begin and what was it about Jason Voorhees that appealed to you so much?
“My interest in the Friday movies first began in the early ‘90’s when my family got me into the movies and ever since then I have been addicted to them. I think the thing that appealed to me about Jason was the way he kills and the story in general.”

How did you first come across the Friday the 13th novels that Eric Morse wrote around the release of Jason Goes to Hell and what was it about Jason’s Curse that convinced you that you wanted to adapt it?
“I came across them at a Classic Bookstore in Austin, Texas a few years back. Jason’s Curse was the one that really jumped out because of the name and since it was the first one I purchased I decided to use it as a movie idea.”

When did you first develop a taste for filmmaking and what other projects have you worked on?
“I first developed my taste of filmmaking in 2004 when I got the chance to hang out on a movie set that was being filmed near my neighborhood. I have worked on some smaller movies and “Picture Shows” but this going to be the biggest project so far.”

Were you given Morse’s support before you started pre-production and has there been any kind of fan buzz?
“No. It’s pretty much been a low key production because were still in the script writing process.”

Have you seen the previous film to be based on an Eric Morse F13 novel, Mother’s Day, and how would you compare that to the one you plan to make?
“Yes I have. It’s hard to compare them at this point but they should be pretty close in style.”

Without the support or approval of the copyright holders Jason’s Curse will not be allowed a commercial release. What are your plans for the project and do you intend on approaching anyone affiliated with the Friday the 13th name?
“I won’t be making this one for commercial release, it will be a film to help get my name out there. If I get the chance then yes I will approach someone from the Friday the 13th films.”

What kind of budget are you hoping to shoot Jason’s Curse on and what kind of problems have you encountered at this stage?
“Its going to be a low budget, but not too low. It should look good with what I have to work with.”

How have you approached adapting the novel and are you worried about what kind of reaction you may receive from the hardcore Jason fans?
“I’m not really worried about what the hardcore Jason fans reactions will be because I am one of those hardcore fans and I am going to run off of what I would expect in a Jason movie.”

How do you plan to cast the movie? Will you be using drama students or professional actors and what kind of audition process will you hold?
“I am going to be using some people that I already know and will be putting notices in local papers for casting and I can’t really go too deep into the audition process but I will have everyone read a small portion of the script for the part they want and go from there.”

Will the film be graphic in terms of violence and nudity and will this satisfy the gore fans?
“I am hoping to have it graphic in terms of violence but not too graphic and I don’t want it to be too graphic in terms of nudity because original Friday movies weren’t very graphic nudity wise.”

When do you plan to start filming and how long are you expecting the shoot to last?
“I am hoping to start filming in mid to late 2010 and I am hoping to have it released or in the post production stages by early 2012.”

Why do you think the Friday the 13th franchise has remained so popular for so long and which of the previous films do you think has influenced your style and Jason’s Curse the most?
“That’s a really tough one but it’s a true classic horror movie and just like the Halloween movies there is always another part of the story to tell, and the story is never complete with another surprise in every movie.”

INTERVIEW: Christian Sellers

Like the filmmakers have been claiming for months, the new Friday the 13th flick (a remake of sorts) heavily references the first four movies, from its major plot points to individual scenes. Here’s a selection of homage highlights, but how many more did you pick up on?

- Mrs. Voorhees beheaded by a counselor on the shore of Crystal Lake (Friday the 13th)
- The legend of Crystal Lake is told around a camp fire (Friday the 13th Part 2)

- Whitney and Mike stumble upon Jason’s old shack (Friday the 13th Part 2)
- Mike finds Mrs. Voorhees’ decomposed head (Friday the 13th Part 2)
- Jason hides his features by wearing a sack over his head (Friday the 13th Part 2)
- Clay searching for his missing sister, presumed dead (Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter)

- Crystal Lake is condemned, forcing kids to party nearby (Friday the 13th Parts 2-5)
- Friends arrive at a summer house to party (Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter)
- Jason finds a hockey mask (Friday the 13th Part 3)

- A fight in a convenience store between Clay and Trent (Friday the 13th Part 3)
- Nolan is shot through the eye by an arrow (Friday the 13th)
- A curious cop is killed by Jason (Friday the 13th Part 2)
- Jason jumping through a window, grabbing hold of Clay (Friday the 13th Part 2)

- A wheelchair abandoned in Jason’s tunnel (Friday the 13th Part 2)
- Whitney, the ‘final girl,’ uses his love of his mother in order to subdue him (Friday the 13th Part 2)

- Jason jumps out of the lake and attacks Whitney and Clay (Friday the 13th)

REVIEW: Christian Sellers

Thanks to Michael Moore, Metal: A Headbangers Journey and Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film, the documentary is no longer something that is reduced to a DVD featurette and has now become a movie in its own right. The one movie that gorehounds have been counting down the days for is His Name Was Jason: Thirty Years of Friday the 13th, a retrospective of the most successful horror franchise of all time. It seems that the filmmakers got everyone in on the act – writers, producers, directors, stars, FX artists, extras and even fans – to reminisce on their memories and thoughts of Jason’s three decade-long killing spree, which would take him from the legendary Crystal Lake to New York, Hell, space and back again.

Let’s cut to the chase – this is a fanboy’s wet dream. Viewers are not only treated to interviews with the cast and crew of each movie, but the filmmakers also treat us to location visits, achieve footage, uncut death scenes (despite the MPAA refusing to release the Paramount sequels as they were intended) and much more. So those who have never seen Jason’s face slide down the machete at the end of The Final Chapter or Tina’s empty eye sockets in A New Beginning will finally get to see Jason handiwork in all its blood-soaked glory. It’s basically a visual companion to Peter Bracke’s excellent book Crystal Lake Memories, which of course is no bad thing.

The structure of His Name Was Jason helps to make the feature more digestible, with the first ten or so minutes giving a brief overview of the franchise and each movie before literally being split into chapters of sorts – first they explore the character of Jason, before discussing what makes a Friday the 13th movie, the inventive kills, the make-up itself, the victims, Jason’s place in popular culture and the future of the franchise. So after fans are given a brief reminder of the events of the previous eleven movies, we are then taken on a ninety minute journey through Camp Crystal Lake’s bloody legacy.

As with anything, there are a flew flaws, though these are minor. As many of the filmmakers had already discussed this series in various documentaries and books they have almost created a script that they recite each time (the best example of this is Sean S. Cunningham, whose recollections are reused almost word for word each time he is asked to discuss the series), though for those who have never read up on the franchise before then they will find what he has to say very interesting. Unfortunately, due to copyright issues, there are a few elements that do not make it into the film, most notably Alice Cooper’s hit single He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask), which was released to coincide with the success of Jason Lives. It would have been a nice little extra for the fans but, again, this is only a minor criticism.

But what is right with the documentary more than makes up for it, as director Dan Farrands (whose previous slasher experience was scripting the 1994 movie Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers) and writers Anthony Masi and Thommy Hutson’s love for the project clearly shows with the level of detail that each interviewee gives when recounting their memories of their involvement in the series. And the list of horror celebrities that appear in the film is also impressive. So not only are fans treated to the likes of Kane Hodder, Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Larry Zerner, John Carl Buechler and Todd Farmer, but the feature itself is narrated by none other than Tom Savini, the man responsible for Jason’s original look in the first movie. Others on hand to show their love include directors Adam (Hatchet) Green, Joe (Wrong Turn 2: Dead End) Lynch and Bloody Disgusting editor Brad Miska. Though it is a shame that Corey (The Final Chapter) Feldman and Robert (Freddy vs. Jason) Englund are absent as it would have been fun to have heard their thoughts as well.

What makes this little package even more exciting is that it comes in a well presented ‘2 Disc Splatter Edition,’ with a bonus disc full of juicy goodies. There are additional interviews with the writers and directors, a Men Behind the Mask featurette that focuses on the actors who have played Jason, The Camp Crystal Lake Survival Guide and loads more. Unfortunately it doesn’t come with a booklet but there is a nice fold-out poster of the front cover (it would have been nice to have seen Jason Craig and Thomas Mason’s poster that they had drawn for the release – now used as our profile picture – but the artwork is still impressive). That said, His Name was Jason is the ultimate retrospective of this ground breaking series and a must for Jason fans everywhere. Order your copy now from the likes of Amazon, as the DVD will be receiving a region 1 release on the 3rd of February.

For further reading check out our interviews with Anthony Masi and Thommy Hutson.

HIS NAME WAS JASON: THIRTY YEARS OF FRIDAY THE 13TH (2-Disc Splatter Edition DVD Cover)

ADRIENNE KING showcases her artwork

ANTHONY MASI, ROBBI MORGAN and DANIEL FERRANDS

RUSSELL TODD

PETER BRACKE

FX Shot from FRIDAY THE 13TH PART II

GLORIA CHARLES (Fox; Friday the 13th Part 3)

DARCY DEMOSS (Nikki; Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives)

How did a Black Christmas and two Halloween documentaries prepare you to tackle the Friday the 13th legacy?
“HALLOWEEN: 25 YEARS OF TERROR was my training ground. From a creative perspective I learned so much about how to present information that spans 25 years. From a business perspective, I learned about licensing, how ego plays a big part in the Hollywood game, and so much more. I didn’t go to film school but that project certainly felt like a great substitution! The second documentary, “THE SHAPE OF HORROR” was a 15-minute theatrical promo that screened before the original HALLOWEEN when it was released in 2006. I directed that, and am quite proud of it. These projects definitely primed me for HIS NAME WAS JASON: 30 YEARS OF FRIDAY THE 13th. Most of all, I learned what NOT to do in the production, and those things are sometimes more valuable than what TO do. Anchor Bay gave us exactly 13 weeks to get the production shot and delivered, and to say that it was challenging would be an understatement! Producing H25 definitely gave me the experience to keep my head together, and fortunately I was working with a very skilled and dedicated team of people.”

What is it about slasher movies that you find so appealing, and what kind of reaction did you when you explained your project to those who were not fans of the series?
“That’s kind of like asking me why I like fast food! It’s just part of our culture, and I grew up on horror movies. You can’t really avoid them because horror movies never go out of style, and when I was a kid I was captivated by every single horror movie I saw. I had no judgment and nothing was “bad” in my opinion when I was a child. So I’ve carried that love of horror movies into adulthood and I can always appreciate a horror movie, simply because it IS a horror movie. My love for Friday the 13th made it very easy to pitch “HIS NAME WAS JASON”. The folks at Anchor Bay have the same appreciation for these films, so it wasn’t difficult at all for them to “get” the retrospective idea. By the way, the DVD comes out on Feb 3rd, and Starz is airing it on Feb 13th, the day the new movie is released.”



How do you even begin to tackle such a project – having to gather together so many people who once appeared in a movie twenty-plus years ago and then have them reminisce about them? Did you find that, after already discussing their experiences in two recent books (Crystal Lake Memories, Making Friday the 13th), they were any less enthusiastic?
“The interviewees were very enthusiastic! You have to picture it… we did the bulk of the interviews at a soundstage in Burbank over a 10-day period. That’s 10 non-stop 8-10 hour days where every hour on the hour a Friday the 13th actor or crew member walked through the door. I pretty much saw my childhood flashing before me over those 10 days, and the actors coming in were bumping into each other after not seeing each other for many years, and so there was tremendous excitement to be there, and everyone recognized that this was the first epic documentary on the ENTIRE franchise. When we started “HIS NAME WAS JASON”, we only had three months to work with to get it filmed and completed, so I just told everyone we had a month of pre-production, a month to film, and a month of post-production. I have to be honest and say that I was met with tremendous resistance from a few people on the crew who respectfully told me that I was nuts! Even though I agreed with them to a certain extent I told them to have faith and just go with it. I can’t say enough about the talented production crew, everyone from Vanessa our make-up professional, to Monica our editor, to Blake our co-producer, to Thommy, my writing/producing partner in crime, and everyone else in between, we pulled off a huge amount of work in a very short amount of time, and to say I’m proud of this documentary is only a fraction of how I feel about it!”

Why make a documentary about Friday the 13th? What is about this particular series that made you want to study it?
“I made this documentary for one reason: Everyone in the world knows who Jason is! You show a hockey mask to anyone and they’ll say something about Jason. That’s why. He’s iconic. The film series is going strong three decades after the first movie was made, that’s more than enough reason to stop and take a look back on all of the films that came before!”

What kind of structure will the documentary follow? Will it follow the franchise through each film chronologically, will fans get to see deleted footage (such as the infamous alternative ending from Part 3 or The New Blood’s graphic murder scenes) and will there be much behind-the-scenes footage?
“We do not go chronologically. We did that in H25 and personally I wanted this project to have a different feel so I suggested that we address “topics” or “chapters”… we summarize the storylines of all the movies in the first 10 minutes just to get everyone up to speed, and then from there we delve into Jason’s history, what ingredients are needed for a successful Friday the 13th movie, we get to see Jason’s “greatest hits” – a compilation of Jason’s best kills with actors and crew members describing how they were done, etc. The actors who played Jason get their own chapter, the final girls get their own as well, and we even cover topics such as how Jason penetrated pop culture, and we explore the ambiguities and inconsistencies that riddle the series. The new movie gets the spotlight as well, and it’s all hosted by Tom Savini who appears between the segments to lead us out of one topic and into another. Tom was a total pro, and I was honored to meet and with with him. As all of this is happening, fans will be treated to never-before-seen photos and rare footage, and will probably have to watch it a few times to absorb the slew of information we’re crunching into 90 minutes!”

Throughout the years there have been various debates with regards to the movies (who really played Jason vor the majority of Part 2, who thought of giving Jason the hockey mask). Will any of these mysterious finally be unearthed?
“Yes, all of this is addressed in both the feature documentary as well as in the bonus features that will be on the DVD. Lots of questions will be answered, and lots of “stuff you never knew” will be bestowed on the unexpecting viewer!”

Did you find that your work on Halloween: 25 Years of Terror lent you a certain ammount of credibility as you tried to develop this project?
“Yes, H25 opened a very big door for me and I am very lucky and privileged and thankful to have produced/written that project. It definitely was influential to the birth of HIS NAME WAS JASON.”



What kind of special features will be in store for the fans? There are so many lost treats that should be re-discovered, such as Alice Cooper’s music video for Part VI, or Jason’s appearance on Arsenio Hall’s chat show. What are you hoping to include in the package?
“We tried to include Cooper’s video but the licensing *cough cough* made it impossible. We do include the Arsenio clip as well as a bunch of others in the feature documentary, and our bonus features include extended interviews, on-location Friday the 13th tours with actors and crew members, fan films, spoofs, and other goodies. This is a DVD package that will take a lot of time getting through!”

It was recently revealed that your documentary will be released on DVD the same day as the long-anticipated 3D release of Friday the 13th Part 3. Are you concerned that this could take away some of the attention from your own feature, or do you think this will just increase the interest in all things Jason?
“I don’t feel any competition at all. This is the only retrospective documentary on the entire franchise that celebrates a landmark anniversary with close to 90 interviewees… I would have to believe that any Friday fan would want to see this! Personally, I’m running out to get the 3D release myself, and if I didn’t produce “HIS NAME WAS JASON” and saw it sitting on the shelf next to the 3D movie, you’d have to physically throw me out of the store to prevent me from buying it! Hopefully other fans will feel the same way.”

There are so many iconic franchises left to explore (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Child’s Play, Hellraiser, etc.), what plans do you have for the future?
“My good friend Rob Galluzzo is directing the definitive documentary on the PSCYHO series called “THE PSYCHO LEGACY”, and I am producing the project. Rob’s vision is also epic, and the project will satisfy anyone who wants to know anything about the PSCYHO films. I am also embarking on another project for the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET series. I can’t say much about it but hey, it won’t be difficult for anyone to deduce what’s what after looking at my track record! I am also very excited about a trilogy I’m producing called PRANK, a horror anthology series directed by scream queens. Check it out at PrankMovie.com!”

THOMMY HUTSON (co-writer/producer: HIS NAME WAS JASON: 30 YEARS OF FRIDAY THE 13TH)

INTERVIEW: Christian Sellers

When did your love of Friday the 13th begin and which movie in particular sparked your interest?
“Though I was too young to see most of the Friday films in theatres, I vividly remember sneaking in to see Friday the 13th Part 7 with two friends after school. We were covering our eyes, screaming, laughing…it was such a blast and such a great memory. From there I had to see the rest of them, but I can say that part 7 is still my favorite. I guess my love of Friday the 13th actually started because of a girl…with telekinetic abilities!”

What is it about Jason Voorhees that has kept the franchise so popular for so long, and how would you compare him to the other main pop culture monsters (Freddy Krueger, Pinhead, Chucky, etc.)?
“I think that it’s popular because the movies always offer something familiar, something new…things that fans feel they have to come out and see. They are, in a way, almost like the old serial films. Jason Voorhees will just keep coming back and, if you’re a fan, don’t you just have to see how, and what he is going to do next? I’d say the films offer a little bit of something for everyone: scares, makeup effects, creativity, a hero, a villain…and no matter what a fan thinks of each film they are really escapist entertainment and fun.

As for Jason in comparison to the other movie villains, it seems that they each have a little something that sets them apart, whether it’s the way their story is told or the the way the character is portrayed. All the great movie monsters, even going back to the days of Universal’s Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolf Man and The Mummy, are unique in their own way. They all offer some sort of style, strength and terror that works for the viewer. Some are more psychological, more evil, more sympathetic. I think that is why Jason, Freddy, Michael Myers, Leatherface and Chucky have worked for so long. Aside from a formula, they each have their fans clamoring to see more.”

How do you feel the movies and, more importantly, the character of Jason have evolved through the years?
“I think that as time has gone on a few things have happened. The first being that the films became less and less scary and more of a roller coaster ride. Of course, each film has its scary moments and jumps, but if you look at parts 1 and 2, I think those were definitely very scary, edge of your seat films. There wasn’t any real intentional humor back then, other than some antics by the characters; antics that fit within the story. Other than that, it was regular kids being murdered one by one. The second thing is that Jason, the character, became less a scary, “race after you and kill you” character and more of the commodity. Instead of staying in the shadows and being that scary thing that is lurking around the corner, he came out into the spotlight to be showcased. But, what else can be done after so many movies and so many iterations of the theme. It’s what audiences wanted and they certainly got that in all it’s crazy, bloody fun!”

How did you become involved with His Name Was Jason, and was it your intention for the release to coincide with the reinvention of the franchise?
“It was over a dinner to discuss other potential projects with Anthony Masi and Daniel Farrands. The idea of a documentary had been kicked around by them for a number of years and it was brought up again. When we discussed it at length, I was immediately enthusiastic. From there things really started to snowball and it happened very quickly (as many a good project often does!). In terms of its release coinciding with the new film, that was something that was in the back of our minds since interest would be high, but it wasn’t something that was a definitive plan, though we certainly saw the merits in it. We had hoped it could work within that timeframe in some way and it just ended up that Anchor Bay felt it was the right time.”

Was it difficult to find funding and support for your feature, and did you find most people eager to take part?
“Finding funding for any project is never an easy thing, even for something on a franchise as well known as Friday the 13th. But, with Anthony having produced Halloween: 25 Years Of Terror for Anchor Bay, that certainly helped immensely. He was instrumental in making the deal happen through his previous relationship with them. They also saw what we saw: a great project on a series that has really stood the test of time! And the support we have received from every person asked has been tremendous. Truly invaluable.”

Did you find that some of those that contributed interviews were bitter or disappointed by their involvement in the franchise, as many had tried to distance themselves from it over the years?
“Luckily for us, we never really felt that from anyone. Everyone was eager to come in, lend their talents, tell their stories, share with us items we could use…it was truly incredible and felt great to be part of something that so many people involved with the series truly hold dear and remember fondly. It was a real treat to watch and listen to the cast and crew speak of their time in the films. Even better was when Dan (our director), who is a fountain of knowledge on the series, would bring things up that a cast or crew member might have forgotten…the look on their faces was great. It was easy to tell they had a good time thinking back. It was also nice to have been the ones to bring some cast together who hadn’t seen each other in a long time!”

Apparently Tom Savini will be hosting the documentary. What can you reveal of this and will there be any treats in store for the fans?
“I first have to say how thrilling it was to work with Tom on this. His involvement in the franchise is so seminal, having created — and “destroyed” — Jason. In writing things, Anthony and I never wanted anything to be cookie cutter, so we tried hard to come up with things for Tom to say or do that were not only fun, interesting and organic to the documentary, but also that would be an homage to the Friday films themselves. And Tom is such a pro, so able to draw you in when he speaks on the subject of the films. And, he is terrifically funny which added so much to what we had hoped to achieve in his segments. Also, we were so lucky to have been able to film the segments with Tom at the Friday the 13th maze at Universal Studios Hollywood. It was a very memorable time on set to say the least!”

What kind of release are you hoping for with His Name Was Jason, theatrical or straight-to-DVD, and will you be showing it at any conventions or festivals beforehand?
“It will be a DVD and television release. It’s also going to premiere at the Denver Film Festival on November 14th and 15th…it will really be a treat to see it on the big screen with a crowd of fans!”

When can fans expect for the feature to be released, and do you have a special edition lined up for DVD?
“It will be released on DVD February 3, 2009 by Anchor Bay and will also premiere on Starz Friday, February 13, 2009. The DVD will have a tong of great bonus features that are really fun and informative.”

What are your plans beyond His Name Was Jason? Will there be any other iconic movies you intend to focus on?
“My writing partner and I just finished writing an exciting supernatural adventure film based on a character created by Robert E. Howard for producer Denise Di Novi and the company that owns the Howard properties, Paradox Entertainment. We have a few things in development with some great genre talent and are making the rounds with a non-horror, coming of age adventure. Other than that, it’s taking meetings and writing, writing, writing. In addition, Anthony Masi and I are in production on PRANK, an anthology film franchise with segments in the first film directed by Heather Langenkamp, Danielle Harris and Ellie Cornell. As for other iconic films that might be getting a definitive retrospective from us, yes, I have my eyes set on a few. I don’t want to say too much — you never know what will happen — but one would definitely be a “dream” come true!”

How much did you about the FRIDAY THE 13TH movies when you were offered the part of Vera in PART 3? Which character did you initially audition for and how did you feel about slasher movies and horror in general at that time?

“I auditioned for the part of Vera and because I was new to Los Angeles at the time I knew nothing of the previous Fridays.”

What was it about your character that interested you the most and did she remind you of any character in particular from the previous films? Do you wish you could have played the part of Chris or were you happy with your part?
“I had been in Los Angeles only 6 months and I was happy to working mostly. Friday was one of my first screen credits. Ireally enjoyed my character and when I watch it now it seems very real to me.”

What was your opinion on the script when you first read it and were you apprehensive about working with not only prosthetics but also 3-D?
“I was excited to learn something new. The prosthetics were a lot of fun. The script read easily for me.”

What kind of preparations did you and the other actors do before filming commenced? Did you spend much time together before the shoot so your friendships were convincing?
“Not so much before, but during the filming we really got to know one another and had a real blast! With this film there was lot of time during the scenes to prepare and Steve Miner gave us excellent direction.”

How challenging was it to film your death scene, particularly with the 3-D effects? How was the effect achieved and how long did it take to film?
“We had to shoot that particular scene in one take because the prosthetics would be ruined once I hit the water. The water was freezing!”

How did it feel to be the first victim to be killed on-screen by the new and improved Jason Voorhees? How menacing did you find Richard Brooker once he wore the mask and do you feel that the franchise would have lasted as long as it has without it?
“I remember having a really nice conversation with Richard and was sympathetic to how uncomfortable his mask was especially during the warmer months. He was very charming. When a film has an icon that people can identify with I believe it helps a lot. I’m grateful that the mask has caught on with the other Friday’s as well.”

Have you watched any of the FRIDAY THE 13TH movies since PART 3 and how do you feel about the way in which the series has progressed?
“I never imagined that it would, we were told by everyone that Part III would be the final series.”

How has FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3 played a part in your life over the twenty-plus years and are you proud of your place in the series’ history?
“I am very proud to be a part of something that has lasted so long. I believe this film has one of the longest running series in film history. I travel all over the country signing autographs at conventions honoring the cast members. I am very happy to be able to meet so many fans. It has been a wonderful experience.”

Were you already familiar with the previous two films before accepting the part, and were you a fan of those types of horror films?
“That’s another funny story: When I came back for my second interview with the producer and director, they asked me if I’d seen the first Friday the 13th or Part II; I was honest with them and told them that I hadn’t seen either and that horror films weren’t really my ‘thing’ (my film tastes run more toward drama ). They looked at each other with that kind of ‘just our luck, this guy doesn’t even know about our films’ expression; but truthfully, I think they were, if not impressed, certainly okay with that fact because at that point they knew I was honest (which was consistent with the character) and that I wasn’t trying to patronize them to ‘get the part’.”

What was your opinion on the script when you first read it? Were you pleased with your character and were there any aspects which you were uncomfortable with for whatever reason?
“Well, to put this into its proper context, I was so thrilled just to be hired on this film that I didn’t concern myself with too much thought about whether I liked the script or not. There was nothing that was uncomfortable for me; I did wish they hadn’t cut out the scene where Dana and I run across the old guy on our way back from our trip out to the lake (after the car battery died); but that’s just because no actor wants any of his scenes to end up on the editing room floor. I thought my character was perfect – he had a playful side to him, yet he wanted to reach ‘Chris’ emotionally (ok, considering the hayloft scene, physically too); I also enjoyed the fact that he wasn’t part of the group that came up with Chris so it gave him some separation and his own identity apart from all the goofballs (sorry Larry!).”

Were you hesitant about appearing in the third of such a despised series, as many critics seemed to have a strong hatred towards FRIDAY THE 13TH?
“Initially, the film wasn’t titled Friday the 13th – they were keeping it a secret – I believe because they were considering doing the film non-union. I wish I could remember what the working title was – maybe I still have the original script with the title on it (or check with Peter Bracke – he knows everything about the F13 series). I didn’t give the critics’ opinion one second of thought – they just like to bash films that don’t cater to the particular taste or genre that they enjoy. It’s a known fact that many “B” movies make the “A” money for the studios and critics never acknowledge that fact or that movies geared toward teens aren’t made for them (the critics). I think what many people don’t appreciate about horror films in general is that they’re simply entertainment for people who enjoy that type of movie – nothing more and nothing less. Some films are written to communicate a message or to make some social statement, but the vast majority are made to entertain. It’s no different than saying something derogatory about reading murder mysteries or watching the Hannibel Lector movies. Now to the quality of the plot or the acting in horror films, no one is claiming exalted artistic mastery with these films or that horror films should be compared to Academy Award contenders. It’s similar to comparing quality TV shows (Law and Order, etc.) with reality TV shows – they all have their niche market, their own demographics.”

How was it having to work with the 3-D effects? What kind of problems did it cause during filming and do you think your performance suffered at all due to this?
“I don’t know if ‘problems’ would be the best way to describe the issues surrounding the making of F13 – Part 3; I think a better word would be ‘challenges’ and yes, there were some for sure. We had to take more time in the setups for each shot because the technology was utilizing a dual-lens system for the 3D effects, so I think that created more issues. Also, with the idea to exploit the 3D effect with various scenes demanded careful filming and more takes than usual to maximize the 3D effects. Another thing that was utilized on this film was a special type of remote operated crane called a Nooma crane which allowed for creative and interesting angles; however, it too demanded more time and special expertise for those technicians operating it AND combining that with what I mentioned above regarding the 3D technology challenges, there were some difficult days. Once, the crane structure/dolly collapsed and it was miraculous that no one was injured or killed. One weekend a swarm of bees roosted on the set which required professionals to come out and smoke them out of the cabin which delayed filming for a day or two. We had extreme weather swings from very hot to freezing cold days.”

Were there any scenes of graphic violence or nudity that were cut during filming? What about the two endings that were reportedly filmed – one where Chris is decapitated and one where she cuts Jason’s stomach open, spilling his guts – had the filmmakers had their way would FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3 been a lot more graphic?
“I’m unaware of either of those two possible alternate endings. As far as scenes that were more sexually or violently graphic, I have no idea – I do know that Dana and I did not film anything of that nature. I imagine that because it was a ’slasher film’ the first edit was probably more violently graphic and the editors then toned it down to get the “R” rating, – that’s probably always the case in movies of that type.”

When Richard Brooker wore the hockey mask for the first time, what kind of response did he get from everyone on set? Did anyone feel at the time that they were witnessing something very special?
“I don’t think any of us had any idea of the historical significance of the now-famous hockey mask and the icon it would become (nobody ever does while something’s in the process of happening, right?). I do recall there being excitement on the set over the fact that Jason now looked much more menacing with the mask. And then of course there’s the fact that we didn’t even know that there would be a Part 4.”

How do you feel about your death scene, where your eyeballs fly out at the audience? Were you disappointed that a dummy was used instead or would you rather have filmed a death where you could have had prosthetics applied (such as Catherine Parks’ or Larry Zerner’s)?
“No, I loved the idea that the dummy was used – it was the most fascinating process. Two months prior to starting the filming, I went to a special effects lab where they encased my upper torso and head in plaster to create a realistic, life-size manikin of my upper body and head. The night we filmed that scene, it was three in the morning, dark, cold and perfect for filming when the special effects technicians wheeled my manikin out and it was so spooky for me to look at this incredibly realistic model of myself with all the makeup and hair and everything so accurate. The head was made of a special silicon material which allowed the skull to be crushed again and again while they filmed multiple takes; the eyeball was on a monofilament line that was attached to the lens dead center so that it was not visible on the film as the eye came out – it was all very cool!”

What was it like seeing the movie in 3-D? Was it as good as you had hoped? Most fans have only seen the film on VHS and DVD, where the 3-D effects were absent. How well do you think the film has aged without the 3-D effects, or do you think this takes away from the overall experience?
“The first time I saw the finished film in 3D (they screened it for the cast) I was blown away by the entire film – everything about it was awesome: it was suspenseful, scary, gory enough to get your attention and then the 3D effects were off the charts. The first time the 3D is revealed is in the credits which come out off the screen in stages so that the audience is taken totally by surprise and it immediately captures the audience along with the opening musical score. Not long ago I went to a horror film festival up in LA where the film was screened using its original 3D print and it was just awesome again! I encourage all the F13 fans to try to see it sometime in a theatre in 3D – it is so much fun and so many of the deaths in the film are enhanced with the 3D effects that the film takes on a new dimension in horror .”

What kind of effect did FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3 have on your life? You left acting to become a chiropractor for many years, during this time did you try to distance yourself from the movie, and have you attended many conventions over the years?
“Well, on one level I can divide my life by the Before F13 and After F13 – it was a watershed event in my life that is still with me 25 years after the fact. I have always been proud of my involvement in F13 – Part 3 and have never attempted to distance myself from it or the incredibly passionate F13 fans that have followed it over all these years as well as the fans discovering it more recently. I have attended only a couple of conventions, mainly due to time commitments but sometimes because the people who organize events don’t always have their act together so I’m reluctant to invest my time or money on events that seem somewhat ’sketchy’.”

Have you followed the franchise over the years, especially with Jason Voorhees becoming such a pop culture icon? Did you ever wish that your character had survived so you could have returned for the forth film? Which, out of the sequels that followed, did you enjoy the most and why?
“I haven’t really followed the franchise other than what comes across my radar regarding Part 3. Of course I would have love to have been involved in subsequent installments, but then again, I had one of the best deaths in the franchise. I haven’t seen any other F13’s (can you believe that!).”

How did you win the part of Stan in FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 6: JASON LIVES? Are you a fan of horror movies and were you familiar with the previous films in the series?

“I don’t recall the audition specifically but I remember that it was kind of loose and that we all laughed a lot about the fun it would be to make it. I must confess that I have never been a big horror fan although I really loved the old Hammer Films with Christopher Lee. My younger brother never missed a horror flick however, and the creepier and bloodier they were the better he liked them.”

Your scene is one of the more comical moments in the movie, as Jason stalks a group of office clerks out in the woods playing paintball. What kind of advice did Tom McLoughlin give you on how to play the character and how much intentional humour did he want in the movie?
“Tom was a new director at the time and I think I recall that he wrote the script as well as a path into directing. A very nice guy he gave us a lot of room to work and basically the dialogue in our scenes were improvised on the location in rural Georgia.”

How much gore was cut from that scene as the MPAA was especially harsh with the movie? Was there any cuts made to your death?
“Much of our death was removed in the edit. Initially, we were to be part of a ‘triple-header.’ Jason drops from the tree and with one slice of the machete decapitates all three of us. They built a clever rig that would cause our headless ‘bodies’ to drop followed by our three heads a second later– a bit too grim for the censors I suppose. We all went through a rigorous special effects routine where they cast our heads and hands in latex – very elaborate work involving having our entire faces covered with liquid latex to make the mould – they even shot close-up stills of our eyes to get a perfect match. Individual hairs were inserted again for a perfect match. The heads were very realistic and more than a little creepy. I had young children at the time and declined the offer of the head when the shoot was over for fear of having my son open the closet one day only to find his disembodied Dad’s head and bloody stump.”

Your scene was the only part of the movie that C.J. Graham did not play Jason on. How was Dan Bradley like to work with and how would you compare his and Graham’s performances?
“Never saw any of the other movies in the series. ‘Jason’ was only on the set that day for the ‘triple header’ shot so we barely spent much time together.”

Having also appeared in FREDDY’S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE and PUPPET MASTER 3: TOULON’S REVENGE, how would you compare FRIDAY THE 13TH to the other franchises you have worked on? What do you think it is about these movies that makes their appeal last so long?
“I had a good time on all three. Much more laughter than you might expect. Making horror films is much like making any other movie and the experience is, as in most efforts, highly dependant on the people you are lucky enough to work with. I have no idea why there is such a following – probably fertile material there for a master’s thesis for some budding sociologist.”

Over twenty years later, what kind of memories do you have of working on the feature and do you think the movie is still entertaining?
“I have never actually seen the whole film start to finish. Perhaps one day I should trek on down to the video store and see if they have a dusty old copy somewhere in the crypt.”

What led to your involvement in JASON X and how did you prepare for the role?
“It was just another audition to be honest. I booked it and jumped in with two feet. Preparation? It’s FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 10. Can you run fast? Can you scream? Good enough. Preparation done.”

The original script was much darker than the finished movie. How different was your character in the first draft to the one that you portrayed?
“It was a smaller role in the beginning. After a couple of re-writes and some other character changes the role increased along with the dialogue. The character was always a smart ass/genius but by the end of the final draft there was fortunately more of him in the movie.”

How did it feel to be working with such a sexy, young cast and who did you gel with the most on set?
“Well I won’t argue that the other cast members were easy on the eyes. I have never fallen into the category of sexy. Everyone got along pretty well and there were lots of laughs everyday. I guess you really can’t ask for more when you are working with the same people for 14 hours a day. I really can’t say who I got along with best, but did leave the film without any enemies.”

Were you fan of the FRIDAY THE 13TH movies before you were offered a part in the tenth movie and how confident were you that a sci-fi Jason movie would work?
“I had only seen the first one with Kevin Bacon. After talking with James (the director) it was a no brainer. He knew what he wanted to accomplish and had the right attitude in my book to attain it. Finding out that Toy Box was going to be involved with the CGI and visual effects made me feel like we were in good hands.”

Looking back on JASON X, how enjoyable was the shoot, do you regret your involvement and how well do you think the movie turned out?
“JASON X was a great experience for me at that time in my career. I still talk to some of the original cast to this day. I certainly do not regret working on it. You can’t take these movies too seriously, they are strictly for entertainment. It’s eye candy and cool deaths. Everyone involved in the movie realized this and just tried to make a fun horror movie that people would enjoy and at the same time not piss off the die hard FRIDAY THE 13TH fans. As far as how it turned out? I was just happy it made it into theaters, the rest is gravy.”

What made you decide to write two FRIDAY THE 13TH novels and where did the ideas for JASON X–PLANET OF THE BEAST and JASON X–TO THE THIRD POWER come from? Had you already seen the movie and what was it about it that made you want to continue the story?
“I liked the movie JASON X quite a bit. It took Jason to a new realm, which hasn’t really happened with Freddie and Michael. I was kind of hoping there would be another Jason in Space film. PLANET OF THE BEAST (3 in the book series) came about because the idea was to write about Jason in space and, of course, the previous book 2 had set up some parameters for that which I had to work with. First and foremost, I needed to bring Jason back to life in a way that made sense. Because he was now somewhat bionic, it also made sense that he could survive on something like Planet 666 despite the harsh atmosphere. And it also made sense that some maniac scientist would have the audacity to think he could exploit this uber Jason and become the ruler of the universe–Fame and Fortune through Madness! I desperately wanted to write book 4 but it had already been commissioned to someone else so I asked for book 5 and in order to come up with a proposal for 5, I had to read the proposal for 4. Much to my horror, the character that I’d worked so hard to save in 3 was destroyed almost immediately in book 4. I was outraged! I couldn’t let this happen! I had plans for her! I’d intended on a big showdown between her and Jason anyway, so I took what the 4 writer had done and manipulated it so that my character did, in fact, survive that black hole. Through her survival came the plot for TO THE THIRD POWER. Again, I had to use the parameters that had been set up in book 4 about Jason, which were pretty damned weird. It’s hard enough to bring back the dead, especially given the state Jason was in in 4, but I think I managed it pretty well.”

Is Jason Voorhees an interesting character to write about and what were the highs and lows of adapting a slasher franchise into a book?
“The highs were that I got to write about Jason, which is a film series I’ve loved from the get-go and have followed religiously. The series has been fun and scary and icky and strange and tragic. I feel so privileged to have gotten the chance to contribute to the Jason legacy. I don’t think there were any lows. One difficulty was that Jason doesn’t speak and seems to have no emotion but maybe only one emotion, rage, although we don’t know that for sure. Especially the Space Age Jason in the novels is more machine-like, unstoppable. In fiction, unlike in film which is all visuals and dialogue, you usually give some insight into a character. But with Jason that’s not really possible. I did have one brief sentence near the end of PLANET OF THE BEAST and in that Jason might have an emotion. Or not. Subject to interpretation.”

Out of the two novels that you wrote for the series, which would you say was the most enjoyable to write and why? How long did it take to develop each story?
“I don’t think one was more enjoyable than the other to write, but I will say I had to stretch more with TO THE THIRD POWER because of the constraints I felt with book 4 in terms of how Jason is perceived and how he ends up, and also because of the destruction of my character who I wanted to re-use in another book. I had to go a different way. Developing the ideas for each took maybe a week, once I’d read what had come before so I could see where my books could fit into the series. Writing the books is another story.”

Would you ever contemplate writing a FRIDAY THE 13TH movie and if so how do you think the film would vary to the previous ones?
“I’d love to write a FRIDAY THE 13TH movie! (Are the producers reading this???) In fact, I was sad that the book series ended because I had a GREAT idea for book 6 and where Jason would go from 5, and it would make a dynamite movie, within the Jason X theme of him being in space. Actually, I think the four original books in the series would all make good films (the first book was a novelization of the film JASON X). But apart from space, I know I could do an intriguing FRIDAY THE 13TH script of Jason on planet Earth. He’s already been in a number of situations but there are plenty of others that would be innovative yet keep to the tone of the films and the legend of the one and only Jason Voorhees.”

How did you become involved with JASON GOES TO HELL: THE FINAL FRIDAY, and how did you come to share the writing credit with Jay Huguely?
“I was under contract to Sean Cunningham at the time and was working on my own movie (MY BOYFRIEND’S BACK) when Sean asked me to take a pass through the JGTH screenplay that Jay Huguely had written, based on an outline by Adam Marcus. It was a very last minute thing. I think he told me on a Thursday that I had to substantially rewrite the movie for delivery to New Line by the following Monday.”

Were you a fan of FRIDAY THE 13TH, and was it difficult attempting to continue the story after the way that JASON TAKES MANHATTAN ended?
“I really liked the first couple F13 movies and had seen some, but not all, of the ones that followed. I would have had no problem picking up where JTM left off, but Sean and Adam had decided to pretend that the previous movies didn’t exist, so continuing from the end of JTM was never an option.”Were you dubious about working on the ninth entry of a critically panned franchise, and how did you approach reinventing the series? Who came up with the ‘body jumping’ idea, and were you confident that a FRIDAY THE 13TH movie without Jason was the right thing to do?
“Well, I was probably 23 when I wrote JGTH, so I was, frankly, just thrilled to be working on a movie – ANY movie — critically panned or otherwise. Because of the time constraints, there wasn’t a whole lot of thought, at least on my end, to “reinventing the series”. I was just trying to accomplish what Sean and Adam were looking for on the crazy schedule we had. As for the ‘body jumping’ idea, that was Adam’s and it was the core element of his very first outline. I always felt that a F13 movie without Jason was going to ultimately be unsatisfying, so the first thing I did in my draft was to add Jason to the beginning and end of the movie, making it about a quest for him to ‘return to his body’. That way, it kept the premise of the earlier script but allowed you to at least see him in the movie, which I thought was critical. Originally, I don’t think he even made an appearance, except in a flashback as a child. Those early scripts were largely about his brother, Elias.”

Did you write the role of the coroner’s assistant with yourself in mind, as you seemed to have given yourself most of the best lines?
“Actually, I had no idea I would play the coroner’s assistant when I wrote it – that came much later. And the lines in the movie are not the lines that I wrote in the script. The truth is, I was terrified when it came time for me to act on the day of shooting and I couldn’t remember any of my scripted lines, so I just improvised other ones. Because I was the writer, no one questioned me — but it was really the result of complete terror.”

What was the general atmosphere on set; was everyone pleased that they would finally (supposedly) be laying Jason to rest?
“I think there was enthusiasm that Sean Cunningham had returned to the series and that, as a result, it would make a nice bookend to the first film. I wasn’t around for a lot of the shooting, actually, because I was writing my next movie at the time… although, I always made a point of coming by for lunch, because it was free and I was starving.”

What was your opinion Eric Morse novels that were released to coincide with the movie’s release?
“Actually, this is the first that I’ve even heard there were novels. I know they did a comic book but I was unaware of the novels.”

Was there ever any talk about making a sequel that would follow directly on from JASON GOES TO HELL and, if so, would you have been involved?
“There was never any talk of a sequel – we always assumed it really would be the last movie. I don’t know if I would have done another, unless I had the opportunity to use the story that I had originally been interested in for the movie that became JGTH. I thought it would be cool to follow JASON TAKES MANHATTAN with JASON TAKES LA, and I was interested in putting Jason into the middle of a gang war with the Bloods and the Crips, forcing them, for the first time, to stop killing each other and join together to take down someone even badder. Of course, this was 15 years ago — before urban movies had become so popular — and I thought, at the time, that it would have felt fresh and fun.”

How did you win the part of Scott in FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2 and what were the auditions like for such a movie? Having already appeared in the previous year’s HE KNOWS YOU’RE ALONE, what kind of genre experience did you feel you brought to the role and were you a fan of those kind of teen horrors? “I saw an ad in the NY Backstage paper and thought, “What the hell, I can do that!” i went on the audition without an agent and got a call a few days later offering me the part. I was so excited knowing what a hit the first Friday the 13th was and to be making the sequel was pretty cool. I felt I had no advantage whatsoever having done a bit part in another horror flick prior. I really wasn’t a big fan of horror prior but started seeing more of the genre and realizing how popular they really were.”

Was it an enjoyable experience working on a low budget movie in the woods? What were the positive and negative points to making a non-union film?
“We had a blast out at the lake making the film. All of the crew and other actors would try and scare each other on the walk back from the lake to our cabins. They would hide in the bushes and whisper or say the infamous “kill, kill, kill” chant and then jump out. We knew we were making the movie and Jason wasn’t real but it still made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck now and then taking that route home at night! It was a great group of actors and crew that got along very well and we laughed often, perhaps to soften the gore we were creating all around us. I think it was a union film or became one since I have been getting residuals from SAG for ever! May it play forever on every Friday the 13th!”

How unpleasant was your death scene, as you spent it hanging upside down? The original effects were rather bloody but the MPAA were forced to trim the gore down, can you shed any light on what was cut out?
“Being strung up side down for a few hours would normally be very uncomfortable and not too fun but when you knew it was due to making the sequel to Friday the 13th all that disappeared and it was pure joy! My best friend John Caglione Jr. had cast my neck for a foam latex appliance that would have the pre cut wound in it and tubing running from it up my leg to a guy in the tree with a pup. When Jason slices my throat I just had to lean my head back to reveal the pre cut wound and the blood would be pumped to it. Well, it pumped and pumped and pumped and went on for what seemed like hours. I was trying to stay in character and do my best death work but the blood was finally running into my eyes and causing REAL pain. Eventually the cameras stopped rolling and I was just covered in blood. Perhaps too gruesome for the MPAA but very effective. On a funny side not, they saved my death scene for my last day of work. i has called home that day to tell my folks about the scene and they got extremely nervous. It seems they were afraid they saved my death scene for the last day because I was really going to be killed and this might be a snuff film I was making! They had never heard of the original film and even though Paramount’s name was attached to it, they were still gravely concerned.”

What was your opinion on the look of Jason in the movie, somewhat resembling THE ELEPHANT MAN, and the way the character has become such a recognisable figure? Are you proud of your place in the FRIDAY THE 13TH history and what do you think of the movie itself?
“When you see how Jason’s look has grown and changed it seems very basic and simplistic how he was costumed and made up in our film. But all things have a beginning stage and grow from there. It worked fine for the film and obviously had a strong impact on the viewers anyway. I am very proud to be part of such a legacy and look back at it as one of the most enjoyable experiences of my acting career. I was young and full of adventure and adrenaline while making the film and knowing it will be shown all over the world in perpetuity always puts a smile on my face. The film itself stands on it’s own and continues to scare and frighten viewers all these years later. We must have done something right!”

What led to your involvement in FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 5: A NEW BEGINNING? As the movie followed on from THE FINAL CHAPTER, were you hesitant about appearing in what was obviously an ever-decreasing franchise?
?”Danny Steinman and I met on anther film. He told me he loved my work and any film he did, he wanted me on. We lost touch and when he was signed to do Friday, I got a call from Tommy. He said, “I notice Danny is going a film. Did you get in touch with him?” Well, I got in touch. All the bigger parts were cast. Danny put me in as Billy.”

What kind of advice did director Danny Stein give you regarding how to play your character? Were you given much room to improvise or attempt to flesh out your character before the inevitable death?
“Both scenes that I was in had no lines per se. The first scene, I was to open the door and ask the kid to get out. That was it. I improvised the rest. In fact, it unnerved the other actress…(I Forget her name) that I was “Eyeing” her like I was. She actually stopped the scene and said, “He’s making me so nervous!” Steinmann came back with…”Well USE it, then!!!!!” So, when we shot it again, I couldn’t resist the little “Tongue” thing. Kinda my was of saying, “F**K You” to her! The Car Scene. Again, no real lines. The script read that “Billy pulls up, calls for his girl, and does Coke while waiting for her” Danny was happy with the first scene I was in, and said….”You wanna Improvise in this scene?…Go ahead, do what you want. We’ll just roll the cameras… Have a good time.” I was in heaven! A stunt driver drove up, got out…. they took the passenger side door off and set up the shot. That was it. I put the Coke, (Fake) up in the visor, and told Danny I was ready. It was great fun for me. Being able to basically write your own scene on the fly. No script to worry about.”

Do you think that the killer not being Jason, but a copycat, was a cheat on the fans who had come to see a Jason movie and why do you think Danny made the killer such an obvious suspect?
“To be totally honest with you, I only saw the film once. It was at the wrap party. I didn’t get that involved in the script. I guess I would have if I had stayed in touch with Danny and actually gotten a larger role.”

Over the years, the FRIDAY THE 13TH movies have become a huge part of pop culture and are one of the most lucrative franchises in cinema history. Are you proud of your place in the series and how well do you feel the movie has aged?
“Proud? Yes…of my part, I can say, as a performer, I’m happy with what I did. I had no idea of it’s impact until recently. I let the webmaster use my email address, and I was shocked at how many fans there are out there. I’ve have people writing to me from all over the world, not only for an autograph, but they send my lines in the movie along with their request! It’s amazing how these films have endured, and the fans they’ve picked up over time.”

What can you reveal about the drug abuse that was rife during the making of A NEW BEGINNING? Was it as out of control as some people have stated or was it just a typical mid-’80’s film set?
“Well now…. .I can tell you this…..what I used in my scene, was Baby Laxative! Really! As for the other, I was only on the set a couple of days. I was aware of it, but I think that’s all I can say. Sets in the ’80s were like that, at least the ones I had been on. Not everyone, but the crew, because of their long hours and all would usually be holding. This would no doubt find it’s way throughout the production. Basically, people who did those things would do them on the set as well. And in the same token, those who didn’t, didn’t.”

A NEW BEGINNING is has often been referred to as the most brutal and sleazy entry in the series, due to many effects shots and scenes of nudity that were cut out of the finished movie. What can you reveal of this and was any of your scenes cut?
“Sadly, I can’s shed any light on that. I only saw the finished product once, and wasn’t on the set for much more than my scenes.”

Have you attended any conventions over the years and how do you think FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 5: A NEW BEGINNING has affected your life and career? What have you been doing over the twenty-plus years since the movie?
“Well, yes, I have been invited to some conventions. I haven’t as of yet accepted any, but probably will in the future. I’ve retired from showbiz since, but still play drums. Currently in a Funk, R&B Band called “Maddjakk” Not looking for fame any more, just play local gigs and have a good time. I’ve owned my own business since the ’80s that has done very well, married in 94 to my beautiful wife, Lisa. We have two amazing and beautiful girls, Amanda 11 and Gianna 9. We live in Santa Rosa Valley, Ca.”

How did you and your effects team land the job for FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VI: JASON LIVES? How did you approach designing Jason, as this movie marked a departure as the character had now become a rotting zombie?
“The job was spearheaded by REEL EFFECTS. I was brought on by Chris Swift. I had worked with him on some recent projects (APRIL FOOLS DAY) and we liked working together. I approached the character as it was described in the script, as a zombie version of Jason, rotted and such, but with the wounds of his past incarnations still apparent.”

What made you decide to work on the franchise? Were you already a fan of the previous movies and what was the general feeling regarding PART V: A NEW BEGINNING?
“I had enjoyed some of the earlier installments, and at the time when I heard they were doing another one, I moaned…”Oh no!” but when they offered the Jason design to me I thought, “Well, at least I could have a chance to do a Jason”, so I came aboard. It turned out to be a great project to be a part of, and I am happy I decided to do it. The cast and crew were a pleasure to work with.”

How much gore was cut out of the finished movie, as the FRIDAY THE 13TH series was renowned for falling victim of the MPAA?
“We shot two versions of a lot of things, “lots of gore” and ” Not so much gore”, with that in mind and what you see in the film is what we ended up with. That’s how it goes sometimes.”

Did you also work on the Alice Cooper promo video He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask), which was released to coincide with the film?
“No, the video used a lot of cuts from the film, but it was cool seeing the stuff in the video anyways.”

Which was the one effect from the movie which you were most proud of and why? Were there any effects that you wanted to include, but had to leave out due to budget or time?
“We managed to get everything in that they wanted, so nothing is missing, but designing “Jason” and doing his on-set makeup was the best part overall for me.”

How do you feel about the movie all these years later and when was the last time you watched it? How do you feel your design of Jason stands up to John Carl Buechler’s in PART VII: THE NEW BLOOD (Which many fans consider to be the ultimate Jason)?
“The movie is kind of tame by today’s standards, that’s for sure, but still watchable. ?I don’t really try to compare “Who’s Jason is better than Who’s. I generally let the fans enjoy which one’s they like, and leave it to that.”

Fellow GoreZone writer Robin Pierce interviewed Friday the 13th legend Kane Hodder some time back to coincide with the UK release of his latest flick Hatchet. Robin has kindly allowed us to publish the interview in full. While it mainly deals with his recent work, and not so much on the Friday the 13th series, this is still a must for Hodder fans. Enjoy!

Your latest film “Hatchet” was recently shown in London’s “Frightfest” and the word of mouth is very good. What can you tell us about your involvement in the film?
Well, Hatchet is the best horror movie I’ve ever done. It’s a horror comedy, but the comedy doesn’t take away from the scariness. I play both the character and his father in flashbacks, so that’s kind of new for me, playing both father and son. I get to do some good kills.”

Is your character Victor Crowley going to be another franchise character? Is there an opening for a sequel?
“There is DEFINITELY an opening for a sequel, and I would bet almost anything that they will do a sequel. It IS the next franchise and we definitely will do it.”

I was talking to Hatchet star Joel Moore a few weeks ago, and he told me about a prank you pulled on him involving a hatchet. Any comments?
“Was this when I threw the hatchet at him?”

Yes, it was. He thought it was the real axe, but you’d substituted it for a rubber one.
(Laughs) “I’m happy I did it. It helped with his performance. I threw it right at him, he was running, and the expression on his face, he really believed it. I believe it was Adam (director Adam Green)’s idea though. But it WAS something I’d have come up with.”

He told me that he still wakes up at night in a cold sweat, feeling that axe hit his leg. You’ve traumatised him!
(Laughs)

I felt sorry for him.
(still laughing) “Me too.”

I gather you still have a tendency to freak people out on set with your preparation routine prior to a take? How does that work ? Is it an adrenaline thing?
“Yeah, on AND off the set. I do my thing, you know – growling, screaming, stuff like that. It works for me to get in to character, and if the rest of the cast see me, it works particularly well to get a better performance out of them.”

Because they’re already scared of you?
“Yeah, they see me getting into character and they’re thinking “maybe this guy’s taking his role a little too seriously” and they’re wary.”

Joel told me that during the filming of “Hatchet” some of the female members of the cast were crying with terror when the cameras were rolling.
“Yeah, I made sure that they didn’t see me with my make-up .. the take, so they had no idea what I looked like, no idea at all. So, during the take, I’d be standing behind them and they’d turn around and see me in make-up for the first time. It worked. It was pretty effective. They were really scared.”

Do you do that preparation, the screaming grunting thing just for horror movies or is it a general thing?
“I don’t do it as much for smaller roles.”

You’ve also played Ed Gein in a film pretty recently in Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield. How differently did you approach performing Ed Gein who was a real, actual person to a fictional, indestructible zombie killer like Jason Voorhees?
“It has to be a more subtle approach. I’ve actually also played the BTK Killer in a picture called “BTK” for the same director, Michael Feifer, as that Ed Gein film.”

The BTK Killer?
“Yeah, he was a real person, a mass murderer, Dennis Rader out here in Wichita.. They called him the BTK Killer because he used to leave notes, and that’s how he’d sign off. BTK meant “bind, torture, kill”.

Do you research the non fictional characters before filming?
“Well, my preferred reading is true crime and biographies of past serial killers. So, I knew what they were really like. BTK, for example was a church president and a boy scout leader. He was really respectable and loved in his community. So, I have to be really likeable for half the movie and a cold killer for the rest.”

I’ve got to ask. In the photos I’ve seen of Ed Gein, he’s this small, skinny, elderly frail looking guy and…..
Did you ever see The Wild, Wild West on TV”

Yes
“Well, on the series James West was a short white guy, in the movie he was a tall black guy. (Laughs) If audiences can accept that, they can accept anything.”

Fair enough.
“In fact, in another movie I’ve just done called Born, I’m dressed for part of the film as a Cardinal (laughs)….now if you can accept THAT….actually, I play a demon from hell as a Catholic Cardinal.”

Do you still have the cool but evil looking beard in the role?
“A bit, yes.”

Can I assume though that you won’t be showing the “Kill” tattoo on your inner bottom lip in that role.
(laughs) “You assume correctly.”

My God Kane, didn’t that hurt?
“It stung quite a bit but it healed incredibly quickly. It was healed in about a day and a half.”

There seems to be a resurgence of maniac killer on the loose movies going on, a remake of Wes Craven’s Shocker has been announced, can you tell me a little about that? Rumour has it you’re involved.
“If you believe the internet, I am. But nobody’s spoken to me about it. I don’t know how the rumour got started, but I haven’t spoken to Wes. I would like to play that character, but I haven’t heard anything.”

You’re the definitive screen Jason you’ve even played Freddy you’ve also played Leatherface – any horror icon you’d like to play but haven’t as yet?
“That’s totally accurate, I played Freddy’s gloved hand at the end of Jason Goes To Hell and in Leatherface the third of the original Chainsaw movies, I actually was Leatherface for half the picture. I’d like to have played Michael Myers for Rob Zombie to round off my horror icon resume.”

That’s interesting. What would be the difference in playing Michael Myers to playing Jason Voorhees? I mean, both are pretty similar aren’t they?
“Yeah, there are definite similarities. You know, no speaking, moving real slowly. I think Michael’s more subtle than Jason. I’d play him differently. Michael’s more low key…until the violence. Then, he lets it rip.”

How come you never got your chance with Rob Zombie’s remake?
“Rob wanted someone really big.”

But you’re what, around 6′3?
“Yeah. Tyler Mane, who got the part is around 6′9. Considerably taller than me. But, I worked with Rob as stunt co-ordinator on The Devil’s Rejects.”

What was he like to work with?
“Zombie has a personality like me – pretty fucked up – so we got along great.”

Being an icon of slasher movies, with your f13 involvement, they got plenty of bad press because of violence in their day, what’s your take on the so-called torture porn movies of today Do they go too far? Are they more FX driven than character driven?
“They are more FX driven, but I don’t have a problem with them. I’ve got nothing against those types of movies or those versions of you know, horrible people. Saying it’s over the top is ridiculous. People like that really exist. There are some really horrible people out there and they do really horrible things, so it’s not over the top when things like that can actually happen. Jason is over the top, but it’s fun. In the Jason movies people are actually cheering for the killer. You know, my all time favourite Jason “kill” is the sleeping bag scene from Friday the 13th Pt. 7 (Jason swings a girl victim in a sleeping bag against a tree, killing her instantly) and when people saw that, their reaction was they cheered, they high fived. In spirit, Hatchet is the same as that kill.”

Just as an aside, have you ever kept a running total of the number of people you’ve killed on screen?
(Laughs) “No, I haven’t actually but I’ll guarantee that someone, somewhere knows exactly how many people I’ve killed, what their names are and in what order and what film I did it.”

Yeah, your fans like to keep score. It’ll be on the internet somewhere. There’s even a rock band named after you isn’t there?
“That’s right. The band is called “Hodder Rocks”. That’s quite a tribute. I’m flattered.”

Yeah, and I understand that fans of the group and yourself collectively call themselves Hodderheads.
“Really? (Laughs) I didn’t know that.”

Yeah, so I guess you have the Trekkies, the X-Philes and the Hodderheads.
(Laughs)

Do you ever see your stunt co-odinator role winding down in favour of more acting?
“It’s possible. Ideally though, if I’m leading, I like to co-ordinate as well. It gives me more creative control. If I can, I like to co-ordinate. I wouldn’t purposely like to stop. That’s not to say that if they’ve already hired a stunt co-ordintator I wouldn’t take the role.”

How do you feel about the use of CGI these days, will it eventually mean the end of stunt work as we know it? Why risk the life of a stuntman with a burn, dive or an elaborate car stunt when you can do it on the computer?
“It certainly has had an impact, and it will continue to impact upon the stunt business. We’ll lose less stunt people. but I don’t think it’ll put us out of business. You know, there’ll always be fights and car chases. 90% of stunt people are not qualified to fall more than 200 feet, even the specialists. But audiences always want more, they’ll want to see a 300 feet dive. It’s a way of getting it done. But safely.

Speaking of stunt specialisations, what’s yours?
“Fire. It almost took my life in my first year in the business. I have a “burn” in Hatchet as a matter of fact.”

I understand you also work on a voluntary basis with children in a Burns Unit. It that because of the injuries you sustained?
“That’s right. You don’t know how it feels unless you’ve been burnt. There’s a lot of emotional stuff going on, and no couselling is better than from a former burn survivor. So I know what it feels like, I know what they’re going through… and Jason is a great ice breaker with the kids, so I do what I can.”

What’s your best experience working on a picture?
“Well, I’d say Hatchet because it was such a fun movie to do. Everything you hear about the fun we had making that one is not bullshit. It was fun. Other than that, my first Jason movie, Friday the 13th Pt. 7. I’d seen the others and it was a part I never thought I’d play, then seeing myself in the role…..”

Not “Darkwolf”?
(laughs) “You saw that?”

Yes, I’m afraid so.
“My first nude scene?”

Yep!
“That wasn’t me. That wasn’t my ass.” (laughs)

The fact that your body double was about 100lb lighter gave the game away.
“They even put burn scarring makeup on his back….” (laughs)

Okay so what was the worst experience you’ve had on a picture?
“Actors! I can’t name ‘em. But some of the actors I’ve done fight scenes with are real assholes. They go full contact to show how macho they are. It doesn’t happen very often though.”

And your most embarrassing experience on a picture?
“Jason Takes Manhattan. I’m on a cruise liner and I have to rip the radio antennae off so they’re out of contact.”

I remember the scene.
“Well, I’m up high and there’d been some steps built that I can walk up to break the antennae off. I was trying to be scary and ominous and when I was stepping on them, I wasn’t looking where I was going, so I fell down, and I was all slick and wet so I slid along the deck on my ass. I was trying to look scary, but I ended up stumbling around like an old man.”

Would you like to reprise the role of Jason?
“I would do it in a second because of my love for the character. You know I got screwed on Freddy V Jason right?”

Yeah, as far as I’m concerned that last film didn’t count.

“Good. Let’s keep it that way.”

What’s your favourite horror movie?
“It’s still The Exorcist. Y’know, I’m old enough to have seen it at the theatres when it was first released and it’s the only one that ever made me scared. It was such a taboo subject at the time as well.”

What’s up next for you Kane?
“Death More killing, much more killing, but with some more dramatic scenes in between.”

Not a bad way to make a living.
“No, and I’ve gotten so good at killing.”

Not a bad legacy.
“Nope…. not bad at all.”

How did you become involved with New Line Cinema and, more importantly, Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash?
“I’d wanted to work at New Line since I was a little kid, about seven or eight years old. I fell in love with genre films – Elm Street especially – at a young age. Bob Shaye was from Detroit (Sam Raimi’s family lived next door to me as well) and I was inspired as a child that someone from my neighborhood could go to Los Angeles, start his own studio and make cool movies. Bob and I started corresponding when I was in fourth grade or so and I resolved to go to New Line as soon as possible. Following some lucky career breaks as a teen I was able to drop out of college, call in my chip with Bob and get an internship at New Line. My entire goal was to get involved with Freddy vs. Jason as I had read every script they’d done on the project to date. I was fortunate enough to be put on the movie as an executive and, ultimately, it was what launched my career in Hollywood. FvJvA was something I pitched around New Line starting as an intern and, later, as an executive it seemed like something I could actually pull off. So once FvJ performed well at the box office New Line was cool enough to back my idea and had me write up the treatment. We tried to put a deal together a few times but the realities of Hollywood dealmaking prevented it from coming together. Still, I’m incredibly grateful for Freddy, Jason and Ash coming into my life and am proud to see the story live on as a comic.”

Had you always been a fan of the three franchises and how confident were you that they would work well together?“Fan would be an understatement. All three franchises were a huge part of my life. They seemed to fit very naturally. My big thing after FvJ was to get a hero that would be as interesting as Freddy and Jason as villains. And in the genre there’s only one that comes close and that’s Ash. To have the Necronomicon in JGTH, enabling us to set it up, was just a bonus.”

What was the length of the treatment that you wrote and how long did the process take?
“I can’t remember specifically but it wasn’t long. Most of these ideas were things I had been playing around with before it ever seemed like a reality. I knew this would be something that would get people talking and it was an idea that I, as a fan, would’ve loved to have seen. So I wrote it very much from the standpoint of what I’d have loved as a hardcore fan, thinking that other hardcores would enjoy it the same way I would.”

The story is centred around the Necronomicon, which was referenced in both the Evil Dead movies and Jason Goes to Hell. Was it difficult to fuse the three separate mythologies together, and which character were you most interested in?
“The Necronomicon in JGTH was huge for us, as it gave us a legitimate underpinning to get these franchises together. It would have been forced otherwise, to say the least. It gave us an organic reason. The mythologies actually worked really well together, which didn’t really surprise me. These three guys together just always made sense in my mind. I love all three characters so the idea of Ash meeting up with these two, plus smartening up Jason and giving Freddy greater power generally made the entire thing something I could invest in and love to work on.”

Were you impressed with the Freddy vs. Jason movie, as many fans felt it was too camp and dumb, even for a slasher movie?
“Ha! But how do you really feel? Well, considering I worked on it and it launched my career, I suppose I’m slightly biased. I’d certainly argue we were less campy than the later Friday’s and Nightmare’s. The idea was to return Freddy and Jason closer to their iconic versions, which to me was Freddy from 1-4 and Jason from 4 and 6. Both in terms of look and tone. Those were my favorites personally. Generally the fans I’ve met have seemed like the liked the movie and the box office seems to speak to some level of satisfaction. But you’re never going to please everybody. All told though, I am proud of the film and think it’s very true to the characters and their continuity.”

How instrumental were Sean Cunningham and Sam Raimi as you were preparing the treatment. Did you find that you were receiving a lot of support from the studio?
“Well, I worked at the studio so I think it’s safe to say there were supportive. It required some education for them as to who Ash was, Evil Dead and all that. Generally they were terrific. I love Sean and Sam, who are both terrific guys, but it was pretty much me in a room. Sean, especially, was very supportive.”

Had the treatment attracted the attention of any of the actors – Robert Englund, Bruce Campbell – and who were you hoping would play Jason?
“Yes. I went to Bruce early on for his blessing. Bruce is also from my area in Detroit originally and his father and my mother were friends. So there was a natural connection. Rob Tapert was someone I roped in early as well. Robert was always hugely supportive. He’s a great guy and loves that character. In terms of Jason, we were open minded but – and I know this one will be controversial with the fans – I suspect it would have been Ken again.”

Were any directors suggested for the movie or did talks not reach that far?
“We had plenty of people reach out once word got out we were talking about it. Some names that would surprise you probably. It just speaks to the eternal popularity of these three franchises. They’ll be scaring and inspiring kids for generations to come.”

How supportive were the fans of the movies once the concept was leaked out onto the internet?
“Hugely. Just incredibly supportive. The fans are the reason this thing ultimately saw the light of day as a comic. And the success of the comic since the release is a testament to their dedication and love for the franchise. It’s really cool to see and it makes me proud to be one of them.”

Once it seemed that the movie was not going to happen, how did the comic book come about?
“It was something we were talking about casually over a couple years until ultimately David Imhoff from New Line put the deal together. It was timing, at the end of the day. Bad timing is what killed the movie deal. Good timing is what enabled the comic series.”

How much input did you have in the writing of the comic, or was your treatment just used as a template?
“James, Jason and Thomas were terrific about involving me. Initially the idea was for me to adapt the treatment but I left New Line to go to 20th Century Fox and was already writing BOOSTER GOLD for DC Comics, so schedule and my obligations to Fox were a major factor. Since Jason took the reins, though, he’s been incredibly gracious about involving me. All of them have been great guys. We’re all fans here and I think that shows in the finished product.”

Have you read the comic series and, if so, what are your thoughts on it? Do you still wish it had been made as a movie, as many fans still ask about it?
“Of course I read it. Movies are my day job, comics my side gig. I’d obviously love to have seen this as a movie as it was my passion project. But as a comics fan I can’t really be disappointed considering the response to the thing. I’m just proud it will continue to live on. And now, with the Friday and Nightmare remakes coming, in some ways the series is the true continuation of the current (or classic) continuity. I’m very very proud of that.”

Had the movie happened, and had been a success, where do you think the new franchise could have gone from there? Which other horror icon would you have liked to have seen thrown into the mix?
“The idea was for Ash to be the one to kill Freddy and Jason and then go off into a larger budget EVIL DEAD film for Sam to be more involved in. That was the idea. There were clearly other icons to get involved, and Malek Akkad and I had talked about it a few times as he’s a friend of mine. But ultimately I think the big battle royal version is best served as a video game, which is something I think will happen eventually.”