Friday The 13th Blog

In recent years, major horror franchises have received the sweeping documentary treatment – for instance, His Name Was Jason. Now a leading genre personality will get a similar spotlight. Tom Savini was technically the FX specialist on Friday The 13th and Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter but in a more philosophical sense Jason’s maker, unmaker, and proxy facilitator of both the mother and son’s carnage. The one-man special effects industry is the subject of Smoke and Mirrors: The Story Of Tom Savini, which is described by director Jason Baker as:

A feature-length documentary about the life and career of famed special effects make-up artist Tom Savini. Know as the “King of Splatter”, Tom’s work revolutionized an industry with such movies as Friday the 13th, Creepshow, and Dawn of the Dead. But these facts are mere misdirection, as the film delves into Tom’s personal triumphs and failings, revealing the man behind the mask.

The documentary features interviews with Academy Award winning special effects make-up artists Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger of KNB EFX, Video Watchdog founder and film critic Tim Lucas, The Misfits’ Jerry Only, and legendary filmmaker George A. Romero.

An insightful trailer has debuted which you can view below. However the real story here is that Smoke and Mirrors is almost finished but in need of completion funding – an economical $1000 of which half has almost been raised. Anyone can contribute to the funding for as little as $1 and will receive a special thanks credit, and depending on incremental amounts, extras like posters and personally autographed Tom Savini 8×10′s. The funding system is provided by Kickstarter, and Amazon is utilized for checkout. It’s important to note, if the target is not reached by March 23, no money will change hands. So… fancy yourself a documentary financier?

More info: Smoke & Mirrors Kickstarter

Friday The 13th: The Website has provided $50 funding to Smoke and Mirrors.