Friday the 13th at 45: The Tale Behind the Iconic Slasher Film

      Hasitha Fernando explores the background of Friday the 13th as it celebrates its 45th anniversary. Despite receiving significant criticism upon its initial release, the impact of Friday the 13th on the horror film genre is undeniable. As this iconic slasher classic reaches its 45th year, we delve into the behind-the-scenes details of the 1980 film that launched the franchise.

      The filmmaker was confident that the title alone would promote the movie. Originally called “A Long Night at Camp Blood,” writer Victor Miller drew inspiration from John Carpenter’s Halloween, the blockbuster slasher from the 80s, and the teen comedy Meatballs, which is set in a summer camp. Miller aimed to create a low-budget horror film with minimal risk and high financial potential to attract potential investors.

      Sean S. Cunningham, who previously collaborated with Wes Craven on The Last House on the Left, was working with Miller on several projects when he suggested renaming the script to Friday the 13th and making some narrative changes. Cunningham was so sure of the title’s impact that he took out a full-page ad in Variety, which successfully caught the attention of Phil Scuderi, the financier behind Cunningham’s earlier films.

      The jump scare at the end was inspired by Brian De Palma’s Carrie. Makeup artist Tom Savini was among the first crew members to join due to his admired work on the 1978 zombie film Dawn of the Dead. Beyond his impressive makeup effects for the film, including the arrow scene with Jack and Mrs. Voorhees’s brutal decapitation, Savini also conceptualized the final jump scare. The original script concluded with Alice floating on the lake, but Savini believed they could enhance it with a shocking moment, proposing Jason’s sudden emergence from the water. He explained in an interview that the cliffhanger was inspired by Carrie, prompting the idea of adding a “chair jumper” effect.

      The film was shot at a real boy scout camp in New Jersey. Friday the 13th was filmed near Hardwick, Blairstown, and Hope, in Warren County, New Jersey. Camp No-Be-BoSco, an actual Boy Scout camp in Blairstown, served as the infamous Camp Crystal Lake where the horror unfolds. The camp remains operational today and has a wall dedicated to Friday the 13th memorabilia. While most cast and crew stayed in nearby hotels, some, including Savini and Taso N. Stavrakis, opted to stay at the camp, entertaining themselves by watching films like Barbarella and Marathon Man on Savini’s Betamax.

      Kevin Bacon was relatively unknown when cast in the horror film. Indeed, the actor who would later gain fame from Footloose appeared in Friday the 13th before his rise to stardom. Cunningham stated in an interview that he sought “good-looking kids you might see in a Pepsi commercial,” leading a New York-based agency, led by Julie Hughes and Barry Moss, to find eight relatively unknown actors for the camp staff, including Kevin Bacon, Adrienne King, Laurie Bartram, Peter Brouwer, and Harry Crosby.

      Betsy Palmer agreed to play Pamela Voorhees primarily to buy a new car. Before taking on the role of Pamela Voorhees in Friday the 13th, Betsy Palmer had an established career in Broadway, television, and film. Estelle Parsons (Bonnie and Clyde) and Shelley Winters (The Diary of Anne Frank), both previous Academy Award winners, declined the role due to the script's extreme violence. Initially hesitant because of the script's content, Palmer ultimately needed money for a new car after her old Mercedes-Benz broke down. She signed on for 10 days of work at $1,000 a day, and despite her initial disdain for the production, she approached the character with depth, making it more believable. Over time, Palmer’s view of her contribution to the horror franchise became more positive.

      Adrienne King stepped away from acting due to an obsessed fan of Friday the 13th. For the role of Alice Hardy, the producers held an open casting call to generate interest in the project. Although they initially wanted the acclaimed Sally Field for the role, they realized they couldn’t afford her. Instead, they chose lesser-known, budget-friendly actors. The film's surprising success initially benefited the emerging actress, but it soon turned into a nightmare when an obsessive fan began stalking her. Disturbed by the situation, she requested a reduced role in the sequel, and after filming Part II, King retired from acting for 30 years, eventually learning ADR looping techniques. In 2010, she ended her hiatus with a role in the low-budget horror film Psychic Experiment.

      John Williams’ Jaws significantly influenced the film’s score. When Harry Manfredini was brought on to create the musical score for Friday the 13th, he aimed for a minimalist approach, inspired by John Williams’s work for Jaws, avoiding music that would manipulate the audience