Mike Drake of Mezco Toyz talks Jason!
With their recent partnership with New Line Cinema’s House of Horrors (which includes the Friday the 13th license), Mezco Toyz has wasted no time in continuing an excellent trend of collectibles that have always added to the appeal of being a Friday the 13th fan. Recently, Mike Drake of Mezco Toyz took time to answer numerous questions about what Mezco has to offer, and some news on what they plan to offer in the future for Friday the 13th collectors.
F13F: What is your exact position with Mezco toys?
MD: Director of Special Projects and Administrator
F13F: Which film out of the Friday the 13th series would you list as your favorite?
MD: I hate to say this because I get a great deal of flack for it, but I love #1 and #10 (Jason X). Let me explain #10. I’m a bit of a sci-fi geek, and I look at #10 as a 1 off. It doesn’t go into cannon, it’s not part of the continuity (such as it is) but it is like a WHAT IF? Comic. Like SPEEDING BULLETS one of the niftiest Batman/ Superman blendings ever. The scene of Jason on the holodeck alone makes the film worth it.
F13F: What was the process involved in Mezco gaining the license to the Friday the 13th merchandise?
MD: They saw how great our figures were and how committed we were to the line and we worked out a deal. That’s it in a nutshell.
F13F: Have there been any bumps in the road with merchandising with Warner Brothers recently buying out New Line Cinema or was the process a smooth one as far as your licensing goes?
MD: None so far and none expected.
F13F: What goes into deciding what to make and what not to make when it comes to the Friday the 13th merchandise?
MD: We all have ideas and we pitch them, Mez (our president) mulls them over, we weigh what has worked in the past, consider what things are happening or are on the way, do some toy alchemy and make a decision.
F13F: How important are the fans and feedback when it comes to making these decisions?
MD: Very important. Fans essentially vote with their money. We also watch the message boards and websites to help gauge what fans want.
F13F: Onto the Jason merchandise! What products do you currently have on the market for Friday the 13th collectors?
MD: So many! Cinema of Fear (COF) Series 1 and 2. COF 3 on the way. Screen Grabs 1 and 2, 2 being a favorite since it has Jason in a great underwater scene. A new 12inch figure on the way, and Series 1 and 2 Roto Plush. Series 1 of the plush did great and we expect #2 to sell out almost instantly. We also have, being revealed here, a SDCC exclusive Jason coming. And of course we have a stylized figure and did a limited edition variant of that for NYCC.
Click to enlarge images
F13F: The Cinema of Fear 7 inch figures are incredible and display very well with Jason figures made previously by other companies. Can you give us any insight on what we can look forward to in future series as fas as Jason goes?
MD: More Jason, but I can’t say what.
Cinema of Fear series one Jason from “The Final Chapter”
F13F: The Living Dead Dolls series has always been an intriguing concept. Was it a given that Jason would be represented in the series once you gained rights to Friday the 13th merchandise?
MD: Ed and Damien created the living dead dolls and work closely with them to this day. Both of them are huge Jason fans and once Mezco got the license they were all over the idea of turning him into an LDD.
Photos by Josh Puckett
F13F: The Friday the 13th series contains numerous iconic scenes. You have already represented two scenes in your “Screen Grabs” series. One features Jason making his first on screen appearance at the end of the original “Friday the 13th” and the other (coming soon) features Tommy Jarvis being held under the water during the finale of “Jason Lives”. Are there any other scenes in particular that you are dying to bring to life in this series?
MD: Personally I’d like a Jason in a “Ready to slash” pose, victim with her back to Jason, Jason with machete raised and ready to strike, forever frozen in that split second before it all goes bad.
Mezco “Screen Grabs” series 1
F13F: Explain to those who don’t know, what exactly a Mezco “Stylized” figure is.
MD: Its a bit like a caricature of the figure. It maintains the essence but exaggerates what makes the character who they are.
Photos by Josh Puckett
F13F: In 2024, Jason will return to Camp Crystal Lake in a relaunch of the Friday the 13th series. Will you guys be doing merchandise for this film? And if so, have you been kept in the dark as to Jason’s look in the film?
MD: We haven’t seen the new look or the script yet, or have we, and you can bet your machete we will be doing merchandise. Exciting, terrifying merchandise.
F13F: Other than Friday the 13th, what other horror movie license do you guys represent?
MD: A Nightmare on Elm St, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hellboy (kind of scary…), and a few more are in the works.
F13F: Any plans on possibly acquiring any new horror license in the near future?
MD: Oh yes, always working on that. Can’t say what though. Personally I’d love to do The Blind Dead but I don’t think it will happen. Same with Clockwork Orange.
F13F: The folks at Mezco truly make some awesome products for Friday the 13th collectors, as well as other collectors. Anything else you would like to say to those out there that may be interested in your products?
MD: One of the things that makes Mezco unique is that we are all fans and we all love what we do. For virtually all of us this is a dream job. We’re all here early in the morning and we stay till late at night. Its not quite like being paid to play but its pretty close. We love and believe in our products and the care that we take to ensure accuracy is unheard of within the industry. Mez, our president, has such high standards that we have actually had factories refuse to work with us. Paint standards that will work on a Happy Meal toy won’t work for Mezco product.We have some of the most complex and detailed paints in the industry. We also believe in accessories. We ask ourselves “What would I love this figure to include?” and we try to make the list a reality. Other companies would sharpen their pencils and say “Scarface can’t come with a paper bag and individual stacks of bills” or “Jason doesn’t need 3 weapons and a severed head, just give him the head and the machete”. Mezco goes the extra mile and adds the goodies in a time when other companies are reducing paint and eliminating accessories. The amount of research that goes into each character is amazing, movies are actually watched frame by frame. Stills are studied. We use whatever resources are available to make sure accuracy is achieved. You won’t find many other companies doing that. And I don’t think you’ll find anyone else doing it as well.
For more information on Mezco Toyz, head over to http://www.mezcotoyz.com
Cast News & Clarification
An official statement on Amanda Righetti courtesy of Christian Sellers:
There has been speculation that Amanda Righetti has dropped out of the FRIDAY THE 13TH remake and replaced by actress Danielle Panabaker. This is simply not true. I would also like to address the misconception that Amanda is not the true female lead of the film. This information is also incorrect. Amanda is currently in Austin, Texas filming her role as ‘Whitney,’ the younger sister to Jared Padalecki’s character, ‘Clay.’ Please note that Amanda Righetti is indeed the female lead of this film. Thank you.
According to a blog (found via BD), a new cast member. Also a few cast names I haven’t seen listed before, either that or I forgot because they’re all just Jason fodder to me.
Ryan Hansen (Superhero Movie, “Veronica Mars”) is set to star in New Line Cinema, MTV Films and Paramount Pictures’ Friday the 13th. He joins Jared Padalecki, Derek Mears, Amanda Righetti, Danielle Panabaker, Aaron Yoo, Travis Van Winkle, Willa Ford, Nick Mennell, Jonathan Sadowski, Nana Visitor and Arlen Escarpeta.
Mezco Cinema of Fear Series 2 Jason Review
MEZCO’s second series of the “Cinema of Fear” line has officially hit retailers nationwide. In series one, we got an excellent figure of Mr. Voorhees from Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, and in series 2, we get an equally awesome follow up featuring Jason from Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI.
Just like Jason from series 1, you get a lot of accessories. Jason comes complete with removable mask, a bloody knife, bloody machete, tombstone, the fence post that brought him back from the dead, the arm of one of the paint ballers, Sissy’s severed head, and the ripped out heart of Tommy Jarvis’s unfortunate friend Hawes.
The figure itself is pretty awesome. It does somewhat have a minor cartoony look. But that doesn’t take away from how awesome the figure does in fact look. The mask is well sculpted, though it could probably stand to be a bit more oval shaped. But the paint job is excellent. They did a good job of capturing the damage on the mask done throughout the film. The face under the mask looks great as well. Mezco really shined at capturing Jason’s maskless visage even though we only see it in the pitch dark in the film. They did a great job of interpreting it. You can see worms protruding from Jason’s right eye socket as well as coming from a hole in his rotted face. I’m not so sure why they left his mouth gaping open, but it doesn’t really take away from the look.
The attire is very well detailed. Jason has his “utility” belt (as seen in the film) as well as uncharacteristic gloves which he donned in the film. Mezco’s sculptors even remembered to include numerous bullet holes on and around his chest area.
The paint job is one area where I really feel that this figure excels. From the ugly rotten gray decaying head of Jason, to his dirty tattered pants, the company really captured good coloring in all areas of the figure itself. The only things that I don’t feel inclined to give excellent praise for in the painting department (and this is very minor) are some of the accessories. The blood on the knife and the machete is a little bright. And Sissy’s severed head just looks a little off for some reason. But Jason himself, the fence post, the heart and the ripped off arm are all near perfect.
Mezco’s Cinema of Fear series 2 Jason comes articulated in a few areas. The head is of the ball jointed type that we’ve seen implemented in various recent figures of this type. He is also ball jointed in his waist. His wrists move in a circular motion as well as jointed to move forward and backwards. This articulation though is creatively hidden by the wrist area of the gloves on his hands. The arms are bendable at the elbow as well as movable at the shoulder so you can achieve numerous differing poses for your display. With so many accessories, one would almost feel obligated to pick up two figures to be able to be fully satisfied when displaying the figure. Gone from series 2 is leg articulation. This was one of my few gripes from series 1. It was really unneeded for a figure of this type. It also makes Jason easier to stand without having to mess with his leg positioning, which would often make the series 1 figure look a tad strange when displayed.
Mezco’s figures may take some folks a tad bit of getting used to but once again they have given us a 7 inch Jason figure which has never been attempted. With the release of Cinema of Fear series 2, we have only been denied figures of this size from Friday the 13th part 3, V (Roy is a big want on my list), and VIII, as other companies such as NECA and McFarlane have previously helped fill out the series nicely. Cinema of Fear series 2 Jason looks excellent when displayed with other Jason figures.
While they are stacked to the rim with accessories, they seem to maintain a certain amount of cartoonishness as opposed to figures released from previous owners of the license such as NECA or McFarlane. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that this is an excellent figure. The rest of Mezco Cinema of Fear series 2 is rounded out by Freddy Krueger from Nightmare 1, an excellent Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre part 2, and a diorama featuring Freddy’s hand coming up from the bathtub to greet a sleeping Nancy Thompson. It’s a very well rounded set of figures. But this is Jason’s house. And the series 2 Jason Voorhees from Jason Lives: Friday the 13th part VI is a must for anyone who collects Jason merchandise.
Photo credit: My wife Alaina
Mrs Voorhees Was A Terrific Killer
My only real beef with the new Friday is that it’s gonna mess up the trivia scene in Scream. You know the one, where the killer tricks Casey Becker by asking who the killer was in Friday the 13th. Naturally she answers “Jason” but the killer correctly points out that Jason’s mother Mrs Voorhees was the original killer - cue the boyfriend’s guts spilling out onto the floor. Now clueless idiots will see this new movie called Friday The 13th, see Scream, and conclude the filmmakers fucked up. But I digress…
Nana Visitor is taking on a motherly role, she revealed via ScreenGeeks Radio (hit the link for the audio):
She revealed that she will be playing Pamela Voorhees in the upcoming Friday the 13th remake. She apparently won’t be in the film for long, but she has had a mold made of her head.
Elsewhere, BD have posted a piece about the mask - below I’ve edited out the breathless hyperbole in favor of the more reasonable comments about the mask by producer Brad Fuller:
It’s such an iconic mask that you don’t want to mess with it too much.
The designer carries the mask from LA in a steel case, takes it to the airport. [Airport security] runs it through and it looks like a hockey mask - and they say ‘Were going to have to take you in the back.’ When they get in the back they ask him ‘Is that Jason Voorhees’ mask?!’ They pretty much flipped out asking to take photos with it, which obviously they couldn’t.
We tried to update it with little things - I dont want to give it away. When people see him, they’re wont be a doubt that’s it Jason’.
See that mask up top? Not the mask they’re using - but would’ve been cool if they did. Courtesy Dedkid. Dig it.
New Cast & FX Details
One week to go till shooting starts, so expect lots of quick-hit updates…
Amanda out as lead, Danielle in - plus character details - from Digital Spy:
[Danielle] Panabaker, who plays James Woods’s daughter in CBS show Shark, will take the role previously slated for Amanda Righetti. Her character is described as the adventurous, athletic girlfriend of [Travis] van Winkle’s wealthy alpha male. [Aaron] Yoo will play quirky Chumbler, who wears his attraction to pretty girls on his sleeve, while [Jonathan] Sadowski is a techie who knows the story of Camp Crystal Lake.
Who’s reduxing Tom Savini as FX Artist? Shock Till You Drop have the 411:
Makeup and special effects artist Scott Stoddard is bringing Jason Voorhees and all of his forthcoming kills to life in Platinum Dunes’ Friday the 13th. The project reunites him with the Dunes team after working on Marcus Nispel’s 2024 reboot of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. His credits, while working for Stan Winston Studio and KNB EFX, also include Constantine, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning and Nip/Tuck.
My Face Is Up Here, Pervert
According to some guy at BD (it’s always some guy), a hot chick named Willa Ford has been cast in the new Friday The 13th. She’s also the wife of a hockey player… hmm, if it weren’t two weeks after April 1st I’d give kudos to such a subtle joke like that.
More Cabin Meat
I’ve not included pictures (hit up the IMDB links) because we all know it doesn’t matter what Jason’s victims look like alive, it’s how they look dead (or naked, or dead and naked) that counts. Ch-Ch-Ch Muahaha. Source BD:
21-year-old Danielle Panabaker (Mr. Brooks, Sky High), Aaron Yoo (Disturbia, 21) and Travis Van Winkle (Transformers, Left in Darkness, Asylum) are the latest camp counselors to enroll at Camp Crystal Lake.
Friday Gets Its Female Lead
I hope her character dies so I can make a cheesy pun like “Righetti Got Turned Into Spaghetti”.
Variety - by Byron Perry - Apr 2: Amanda Righetti is in final negotiations to play the female lead in the Michael Bay-produced remake of “Friday the 13th,” directed by Marcus Nispel. Lensing will begin April 21 in Austin, Texas. Righetti also recently joined the cast of CBS pilot “The Mentalist” and her credits include “Return to House on Haunted Hill” and a recurring guest role on “K-Ville.”
Friday The 13th: 30 Years Of Terror?
Halloween: 25 Years Of Terror was a decent doco on the series and I can’t wait to see some of the same magic sprinkled on Friday The 13th. From Fangoria:
Fango has learned from producer Anthony Masi that FRIDAY THE 13TH creator Sean Cunningham has thrown his full support behind an all-encompassing documentary on the film series, which Masi is currently putting together with Thommy Hutson. Masi, who produced the similar HALLOWEEN: 25 YEARS OF TERROR and, with Hutson, is piloting the fortunes of several genre films including PRANK and NEMESIS, tells FANGORIA that this project, for which a trailer has already been cut, will be “a retrospective much like [his earlier docu] HALLOWEEN: 25 YEARS OF TERROR. But it’s going to be done differently.”
“With HALLOWEEN, the making of the movies was often more interesting than the movies themselves,” Hutson adds. “But that wasn’t the case with the FRIDAY THE 13TH films. Those productions were very cookie-cutter; they came out with seven of them in eight years. It was a formula. But with the remake of the first film about to go into production, all of a sudden there’s a renewed interest in the series.”
Masi adds that, rather than a straightforward behind-the-scenes recounting, the docu will “talk about things like body count, gore and the concept of Jason as a superhero. There will also be more of a narrative flow to it. We don’t want it to end up being just a bunch of talking heads.” An official start date has yet to be announced; keep your eyes here for updates. —Marc Shapiro
And this just a day later. I loved Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers (both versions - live with it), so welcome aboard the Jason-Train, Daniel!
We broke the news yesterday about a new documentary on the FRIDAY THE 13TH film series that Anthony Masi and Thommy Hutson are producing, and today Hutson let us know who’s helming it. “This definitive documentary on such a terrific franchise will be directed by Daniel Farrands [pictured with FRIDAY PART III’s Larry Zerner, left, and Richard Brooker],” Hutson tells us. “He was paramount in putting this project together, and has been heavily involved from the beginning. After writing and/or directing projects such as HALLOWEEN: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS, THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT and two documentaries on the Amityville Horror for the History Channel [also seen on the DVD of the ’79 AMITYVILLE HORROR film], there is no better person to be at the helm. His great ideas and encyclopedic knowledge about the films will truly enhance this project.” Farrands also served as editor and co-publisher of the FRIDAY book CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES; we’ll keep you updated on the FRIDAY docu as it progresses. —Michael Gingold
Derek Mears As Jason Voorhees
It’d be ironic if Jason actually had a head of hair in this film. From BD:
This morning we received exclusive intel - which has been confirmed - that Derek Mears (picture inside; The Hills Have Eyes 2, Cursed) is in final talks to play Jason Voorhees in the remake of Friday the 13th for Platinum Dunes, New Line Cinema, MTV and Paramount Pictures. We have also been informed that he is in fact going to be the new Jason, it’s just a matter of time until everything is finalized.