Friday the 13th franchise is considered a horror classic as it has spanned 11 more movies after the original was released in 1980.
While some of the sequels are easily forgettable, the franchise is still among the most loved because of its slasher content which is sometimes borderline extreme.
Was Friday the 13th based on a true story?
There were constant rumors that Friday the 13th was inspired by real life. But the creators of the movie franchise deny the real-life murders as their inspiration.
To date, the creators stick to their narrative that the movies are simply a work of fiction and bear no resemblance to the massacre that took place in Finland.
The History Of Friday The 13th
The classic horror movie ‘Friday the 13th’ has been a cult classic since its release back in 1980, often unmatched as one of the greatest slashers in cinematic history. But many may be surprised to learn that it was inspired by a true story of tragedy and horror.
The movie tells the story of a group of teenagers who are killed by a mysterious figure in the woods.
While the film often attributed to being based off of the classic horror story of Alice in Wonderland, it actually originates from a darker tale of murder, known as The Murders at the Campground.
In June 1929, a group of eight teenagers and two counselors stayed at a campground in New Jersey, where they were brutally attacked and murdered by an unknown assailant.
The only survivor of the massacre, named Alice, was the only witness to their mass murder and described their attacker as a “tall, thin, middle-aged man with a muscular build and a wide, pale face.”
Alice’s descriptions of their murderer sparked an intensive hunt for the killer, however despite extensive searches, the attack remains a mystery to this day.
It wasn’t until over 50 years later that the inspiration and origin of Friday the 13th came to light.
The film follows the story of Alice, and how she soon discovers the truth of the horrific events that took place at the campground by none other than the menacing character of Jason Voorhees.
The writers of the movie based much of the plot and characters off of the survivor’s own description of the murderer, and the general tension and fear that came along with the unsolved mystery.
Friday the 13th quickly made its own mark in horror history, and is still regarded as one of the greatest classics of the genre to this day.
It’s an example of how even a tragic, real-life story can stock inspiration for films and cultural icons, and that terrible events can still have a silver lining of entertainment.
Why do so many people think Friday the 13th is based on a true story?
The movie is similar to the real murders that took place in June 1960 in Finland. The real story is that two girls along with their boyfriends went on a camping trip in Lake Bodom.
A carpenter found 3 murdered bodies on the campsite the next day while one of the boys was injured and unconscious. It remains a mystery as to who committed the murders.
Did Friday the 13th inspire a real murderer?
It is possible that Peter Moore was inspired to kill four men in 1995 after watching the movie as some prosecutors in the case have admitted.
Peter Moore initially got away with his crime even though he admitted he was responsible before pleading not guilty.
He was eventually found guilty and is serving a life sentence. Unfortunately, this isn’t the only case where the person was inspired by movies.
Was Rob’s murder on the 4th installment of the movie based on real-life?
Director Joseph Zito revealed that the phrase that Rob says to Jason as he is being killed actually happened.
He read about a man who screamed ‘please stop hurting me, please stop killing me’ as he was being stabbed.
It had a lasting impact on Zito who decided to use it in the movie to show Rob’s death. It is one of the most shocking deaths in that installment.
Is Jason Voorhees based on a real person?
No, Jason Voorhees isn’t a real individual. Jason’s character was developed by Victor Miller who is the writer of the Friday the 13th movie.
It is possible that the writer was inspired to put certain personality traits of people he knew or came across, but Jason isn’t solely based on one individual.
The writer himself hasn’t said anything about how he came up with the character.
Who is the killer in the first Friday the 13th movie?
When moviegoers think of the villain in the Friday the 13th movie franchise, they always think of Jason Voorhees who has undoubtedly been the face of the slasher franchise.
However, in the first movie of the franchise, the murderer is not Jason but his mother, Mrs. Voorhees. She is eventually murdered by Alice.
Why is Jason missing in some installments?
In the first installment of the franchise, he merely appears in Alice’s dream. A creepy scene indeed but he looks nothing like he is supposed to as we witness in the subsequent films.
He doesn’t appear in the 5th installment either titled Friday the 13th: A New Beginning. While the first one did pretty good as it spawned an entire franchise, the 5th installment was a flop.
Why is Jason Voorhees one of the top villains of all time?
When it comes to the list of top villains, Jason Voorhees always finds a place somewhere at the top of the list even though many slasher films have been released since Friday the 13th.
He isn’t just merciless but he is sadistic too. With his hockey goalie mask and ruthless murders, he is always listed among the top villains such as Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Jigsaw, and Pennywise.
Does Jason Voorhees have the highest kill count as a horror movie villain?
Jason is among the top of the list when it comes to how many people he killed over the courage of 12 movies.
Jason Voorhees has a total kill count of about 157 which was the highest at one time.
However, Michael Myers took the crown when it comes to the highest kill count as the latest Halloween Kills has taken his kill count to 160 beating Jason.
Was Jason supposed to be a villain from the beginning of Friday the 13th?
Victor Miller said that he planned to keep the mother as the serial killer and show Jason as a victim.
However, it was the producer, Phil Scuderi, who said it is a better idea to make Jason the villain rather than the victim. Following this, Jason was the main killer in the slasher series.
Will there be a 13th movie in the Friday the 13th movie franchise?
Warner Bros planned to release the sequel to the 2009 film in 2010 but it got delayed. In 2010, it was stated that the sequel won’t be released anytime soon.
Due to financial issues, the sequel wasn’t in the works for many years. Then due to lawsuits regarding the copyright issues, the film’s sequel was delayed further. There is still no news of the 13th movie coming out.
Where was the original Friday the 13th filmed?
Friday the 13th is a legendary horror classic. Since its release in 1980, its reputation as one of the best-loved 80s horror movies has only grown. But where was the original Friday the 13th actually filmed?
The answer lies in the state of New Jersey. It was here, in the small town of Blairstown, that the original Friday the 13th was shot.
Blairstown is nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, making it the perfect atmospheric backdrop for a movie about a group of unsuspecting campers being toyed with by the murdered bodies of Alice and Jason Voorhees.
Filming for Friday the 13th lasted for 30 days, and much of it took place at Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco, which provided the perfect environment for the movie’s horror atmosphere. A camp hall and other buildings were used both as backdrop and as interiors.
What’s more, thanks to a special arrangement with the camp owners, most of the exterior shots indicate the actual campgrounds, as opposed to a recreated version.
The camp has gone on to gain a kind of cult status among Friday the 13th fans, and it’s not unusual to see visitors in search of its haunted past.
You can even take a tour of the camp and see the places where Jason Voorhees made history— from the bathroom where his mother died to the wooden dock where the famous final scene was shot.
More than thirty years after its release, the legacy of Friday the 13th lives on in Blairstown, New Jersey. It has been immortalized by filmmakers, and its story has become a part of Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco’s history.
Whether you’re looking to relive the fear of classic horror or explore the history of a classic movie, Blairstown and the camp provide the perfect atmosphere.
Can Jason Voorhees die?
Throughout the Friday the 13th movies, a lot takes place and Jason surprisingly somehow comes back alive.
One reason is that different creators took the movie to where they wanted to without regard to continuity with the previous Friday the 13th installments.
Another reason is that Adam Marcus tried to add a mythological aspect whereby Jason becomes immortal. As per the latest installment, Jason cannot die.
Is the TV series based on Friday the 13th movie?
There is a series titled Friday the 13th: The Series but it has nothing to do with the actual premise of the Friday the 13th movie.
Even the storyline has no resemblance whatsoever with the movie meaning it is completely off track in that regard.
The series is a fantasy-horror genre and it aired from 3rd October 1987 to 26th May 1990.
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