A prime example: towards the end of the film we briefly experience Jason struggling to stay afloat as flashback when his mama Pam Voorhees (Betsy Palmer) unfurls exposition upon Alice (Adrienne King). Its brevity gets the point across but is the initial seed for a viewer to see more of the lovable spud-head, and it’s a story angle that spins off some meaty questions, like were the counselors that let him drown Barry & Claudette? And if not, were they actually fucking, or was that Mrs Voorhees’ own opinion of events? Of course, many would scoff and roll their eyes at looking “too deep” into this movie, certainly a film so cheap and nasty, as those that made it describe it.

But it is the film itself that presents the questions.

Pamela’s flashback of Jason drowning is a possible falsity, as it was denoted in the script that it was to be portrayed as a fantasy version, with specific instructions for post-production to mix the audio of Jason’s please for help to sound “filtered, echoed and distant”. Again, to Miller’s credit.

Other films in the series have shown that coy sense of “don’t trust memories” subtext. I find it interesting that in Freddy Vs Jason (2003), writers Shannon & Swift chose to finally show the circumstances surrounding Jason’s drowning in full… but framed within his own nightmare. It was an admirable subtlety on their part that offers an automatic seamless retcon should future films want to canonically elaborate on the original concept, because it represents only Jason’s possibly exaggerated memory of that fateful day.

However just because that out-of-reality factor (nor our thoughts on the overall film), the scene shouldn’t be overlooked for what it was fundamentally designed to be: the origin of Jason Voorhees.

• Deluxe Freddy Krueger Sweater
• Freddy Krueger Vinyl Mask
• Freddy Krueger Fedora Hat
• Freddy Krueger Glove

The items carry a $70 total and can be viewed this link.

Steps to enter:

1. Login to or join our message board
2. Access the contest thread
3. Reply, naming Freddy or Jason as the victor.

Note: Open to anyone around the world. Multiple replies/entries will not be counted.

Contest closes Sunday, May 29th and the winner will be drawn randomly from applicable entries. We will contact the winner using the email address on their forum account and request clothing size and mailing address. Good luck!

About the contest sponsor: HalloweenCostumes.com offers a collection of scary movie costumes that are perfect for Halloween parties, horror conventions, and movie events. Costume categories include film, television, horror, gaming, traditional, and historical. HalloweenCostumes.com is committed to offering complete Halloween costume collections that meet everyone’s needs: from the casual fan with a moderate budget to the dedicated enthusiast who demands authenticity. They are happily providing the Freddy Krueger costume for this contest.

Director: Ronny Yu
Writers: Damian Shannon, Mark Swift
Starring: Robert Englund, Ken Kirzinger, Monica Keena, Jason Ritter, Kelly Rowland, Christopher George Marquette
Music: Graeme Revell
Special Makeup Effects: Bill Terezakis

Jason X had continued a commercial decline for the Friday the 13th franchise that had begun in 1985 with A New Beginning and had divided the opinions of the fans; some of whom enjoyed the space location and comic tone, whilst others were disappointed by the lack of a summer camp setting. The priority for the series since New Line Cinema had purchased the rights from Paramount a decade earlier had been to produce their long-awaited crossover Freddy vs. Jason, which was to see its antagonist, Jason Voorhees, going head-to-head with A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger. In many ways, this recalled a trend that had started in the 1940s with Universal Pictures, who had attempted a similar method with both Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man and House of Dracula. When Paramount Pictures had first expressed interest in the project as early as 1987 the Friday the 13th movies had begun to show signs of struggling at the box office, whilst New Line’s Elm Street franchise was at its commercial peak, yet since obtaining the rights to Friday the 13th in 1992 New Line had worked hard to make the concept a reality.

The final shot of 1993’s Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday had shown Jason’s infamous hockey mask lying in the sand, when suddenly Freddy’s hand burst through the ground and dragged it below. This premature promise had excited fans into believing that Freddy vs. Jason was soon to come but they would have to wait another decade for it to be released. In the months following the release of Jason Goes to Hell, New Line’s Michael De Luca had actively pursued the prospect of featuring both Freddy and Jason together in a movie, but the main problem had been that they were unable to work up a satisfactory premise. Following an unsuccessful pitch from Demon Knight writers Cyrus Voris and Ethan Reiff, Sean S. Cunningham – who had directed the original Friday the 13th in 1980 – had turned to his regular collaborator Lewis Abernathy, who had scripted both DeepStar Six and House IV, neither of which had performed well commercially.

Unimpressed with Abernathy’s concept proposal, De Luca would spend several years entertaining countless writers who would either focus too much on prior characters from either respective series or would disregard the mythologies all together. Having eventually passed on screenplays by Star Trek: The Next Generation writers Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore and special effects artist Rob Bottin, De Luca turned to a young writer called David Schow, who had performed uncredited rewrites on A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child and had scripted Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III. By Christmas 1999, just a Jason X had commenced pre-production, New Line had hired Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, who had come to the attention of the studio with their script Danger Girl. But over the next two years New Line would undergo significant changes, with De Luca leaving the company and Freddy vs. Jason seemingly no longer a priority. In a surprise move, however, it would be New Line boss Robert Shaye who would resurrect the project shortly after and finally launching Freddy vs. Jason into production.

Cunningham had remained in contact with A Nightmare on Elm Street creator (and his Last House on the Left director) Wes Craven throughout development, who had been preoccupied with his successful Scream trilogy and had offered advice and support to the project. Although the studio had finally agreed upon a script there was still the question of who would direct. Over the years there had been an array of filmmakers who had pitched their visions to both Paramount and New Line, with Friday the 13th veterans Tom McLoughlin and John Carl Buechler being amongst the first. During its time with New Line, the studio had met with directors such as Guillermo del Toro (Cronos, Mimic) and Stephen Norringon (Blade), before eventually settling on Ronny Yu. Having first gained acclaim in his native Hong Kong, Yu had made his Hollywood debut with the 1998 postmodern horror flick Bride of Chucky, which had reinvented the fledging Child’s Play series for the Scream market. Unaware of either the Friday the 13th or A Nightmare on Elm Street movies, Yu’s lack of knowledge was enough to convince the studio that he would be capable of giving the project a fresh approach.

Following speculation on who would be handling the special effects – with fans once again demanding the return of Tom Savini – the task of creating both Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees fell to Bill Terezakis. Having landed his first break working on Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan in 1989, Terezakis would build a reputation through his effects on Deep Rising, Cats & Dogs and the cult James Cameron show Dark Angel, whilst his Vancouver workshop WCT Productions would handle FX on Final Destination 2 and House of the Dead. Freddy vs. Jason would be budgeted at $35m, more than twice that of Jason X and significantly more than the earlier Friday the 13th movies, whilst – unlike many of the previous installments – it would be an in-house production as opposed to a negative pickup. Hype had been building around the project for over a decade and in that time the genre had changed, with the post-Scream slasher boom coming to an end following countless derivative clones and sequels.

With the exception of the occasional stand-in or stuntman, Robert Englund had been the only actor to portray the character of Freddy Krueger since the release of A Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984. Through seven movies, a TV spinoff and various music videos, Freddy had become a pop culture icon and Englund himself had enjoyed tremendous success. Unknown to the actor at the time, however, Freddy vs. Jason would prove to be his swan song, as the franchise would later be resurrected with the obligatory remake. The most controversial aspect of casting would be that of Jason Voorhees. Kane Hodder was first cast in the role for 1988’s Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood and had quickly become a fan favourite, taking the role to a new level with his passion and dedication for the character. Jason X had been his fourth time behind the infamous hockey mask but New Line, in an effort to launch Freddy vs. Jason as a new stand-alone franchise, would choose to recast the role. Canadian stuntman Ken Kirzinger had made a brief appearance in Jason Takes Manhattan as a cook who is thrown over the bar of a diner and had since worked on a variety of projects that had included Look Who’s Talking and The X Files. Despite a backlash from fans, Kirzinger would be cast opposite Englund for the physically demanding role.

In keeping with the tradition of both franchises, Freddy vs. Jason would feature a teenage heroine, who has some kind of past link to one of the killers. Twenty-three year old New Jersey native Monica Keena had enjoyed minor roles in several successful movies earlier in her career; including While You Were Sleeping with Sandra Bullock and the horror flick The Devil’s Advocate, which starred Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves. For the role of Will Rollins, Keena’s on screen love interest, Yu had originally cast Brad Renfro, a former child actor who shot to fame following his impressive performance in Joel Schumacher’s 1994 drama The Client when was just only ten years old. Renfro continued to gain acclaim for his appearances in Sleepers and Apt Pupil, but soon his career began to suffer due to a much-publicised drug addiction. Proving unreliable during the first week of shooting, Renfro was eventually fired from Freddy vs. Jason and continued in a downward spiral until he was found dead from a drug overdose in January 2024, although his death would be overshadowed by that of Heath Ledger one week later.

Yu and his casting agents began to frantically search for a suitable replacement, giving brief consideration to Ian Sommerholder, who would later become known for his role as Boone Carlyle in the hit TV show Lost. Despite reservations after his first audition, the producers finally settled on Jason Ritter who, ironically, already had a loose connection to Yu; his father, the late John Ritter, had appeared in Bride of Chucky several years earlier. With the supporting cast including Destiny’s Child star Kelly Rowland, Katharine (Ginger Snaps) Isabelle and Christopher George Marquette (who would later appear in the comedy The Girl Next Door), principal photography commenced in Vancouver and various regions of British Columbia on September 9th 2024. The fifty-three day shoot finally came to an end on November 22nd and then the film was rushed into post-production, to be overseen by editor Mark Stevens, who was most known for his work with Schumacher on two Batman sequels, 8MM, Flawless, Tigerland and Phone Booth.

To the surprise of the fans, Harry Manfredini would not return to compose the score, with New Line wanting to avoid too many comparisons to the previous Friday the 13th movies. Aside from Jason Takes Manhattan, Manfredini’s name had been listed on all of the Friday the 13th films, although his input on each had varied greatly. Whilst the score would be composed by Graeme Revell, the soundtrack would also feature songs by a variety of metal acts, such as ll Niño, Spineshank, Type O Negative and Machine Head, as well as DJ Junkie XL. Freddy vs. Jason was released in North American on August 15th 2024 and became a phenomenal success, making over $36m on its first three days, eventually earning in excess of $80m, far surpassing any of the Friday the 13th or A Nightmare on Elm Street movies. After a sixteen-year wait, fans had finally seen both iconic killers facing off in a movie but what direction the franchise would take from there remained unclear.

Further reading -
- Crystal Lake’s Bloody Legacy pt.1-12

If the Friday the 13th franchise is to be remembered for anything, other than the iconic hockey mask, then it will be the elaborate and graphic special effects, which were created by various different artists and workshops, from the legendary Tom Savini and Stan Winston to the likes of Martin Becker and Greg Nicotero. Twelve movies, hundreds of victims – it would be impossible to narrow their gory highlights down to just a few but here’s thirteen of Jason’s most memorable kills.

I couldn’t decide which one should claim the top spot so instead these are listed in chronological order. No doubt you’ll have your own favourites so tell us which you would have included.

Enjoy!

FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980) – Jack (Kevin Bacon)
Long before the awards and critical acclaim, Kevin Bacon’s claim to fame was his iconic death in the original Friday the 13th. Storyboarded by associate producer Steve Miner (who would later direct the first two sequels) and executed by special make-up effects artist Tom Savini, the sequence saw an arrow being driven through Bacon’s throat from underneath the bed. This relatively complex gag would be created by designing a cast of the actor’s torso, whilst his real body was hidden underneath the bed. With a neck cast attached to Bacon, a hand belonging to stills photographer Richard Feury (who would later be credited as second assistant director on Part 2) reached up from under the bed to pull Bacon’s head down whilst the arrow was pushed through the neck cast. But when the tube that ran the blood from a bag to the neck cast came loose Taso N. Stavrakis, Savini’s assistant, improvised and blew hard down the tube, causing the blood to spray out from the open wound. Although not a Jason kill, this is still a favourite amongst fans.

FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2 (1981) – Mark (Tom McBride)
To prove that Jason Voorhees was an equal rights serial killer, Part 2 saw him dispatch of the franchise’s sole wheelchair-bound victim. Having seemingly scored with pretty-yet-naïve Vickie (Lauren-Marie Taylor), Mark (Tom McBride) waits patiently before heading outside the house, where he is suddenly struck in the face by a machete and sent hurtling backwards down a set of steps. For this highly effective sequence, special make-up effects artist Carl Fullerton designed a mask for McBride to wear, which the balsa wood machete was then attached to. Pulling the blade away from the actor’s face, the footage was then played back in reverse to create the illusion that Mark had been hit in the face by the machete. McBride was then replaced by stuntman Tony Farentino (who would later work on the underrated slasher Alone in the Dark the following year), who was sent backwards down the stairs using a rig to avoid the wheelchair losing control.

FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3 (1982) – Vera (Catherine Parks)
Having rebuffed the advances of shy practical joker Shelly (Larry Zerner), Vera (Catherine Parks) finds his wallet in the water and looks through the contents, before realising that a masked figure has appeared from behind the house. Believing it to be Shelly, who had previously scared her whilst wearing his hockey mask, Jason (Richard Brooker) raises a speargun towards her and fires a shot directly into her eye. Yet another gag played back in reverse, the sequence began with Parks reacting to the arrow being pressed against her eye, before the arrow was retracted via a wire and rod. Cutting away, the next shot saw Parks with an arrow attached to her eye as she fell backwards into the water, although this could only be shot once as the prosthetics that the make-up crew had created would fall to pieces when wet. This scene has an important place in the history of the franchise as it would be the first on-screen kill committed by Jason after obtaining his infamous mask.

FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3 (1982) – Rick (Paul Kratka)
Accommodating for the 3-D effects that would be the selling point for Friday the 13th Part 3, director Steve Miner took every opportunity he could to have objects jumping or reaching out at the camera; from yo-yos and joints to spears and even eyeballs. The latter would be used for the death scene of Rick (Paul Kratka), the lumberjack boyfriend of heroine Chris (Dana Kimmell). Having returned to find the house deserted, Chris searches for her friends whilst Rick heads outside, only to be accosted by Jason. Grabbing his head from behind and crushing his skull, Rick’s eyeballs burst literally from their sockets under the pressure and leap out at the audience. Weeks before principal photography had begun, Kratka was brought to the FX workshop to have his upper torso and head cast in plaster to create a life-size dummy that would be used for the majority of the sequence. With a mark having been set between the two lenses that were used to capture the images in 3-D, the eyeballs were sent out of the fake skull using wires after several attempts using compressed air had failed to achieve the desired result.

FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER (1984) – Axel (Bruce Mahler)
Despite having launched his career on the back of his work on the first Friday the 13th movie, Savini had declined the chance to return for the subsequent two sequels, instead choosing to work on other splatter flicks like The Burning and Creepshow. Yet when the possibility to end what he had helped create by killing off Jason once and for all for 1984′s The Final Chapter arose he found the offer too tempting. After two relatively tame sequels, Savini was determined to outdo his own work on the original by creating some of his most brutal set pieces since The Prowler in 1981 (which, coincidentally, was also directed by Joseph Zito). Aside from Jason’s own demise, the stand out death scene was awarded to Axel (Police Academy‘s Bruce Mahler), an obnoxious orderly whose failed seduction attempts with a nurse (Lisa Freeman) results in him watching aerobics on television. Jason (Ted White), having awoken from the slab after believing to have died from his wounds endured at the end of Part 3, sneaks up behind Axel and grabs him by his head, before taking a surgical hacksaw used for cutting through bone and slices deep into his throat. A dummy was created using a cast of Mahler and a saw, whose blade was filled with blood, was placed against the throat, which also allowed for the head to be violently turned as Jason sunk deep into his neck.

FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 5: A NEW BEGINNING (1985) – Joey (Dominick Brascia)
Sweet-yet-simple loner Joey (Dominick Brascia) is often dismissed by his fellow patients at the relatively laxed Pinehurst mental institution and, after an attempt at helping two of the girls with the laundry results in the clean clothes being covered in chocolate, tries to make friends with resident psychotic Victor (Mark Venturini, also known to splatter fans for his turn in Return of the Living Dead, released the same year). Angered by his persistence, Victor swings his axe down on Joey’s back and begins to hack him to pieces as the other patients watch in horror. Some time later, an ambulance arrives on the scene and one of the paramedics (Caskey Swaim) pulls back the sheet that is covering his corpse to reveal hacked-up body parts. Whilst the murder itself is shown off screen (with only a brief reaction shot from Brascia at the point of impact), it is the following scene when the state of the body is revealed that showed the gruesome handiwork of the special effects team. Not technically a Jason kill, but the murder would become the catalyst for the Jason copycat murders that followed.

FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 6: JASON LIVES (1986) – Sheriff Garris (David Kagan)
Sheriff Garris (David Kagan) would prove to be the archetypal authority figure of the slasher film. Much like A Nightmare on Elm Street‘s Lt. Donald Thompson (John Saxon), who would also refuse to believe the fact that a seemingly dead killer was responsible for a recent series of grizzly murders, Garris’ ignorance and refusal to accept the warning from former mental patient Tommy Jarvis (Thom Mathews, Venturini’s Return of the Living Dead co-star) would eventually cost him his life. Having made his way with his deputies to Camp Forest Green – formerly Camp Crystal Lake, the scene of countless murders at the hands of Jason (C.J. Graham) – Garris soon finds himself alone and takes shelter in the bushes as he watches Jason from afar. But when his daughter, Megan (Jennifer Cooke), arrives at the camp with Tommy, Jason heads back out of the woods to kill them both, forcing the sheriff to finally face the truth and fight back, resulting in him being literally broken in two. Although heavily censored by the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) prior to release, the sequence was achieved by fake legs being bent back over Kagan’s shoulders as Jason breaks his back. In an effort to avoid the same kind of problems with the censors that the previous movies had encountered, director Tom McLoughlin would shoot several versions of the scene, including one which would be relatively gruesome, although sadly this would not be used in the finished print.

FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 7: THE NEW BLOOD (1988) – Judy (Debora Kessler)
Unlike his contemporaries, namely A Nightmare on Elm Street‘s Freddy Krueger and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre‘s Leatherface, Jason Voorhees has never taken much pleasure in torturing his victims, instead opting for the fastest way to dispatch them. Kane Hodder, who would be cast in the role at the insistence of director John Carl Buechler, would take the character of Jason to new heights by creating a unique body language that he would use through the subsequent three sequels. With Buechler also being a renowned special effects artist, many of the set pieces in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood would be extremely elaborate and graphic, this was until the MPAA ordered drastic cuts to many of the film’s highlights. One sequence would see one of the young vacationers, Judy (Debora Kessler), dragged across the ground by Jason in her sleeping bag and swung against a tree, killing her instantly. Originally, Jason was to have thrown her against the trunk several times but the MPAA ordered the filmmakers to reduce the number of hits, resulting in Jason simply swinging her against the tree once and then tossing her body aside. Ironically, this would make the sequence all the more effective.

FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 8: JASON TAKES MANHATTAN (1989) – Jules (V.C. Dupree)
Although ultimately defeated at the end of each movie, Jason rarely faced a character who was able to match him physically, with his victims often resorting to weapons, water or even telekinesis. In 1989′s Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, the latest graduating class embark on a cruise from Crystal Lake to New York City, which soon turns into a fight for survival as Jason (Kane Hodder) makes his way onboard and begins to dispatch each of the teens one-by-one. Although the majority of the deaths would be relatively blood-free (again, due to strict regulations from the MPAA), one that would stand out would be that of Julius (V.C. Dupree), undefeated high school boxing champion who, tired of running, faces off against Jason on top of a building in a rough neighbourhood of New York. With bloody knuckles and gasping for breath, Julius in unable to fight Jason any longer and challenges him to punch him back. In one swing, Jason sends Julius’ head from his shoulders, down the side of the building and into a dumpster in the street below. Showcasing his sick sense of humour, Jason later left Julius’ head on the dashboard of a police car as the other students attempt to escape.

JASON GOES TO HELL: THE FINAL FRIDAY (1993) – Deborah (Michelle Clunie)
With Paramount having eventually sold the rights to the Friday the 13th franchise to rival studio New Line Cinema (the home of A Nightmare on Elm Street), the series received a makeover in 1993 with Adam Marcus’ Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday. Ostensibly a rip-off of Jack Sholder’s 1987 science fiction thriller The Hidden (also distributed by New Line), the movie boasted impressive special effects by the always reliable KNB EFX, although predictably these would be heavily censored for the theatrical print. Thankfully, Marcus’ original cut was later released on video and featured in all its glory the murders of horny young campers Deborah (Michelle Clunie) and Luke (Michael B. Silver). With their friend Alexis (Kathryn Atwood) having allowed them to keep the tent for the night whilst she sleeps outside, the couple had begun to make out before moving onto sex, whilst a coroner (Richard Gant) from a hospital who has been possessed by the spirit of Jason appears at the tent, thrusting his weapon through the material and into Deborah’s stomach, before violently thrusting it upwards, tearing her torso in two.

JASON X (2001) – Adrienne (Kristi Angus)
With the regular setting of Camp Crystal Lake having grown stale over several installments, filmmakers had been forced to try new locations in which Jason could continue his bloodbath. New York had failed to impress the fans and so the makers of Jason X, in a last attempt to rejuvenate the formula, sent their antagonist into twenty-fifth century deep space. This new science fiction location would allow for an array of possibilities; some of which would be exploited, whilst others were sadly neglected. The film’s best death would go to scientist Adrienne (Kristi Angus), who is given the responsibility of performing an autopsy on the recently thawed out Jason (Kane Hodder), whose body was found in an abandoned space station. Whilst distracted, Adrienne is unaware that Jason has awoken behind her and grabs her by her hair, forcing her face-first into a sink filled with liquid nitrogen, causing her head to immediately freeze. Removing her and looking at his handiwork, Jason would smash her head against the work surface, shattering her face, before tossing her corpse aside.

FREDDY VS. JASON (2003) – Trey (Jesse Hutch)
Freddy vs. Jason had been fifteen years in the making, pitching the villains from the A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th franchises against each other in a fight to the death. Having gone through numerous writers and directors, the task of bringing the concept to the big screen fell to Ronny Yu, who had previously given the Child’s Play series a postmodern makeover with 1998′s Bride of Chucky. The story that was eventually selected saw both antagonists trapped in the bowels of Hell, with Freddy desperate to escape so he can continue his killing spree at his old stomping ground, Elm Street. Allowing Jason (Ken Kirzinger) to escape Hell, he lures him to Elm Street in an effort to evoke enough fear in the town’s teenagers so that he will be able to break free from his restraints and control the dream world once again. Jason makes his way to the former home of Lt. Donald Thompson and his daughter, Nancy (Heather Langenkamp), a house which Freddy is strangely drawn to time and time again. Finding a group of teens partying without the supervision of parents, Jason appears over the bed of obnoxious jock Trey (Jesse Hutch) and begins to butcher him with his machete to the point that the bed breaks in half, crushing Trey’s lifeless body.

FRIDAY THE 13TH (2009) – Nolan (Ryan Hansen)
Having made a suitable impression on the executives at New Line with their script for Freddy vs. Jason, writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift were given the task of resurrecting the Friday the 13th franchise for Michael Bay’s production company Platinum Dunes (previously responsible for the all-style-no-substance remakes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hitcher). Taking elements from the first four movies, arguably favourites among fans, the reboot saw Jason (Derek Mears) reinvented as a hunter, who kidnaps a young woman (Amanda Righetti) who resembles his dead mother, prompting the girl’s brother (Jared Padalecki) to head out to Crystal Lake in search of her. Whilst the characterisation would be lacking, even for a slasher film, and the acting would be subpar (with the exception of Mears and Danielle Panabaker, the film’s only truly sympathetic character), some of the murders would be gruesome enough to delight fans of the series. The most memorable of which was the death of Nolan (Ryan Hansen) who, whilst out on the lake with his girlfriend (Willa Ford), is suddenly shot in the head by an arrow.

Below is a cast list being reported by IMDB and the aforementioned horror website.

Monica Keena
Laura Harring
Jennifer Landon
Heather Matarazzo
Thora Birch
Estella Warren
Patti D’Arbanville
Michael Monks.

Monica Keena will star as Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme.

We recently interviewed Douglas Tait about his role as Jason Voorhees in Freddy vs Jason and fans have become more curious about his role in that film and Hollywood. Recently announced, Mr. Tait will be appearing at Rock’n Movie Role Night which takes place in Halle/Saale, Germany on the 2nd of April 2024. Here is another opportunity for our European visitors to meet Doug and ask him the many questions on your mind.

For more information, check out the official website, www.rocknmovierole.de.

Mr. Tait was also very generous in providing us with some never before seen behind-the-scenes photos from his days shooting on the Freddy vs Jason set. So, we hope everyone enjoys his thoughts and also the awesome photos he has provided!

My primary goal when I started was always to act. I loved performing, and I started working at Universal Studios in High school playing Frankenstein and other Classic Movie Monsters, and that is what got me started in acting behind masks and makeup. I became obsessed with playing monsters at an early age. Most recently I have gotten into producing films that I am in. I produced the film One By One: Deaths Door which stars Tony Todd and myself.
 
2. How did you get involved in the Freddy vs Jason production? Had you worked with any of the crew from Freddy vs Jason previously?

I got involved by going through casting. I had gone to several auditions, and call backs and was being considered for the part. Ronny Yu wanted a taller leaner Jason Vorhees. I actually feel bad for Kane Hodder, If I was Kane I would have been upset also if a Director would cast someone else when I had played Jason in so many prior films. Anyway, after weeks had gone by I was told they hired Ken, so I sadly moved on. Then almost a year later they called me for the reshoot.

3. How many days were you on set for filming and what was the typical amount of time and preparation you needed for your scene? What kind of makeup appliances and props were needed for the Jason outift that you were to wear?

I was on the film for a couple days. The water sequence took a lot of preparation. They realized that when I got wet,  I looked too skinny in the clothes, so they had to bulk me up with pads and extra clothing so it would look like I was still big. Being with all this extra weight, one eye covered, a machete in one hand,  Freddy’s head in another hand, and being totally submerged in water, made that scene very difficult. Also, Ronny Yu wanted me to walk like I was walking on land. He wanted it to look like I could walk through the water without it making me rise to the surface. To do this effect, they had a rope tied under water that I held onto with my left hand (with Freddy’s severed head in it also), and I held myself down on the ground so I could pull myself and walk forward.

4. What was your experience working with Director Ronny Yu and also Robert England? Are there any funny or interesting behind the scene stories that you woud like to share?

Working with Robert Englund and Ronny Yu was great. Robert Englund was a class act. He was such a great guy, and we talked about his character, and how he was a huge influence on my acting behind prosthetic fx makeup. It was  a dream come true to work with him. I actually have an emberassing story about Ronny Yu. When I came in to meet him, he was showing me the Jason movements he wanted and he was hunched over and dragging his leg, so I copied him several times, and he kept saying no, no, like this… and he did the same thing. Finally he got called to another room and he limped out. I realized that he had a bad leg and I was imitating it, I felt so terrible.

5. The scene that you are known to be playing Jason is at the very end of the film where Jason emerges from the water with Freddy’s head in his hand. Is that truly the only scene you played Jason? If that is the only scene, were you supposed to appear in other scenes as Jason at one point, but eventually were not needed?

Unfortunately for me, it was the only scene I was hired to do. The test audiences were confused about the original ending, they thought Jason Ritter’s character was becoming Jason. You can see it in the deleted scenes, that is why they decided to reshoot the ending. Originally I was being considered for playing the role of Jason in the entire film. It was actually between me and Ken. When they took the film to Canada, I was out of luck. There was no way they were going to pay for my flight and hotel stay when Ken was a local. Also, Ken is older than me and he was a lot more established in the business than I was at the time.

6. Do you know the circumstances as to why you had to be brought in to play Jason for your scene(s)? Was Ken Kirzinger just not available or were there other reasons?

I heard different information about why Ken didn’t do the shoot. At the time I was told that they were saving money by hiring me locally for the reshoot. Later on I heard he was on another project and couldn’t get out. I am not sure which is the right answer. Maybe Ken would know…
7. What was your overall experience like on filming Freddy vs Jason? Was it an enjoyable and free spirited set and crew?

It was a great experience working on Freddy vs. Jason. It was my first big Feature film, and I was only 24 at the time. I had a person onset who’s only job was to hold my Machete, (She never worked cause I wouldn’t let go of it!) I remember standing in the water with Freddy’s head in my hand thinking: Wow, I am working with Robert Englund and behind the mask of Jason Vorhees! Both of them scared the hell out of me as a kid and they are the two biggest Horror icons of all time!

8. Did you watch Freddy vs Jason and if so, what is your thoughts on the film? Do you follow the franchise at all and have any thoughts to share with the fans?

I have watched Freddy Vs. Jason several times, and I like it a lot. I really like the blending of the two iconic worlds that these two are from. I think it was well done and I still enjoy watching it. I have always been a fan of the franchise and I feel very privelaged to have been a part of it. I wish I could have done more, but at least I got to experience what I did.

9. You recently began attending conventions. What has that experience been like and what do you think of all of the fans that attend to see their favorite actors and artists?

I wrote off conventions in the past and just recently started attending them. I started to get calls for my character in Star Trek and I enjoyed the experience. I used to think conventions were for actors who no longer had a career, but I was wrong. So I hooked up with the best signing agent, Sean Clark at Convention All Stars, and the rest is history. Interacting with fans has been the greatest thing I could have ever done, and I love it. I will always do conventions to stay close to the great fans out there. I have a fan who wants me to play Michael Myers in the next Halloween and he built a Facebook Fan site and made a slideshow of my monster pictures, it is very flattering. I will be at Weekend Of Horrors this weekend and HorrorHound Weekend next month.

10. What do you have in the works right now in Hollywood and what is that one project that you would really like to get done in the industry before it is all said and done?

I am working on a Horror as we speak, playing an Alien creature who lands at a campsite in the mountains of a small town and I wreak Havoc on the campers and town.  Soon I start the new TV Series Teen Wolf, I play the Uber Violent Werewolf in the series, and I just got offered a Lead Monster role in the Hansel And Gretel remake starring Jeremy Renner. The monster will be a huge practical Beast, (NO CGI) and it will be Directed by Tommy Wirkola of Dead Snow.

11. You recently were on set to film scenes for Knights Of Badassdom,’ starring Steve Zahn. Larry Zerner, who was in Friday the 13th Part 3, was also asked to film a scene for the film. Did you happen to be filming the same day he was? Did you two meet and if so, did you two discuss anything related to Friday the 13th or films in general?

Knights Of Badassdom is going to be a cult Horror masterpiece, it is Directed by the talented Joe Lynch and he was great to work with. Unfortunately Larry shot his scenes after I had already left Spokane Washington where the movie was filmed.

A new Convention Listing page will be created very soon to list out the 2024 conventions and their stars. Stay tuned!

NL: Did you have free reign or did you work closely with the cast and the production designer/wardrobe designer?
GC: You never have free rein, everything involves collaboration and approval, however, I think the Designer has a high degree of confidence in my ability.

NL: Did you use the same molds and designs from earlier Nightmare and Jason films, or did you start the mask/machete/Freddy Glove from scratch?
GC: The effects make-up department designed and built the Jason mask. The machete was designed by John Willett and the many versions were constructed to my specifications by our special effects department and my props builder, Charlie Grant. Freddy’s glove was designed and built from scratch with reference to previous gloves by my armourer Lem le Mercier. In total there were approximately 8-10 metal and 20 rubber machetes for various “gags” and 6 copper/steel and 6 plastic gloves as well as special replaceable blades for a variety of uses.

NL: Did you have a prop from the film that was your favorite?
GC: The comatose patient room was probably the most fun to work with.
The machete is just a machete except it’s big. Originally a scabbard was designed for Jason too, but that disappeared in the first camera tests because it interrupted the silhouette of Jason. With the glove we unfortunately had to reinvent the wheel since we were unable to obtain an actual sample of an early glove. By “Mark IV” we achieved a near perfect fit, with the little finger, being the biggest problem to overcome. Robert Englund is quite particular of the fit and mechanics of the operation and I think we were able to satisfy him.

NL: What other films have you worked on, and is there anyone you would love to work with in the future?
GC: I’ve done one other Friday 13th, “Jason Takes Manhattan”. Other than that, lots of features. I just finished “Scary Movie 3″ with David Zucker directing and that was a good experience.

NL: Have you always been a prop master and how did you get into the business? Can you share a little bit of your professional history with us?
GC: I started as a Set Dresser in network television here in Canada in 1979 and from there went to my first position as Props Master in 1986 on a feature called “Housekeeping” directed by Bill Forsyth and starring Christine Lahti.

NL: What kind of design research is involved in preparing for a film like Freddy Vs Jason?
GC: I suppose watching 1 to 10 and 1 to 7. Seriously, I do try to be realistic with every project, so in this case we researched everything from 1950’s summer camps to sleep therapy clinics.

NL: What influences your work the most?
GC: The script, the director, the budget.

NL: Freddy Vs Jason is a dark thrasher film, is there anything humorous that happened while working on Freddy Vs Jason that you can tell us about?
GC: Our 1st AD, Robert Wong, liked to run through a preliminary blocking of the scene we were about to shoot based on his discussion with the director and primarily for the benefit of the stand-ins and Director of Photography. The further into production we got, the more elaborate these blockings became with Robert giving us a detailed interpretation of how the action would play out by assuming all of the various roles with dialogue and action. During the blocking of the scene where Freddy brands another actor with “Freddy’s Back”, Robert is throwing himself around the room as if it were Freddy and the kid. He threw himself against the window and onto the floor and at the peak of the action he throws himself against a wall. Suddenly with a horrible look of pain on his face he runs from the set and reaches down to lift the camera dolly. Well it turns out he has a bad shoulder and in his energetic action had dislocated it. Ouch!

Douglas is also on Facebook and happens to feature some great behind the scenes photos from his time on set of Freddy vs Jason. There is one really cool shot of him posing with a very green Robert England. Check out the photos below and stop by Douglas’s Facebook page and say hi!

Also, Canyon News just conducted an interview with Douglas about his career in Hollywood. It is a very good interview and reveals alot about his many talents. Here is an excerpt of the interview:

Q-I have to ask this, since you’ve done so much work wearing makeup and costumes in films and on TV. Why would someone with such a handsome leading man face cover it up so often?

A-“Well, thank you for the compliment. I am very fortunate that I am part of a small group of guys, who get the opportunity to play creatures and monsters in big budget films. It all started as a kid. I loved Halloween and dressing up. As soon as I turned 16, I got a job at Universal Studios Hollywood, playing Frankenstein. From years of being there it turned into more work in television and small projects as characters behind prosthetic makeup. In 2024 I landed my big break behind Jason Vorhees Hockey mask in the ending scene of ‘Freddy vs. Jason.’ And as you know, Tommy most recently, I played the Head Sleestak in ‘Land of the Lost’ [2009] and the long face bar alien in J.J. Abrams’s ‘Star Trek’ [2009]. This character was created by my good friend Barney Burman, who won this year’s Academy award for Best Makeup. I have built a good following in the horror and Sci-Fi film world, and have been given such great opportunities because of my face being covered up, so I am grateful for that. Besides, I love playing these characters that are different from myself.” Read The Entire Interview