GRAEME REVELL:
I liked Freddy vs. Jason. I must say I thought it could have been a little funnier. But I'm speaking as a man in my 40s. I always had to keep reminding myself that it's the same as hearing pop music—these movies are made for the kids, essentially. So I'm still ready for it to be totally spoofed, but maybe not everybody is. Though I'd like to do the next Friday the 13th...
PAULA SHAW:
The bottom line for me was, I just didn't root for either side. If neither side dies at the end of this thing, for me, psychologically, there was nothing at stake. It doesn't matter who wins because these guys are indestructible. It's just one battle in a war that goes on and on. I couldn't get very emotionally involved. But, look, it didn't really matter who wins, because I guess you just want to know how they got there and what they did to each other? But when I was watching Freddy vs. Jason, I did think Ronny did it ingeniously, given the circumstance. And I don't know how else you could have done it better. Freddy vs. Jason is just battle after battle after battle.
MARK SWIFT:
Freddy vs. Jason is not perfect. I think it has a lot of problems. There's one mind that says, "If you make a piece of shit, it's going to make the same amount of money." I don't believe that. It did have a massive drop-off. And I think the people who love it the most are 15 or 16 year olds—guys especially. But when Damian and I were writing it, I thought it could break through to $150 million. Honestly. Look at what Scream did, look at what Blair Witch did. If Freddy vs. Jason had been done right, if it was dark and scary with lots of action, it would have been massive.
On the whole, I think Freddy vs. Jason delivered for a lot of people. I'm glad it got made. I would rather have the version that exists now than Freddy killing somebody with a Nintendo power glove. And New Line's absolutely thrilled with it. Plus, you're never going to make everybody happy. So I'm not complaining. It's pretty amazing.
TOBY EMMERICH:
In all honesty, I don't disagree with the critics. If I were being paid by the New York Times, I'd probably give Freddy vs. Jason a mixed review, too. But our exit polls were really strong, so the film's real fans obviously enjoyed it. I wish we could have made a movie that pleased both the fans and the critics, but that would've taken another five years and another $20 million, and that wasn't what we had to work with.
MATTHEW BARRY:
As a casting director, I'm not proud of all the films I've done. Not at all. Sometimes you have a great cast but the films don't work out, or sometimes you have a great film but you just don't like the director's choices. On this one, I'm actually very proud. It was long and hard, but in the end it turned out exactly how I wanted it to. The kids were all great—it was more than I was expecting. It was such a great ride. And it makes me feel good to know that we're part of one of the big installments of these franchises.
ROBERT ENGLUND:
It may be a strange integrity, but I think there's a whole new point of view now on horror movies from the 1970s and 1980s. A new respect. We've become the Seattle grunge band of horror. We were lean and mean, but we somehow delivered the goods. And we were culturally significant in an accidental way, as opposed to these bloated studio horrors that are all about CGI effect after CGI effect. Everything has been co-opted since then. Mothers began piercing themselves and wearing safety pins, and everybody has contemporary hair now. But back then, both of these franchises were raw and imaginative, and were something that the kids found for themselves. So I think now, with a kind of retro hindsight, it is fun to remember back to the great times of these movies, before the age of hype and sophistication and irony.
Also, my feeling is that when the DVD box set of A Nightmare on Elm Street came out, we gained a new generation. I know my fan mail, personally, went through the roof. It also has a younger appeal now than it used to. Moms and dads even let their kids see them. It's become a rite of passage for 12 and 13 year-old boys. So I believe that generation has had their appetite whet for these movies, and were really anticipating Freddy vs. Jason, as well as the people who were fans originally. I think it was a project and an idea whose time had come. And although I don't see Freddy or Jason disappearing any time soon, Freddy vs. Jason may, in a way, be the perfect farewell to the horror conventions of the last two decades of the 20th century.
RONNY YU:
Oh, the reaction, it was unbelievable. But I'm not a savior. I did not rescue anything. I just went in and tried to make something that was exciting. It all boils down to luck. And, really, I think it was the fans that made this happen, who really supported these characters and these franchises all these years. Otherwise, we wouldn't have made those numbers. I'm just so happy that I delivered something that the fans really embraced.
12. Reflections on the Water
For all of the writers, directors, actors, producers and craftspeople who have left their mark on Friday the 13th and its sequels, their contributions have granted them honorary lifetime memberships to a most unusual club. And while some look back on their association with the series as a mere stepping stone—or, in some cases, a roadblock—to their long-term career goals, others are proud to display their Jason-inflicted "battle scars" and boast of their struggles and ultimate survival at "Camp Blood" as well-deserved badges of honor. Presented here are the parting thoughts of many of the talented men and women whose creative contributions helped shape the cinematic legacy that is Friday the 13th. Their recollections shed light on the impact the series has had on their careers, their personal lives, and pop culture at large. They also reflect candidly on the series' continuing allure and speculate on what the future may hold for Jason Voorhees. Regardless of whether Friday the 13th survives a dozen more incarnations, or we have indeed seen the last of Jason Voorhees, there is little doubt that the legend of a certain hockey-masked killer will live on long after those whose stories are documented here have passed.
But no matter when Jason Voorhees finally decides it is time to put down his machete, kiss his mother's decapitated head goodnight, and finally rest in peace (or in pieces, as the case may be), the fans of Friday the 13th will always have these memories—these Crystal Lake Memories—to remind us that these films did, indeed, matter.
TASO STAVRAKIS, Effects Assistant, Part 1:
Friday the 13th was made on a shoestring. It was just a few people who all had the willpower to say, "We're going to do this." We didn't know what it would be until it was done, then it suddenly became this big thing. That's what I took the most from Friday the 13th: that no matter what anyone thinks or says about your idea, you can make it happen. And it just might become something incredible.
VICTOR MILLER, Screenwriter, Part 1:
Up until 1980, if I would be at a party and people would ask what I did for a living, I'd say, "I'm a writer." And of course they would say, "Well, what have you written that I know?" And I would have to say, "Nothing." But after May 1980, I could answer that same question by saying, "I wrote Friday the 13th." And although most of the time they would be quick to say, "I never saw that, because I wouldn't go to that kind of movie," it still somehow validated me as a writer to the outside world. It did not make me a better writer, and personally, it did not solve all of my inner turmoil. But it sure made it easier to go to parties.
ROBBI MORGAN, "Annie," Part 1:
Sometimes when you're part of a project, you do it and then you're kind of done—by the time it's finished and out you're already onto something else. For me, I didn't realize what was happening with Friday the 13th until my brother called right after it came out to say, "Robbi—this movie is huge!" It was fantastic. And still, to this day, I get recognized on the street—which is shocking, because it was so long ago and my part was so small. But I'm absolutely thrilled to have been a part of it. It was a blast.
BETSY PALMER, "Mrs. Voorhees," Part 1 & Part 2:
I once told my daughter, "Tell me the truth, are you ashamed that your mother did Friday the 13th?" And she said, "Not at all—now I don't have to
tell my friends who you are anymore." The funny thing is, I did poo-poo it for a long time. I wasn't sure if I wanted anyone to know. But I've since accepted it. It's actually become fun now. It's like a badge of honor. I'm the Queen of the Slashers!
On January 13, 2004, New Line Cinema held a special event at the Hollywood Wax Museum in Hollywood, California, to celebrate the DVD release of Freddy vs. Jason. The museum unveiled wax statues of both characters, with stars Robert Englund (left) and Ken Kirzinger on hand for the induction ceremony. Among the many other festivities was a Jason and Freddy "Best Look-a-Like" contest, judged by Englund, Kirzinger and co-star Jason Ritter. The Freddy vs. Jason DVD would go on to sell over 2.5 million copies in the United States.
JEANNINE TAYLOR, "Marcie," Part 1:
I didn't really think of Friday the 13th as a horror film, just a great, low-risk way to get some on-camera experience. To me, this was a small independent movie about some very carefree teenagers who are having a rip-roaring time at a summer camp where they happen to be working as counselors. Then they just happen to get killed.
It was impossible for me to enjoy that it was a hit because I got disapproval from a number of people whom I respected. I went on to do a couple of New York stage productions right after the film was released, and I'd included Friday the 13th in my bio for the playbills. The directors of each of these productions came to me and said, "You were in this film? Friday the 13th?" Then they shook their heads slowly—and disapprovingly—and walked away. And these were famous Broadway directors. But I did not take Friday the 13th out of my bio. I didn't want to dwell on it, yet I didn't want to pretend that I hadn't done the film, either. It was very difficult for a while. My response was to wipe it off my mental screen.
I learned that a certain portion of one's life is completely out of one's control. My response can only be appreciative. For all the scorn and ridicule heaped upon it at the time, Friday the 13th became this enormous success and an iconic part of the culture. It will always be embedded in that cultural moment, and so will I. That's something a lot of people never get.
RONN CARROLL, "Sgt. Tierney," Part 1:
What's the greatest thing about being in Friday the 13th? I got to be a first-degree of Kevin Bacon.
MARK NELSON, "Ned," Part 1:
I discovered I have a big fan base of 13-year-old boys. They still rent Friday the 13th and watch it on TV. One time, a boy of maybe 12 stopped me on the street near Times Square. He said, "Hey man, you're Ned! I'm so excited! Can you come with me and meet my mom?" It seemed to mean a lot to him, and it was fun to see how excited he was, so I said sure. We went down to this hot dog place in Times Square and behind the counter is this woman. The boy runs up to her and says, "Mom, mom, look who I found! It's Ned! The actor from Friday the 13th!" Her smile faded from her face and she just said, "Oh, you should be ashamed of yourself! How could you do a movie like that?"
BILL FREDA:
I think Friday the 13th may be losing its weight in some ways because of the realities of what's going on in the world today. It's a genre that sort of stopped, but may come back in a different way. The phenomenon is that it made so much money. That's about it. There's not much more you can say about it. You have to be in the right place at the right time. But the thing is you also have to carry it forward in a way that remains relevant, and I'm not sure they did.
ARI LEHMAN, "Jason Voorhees," Part 1:
What speaks to me about the original Friday the 13th is that it is about confronting our innermost fears, which is very spiritually liberating and can make us stronger people. I think that was the effect that being in the movie had on me—I might have been scared of horror movies prior, but afterward I gained insight. I've lived in Chicago and New York and Brooklyn and I've seen real horror situations where they, some of my brothers out there, have real respect for Jason. Maybe confronting this demon somehow helps you steel yourself to any situation—it's a fantastic thing. It has to do with imagination… and even Albert Einstein said imagination is more important than knowledge.
HARRY MANFREDINI, Composer, Part 1–Part VII, Jason Goes to Hell, Jason X:
After I did the original Friday the 13th, I got a call from some guy in Hollywood named Oliver Stone. He was doing this movie called The Hand. He said, "I love what you did with that picture. I want you to come out and do my movie." Then Edward Pressman, the producer, flew me out to Los Angeles and put me up in a hotel and gave me a small budget to work with. I ended up writing three pieces for the picture, but I was trying to impress. I tried to write something that had never been written before. But Friday the 13th was 13 guys in a basement in New Jersey—and that doesn't make you a film scorer. I just created something that was different and it struck a lot of people. So I ended up not getting the job. And had I been offered The Hand a few years later, I would have had more experience. That's a perfect example—I sort of peaked with Friday the 13th before I was really ready.
For me, Friday the 13th is a double-edged sword. It paid me a lot of money, but at the same time it's always, "Oh, you're the guy who did that." It just turns out that I'm good at writing horror movie music, and it is a lot of fun. But I'm sure I'll be ninety years old and I'll never escape Friday the 13th. There will be a Friday Part 65 or something, and old Jason will be in a wheelchair. And on my gravestone, it'll say, "He's the guy who thought up 'Ki, ki, ki. Ma, ma, ma.'"
Over the course of a weekend beginning Friday, May 13, 2005, Necrocomicon held the "Friday the 13th 25th Anniversary Celebration" in Hollywood, California. The event reunited cast and crew from all eleven Friday films. Clockwise from top left: Betsy Palmer, Harry Manfredini and Adrienne King; Kevin Spirtas and Lar Park Lincoln; Amy Steel and John Furey; Larry Zerner (left) and David Katims.
ADRIENNE KING, "Alice," Part 1 & Part 2:
Unfortunately, I got a little bonus out of Friday the 13th that took away a little bit of the fun. Shortly after the movie came out, I had a stalker—and this was before the issue had really come into the public's consciousness. It was very difficult. It lasted for about a year and a half. Eventually it got violent. It ended with the person being incarcerated, although they have since gotten out.
It took me a very long time to cope with the whole experience, and it completely changed the course of my career. After Friday the 13th, I did my little cameo in Part 2. Then I went to the Royal Academy in London and I studied there—kind of to redeem myself. And I was very happy because they only accept a couple dozen Americans into that program. But by 1984, I wasn't really acting anymore. I certainly didn't want to go on and become a "scream queen." I honed my craft and everything, but I wasn't secure enough to come back from the Academy and deal with a possible repeat of the whole stalker experience.
But the actual experience of making the movie was wonderful. And its success, for me, was just the most amazing thing—it was the highlight of my career. I look back at Friday the 13th with nothing but a smile.
AMY STEEL, "Ginny Field," Part 2:
The only advice I could ever give is to just enjoy every minute, because all of a sudden it will be gone. When I started, I was living on a day-to-day basis, just going, "Oh my God! I'm making money! This is great!" And I thought it would continue. Hollywood is really fun when you're young, and you're successful and things are happening. But as you get older, you get in the very compromising position of no longer being young and beautiful. Now I do voiceovers. I love it—you don't even have to put makeup on. I also went back to school and got my BA. So I don't regret anything—I had the best time. I'm looking back now in hindsight, and I have a great view from here.
LAUREN-MARIE TAYLOR, "Vickie," Part 2:
These types of movies are your training ground as an actor, because it's not like you get a gazillion-dollar budget. Yes, culturally they've become significant, but they really are very small movies. You really do get to learn the ABC's of everything—of camera angles, of lighting and sound, and just how large your facial expressions can look up there
on the big screen. Friday the 13th really does teach you about the fine workings of filmmaking.
CLIFF CUDNEY, Stunt Coordinator, Part 2:
My only concern with doing things like Friday the 13th was that, if I worked in B-movies too much, then I'd become known only as a B-movie stuntman. And the sad part is, ironically, those are the movies you have the most creative freedom with.
LARRY ZERNER, "Shelly," Part 3:
After the movie came out, for a period of about a month, I was somewhat famous. I got my 15 minutes. And that's something a lot of people never get. I'm grateful—at least I know I had this one thing. Plus the fact that I'm this little tiny piece of movie trivia—I'm the guy who gave Jason his hockey mask—it's an honor! And I'm the only non-Jason to wear that mask. So that's cool.
Since then, it has been fun to be famous and then to fade back into obscurity. I'm an attorney now. And in the movie I say, "I'm not an asshole—I'm an actor." Now I get to say, "I'm not an actor—I'm an asshole."
RICHARD BROOKER, "Jason Voorhees," Part 3:
I get fan mail all the time, and sometimes I even get stopped for an autograph, which is weird, since you never even saw my real face in the movie. And one time I was introduced to this girl in a bar as "the guy who played Jason," and all she asked was, "Do you sleep with a hatchet in your bed?"
Every October, Universal Studios theme parks across the United States transform into Halloween Horror Nights. Among the many scary sights that await brave patrons are horror movie-themed mazes, marauding monsters, live entertainment and extensive re-theming of the park's many attractions. In 2008, Universal added Jason Voorhees and Friday the 13th to its parks' haunted house line-up. Scenes from many of the Friday films are recreated in full bloody fashion, with Jason always lurking around the next corner to terrify unsuspecting guests. The character now joins such other iconic horror characters as Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, Leatherface and Chucky as part of the Universal Studios family of classic movie monsters.
Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th (Enhanced Edition) Page 89