Larry Zerner may not be a name familiar to those who do not follow the Friday the 13th franchise but his claim to fame was that it was his character that Jason Voorhees would obtain his now-iconic hockey mask from. (more…)
The Friday the 13th franchise is noted for having its fair share of scantily-clad victims, many of whom are either dispatched during or shortly after sex. Whilst several installments in the series have also boasted nudity, others have proven to be relatively restrained. Tom McLoughlin’s Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives was an attempt by Paramount Pictures to produce something more commercial after the explicit approach of the previous sequel, 1985′s A New Beginning. (more…)
When Ari Lehman made an appearance at the end of Friday the 13th, little did anyone know that his character would one day become an iconic figure of popular culture. Whilst the killer had been revealed as Mrs. Voorhees, a respectable, middle-aged woman, the focus of the subsequent sequels would shift to her son, Jason, who had supposedly died over twenty years earlier but was somehow still roaming the forests around Crystal Lake. (more…)
With all the technical challenges of a slasher film it is surprising that more are not directed by special effects artists. John Carl Buechler had been the first to helm a Friday the 13th movie, with 1988′s The New Blood which, whilst suffering from an uneven script and bland characters, boasted perhaps the most action-packed finale of the franchise. A decade later, another veteran of the effects industry would take the reins in an attempt to breathe new life into the series. (more…)
The iconic image of Jason Voorhees has become a staple of popular culture, yet before the hockey mask became a symbol of fear the character was just a scared young boy. In Sean S. Cunningham’s 1980 original, Jason had drowned in Crystal Lake in 1957 due to the negligence of a group of camp counselors, prompting his mother to exact bloody vengeance on those whom she felt were responsible. (more…)
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday opened like any other Friday the 13th movie. An attractive young woman arrives at the seemingly deserted Camp Crystal Lake and immediately strips off to take a shower. When the house is thrown into darkness she goes to investigate, whilst still wearing nothing but a towel. Stepping out onto the landing, Jason Voorhees suddenly jumps from out of the shadows and almost takes her head clean off with his machete. Running outside into the woods, the woman is chased by Jason but then suddenly the FBI appear with machine guns and a rocket and blow him to pieces. The woman, at first believed to be his next victim, is revealed to be an undercover agent and the trap was created in order to destroy Jason once and for all. (more…)
Director: Marcus Nispel
Writers: Damian Shannon, Mark Swift, Mark Wheaton
Starring: Jared Padalecki, Danielle Panabaker, Amanda Righetti, Travis Van Winkle, Aaron Yoo, Derek Mears, Jonathan Sadowski
Music: Steve Jablonsky
Special Makeup Effects: Scott Stoddard
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Whilst there have been countless discussions on the merits of the slasher’s ‘final girls,’ the victims themselves are often overlooked. The Friday the 13th series, more than any other, has boasted a cream of undiscovered talent that would later go on to enjoy varied degrees of success in Hollywood. Kevin Bacon, Corey Feldman and Crispin Glover would all gain acclaim for their subsequent roles, with their contributions to the Friday the 13th franchise often dismissed by interviewers and biographers. (more…)
Director: Daniel Farrands
Writers: Thommy Hutson, Anthony Masi
Starring: Tom Savini, Kane Hodder, Adrienne King, Sean S. Cunningham, Todd Farmer, Amy Steel, Harry Manfredini
Music: John Corlis
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