What's in a date? A look back at 'Friday the 13th'
Posted Friday, April 13, 2012 at 1:00 PM Central
Last updated Friday, April 13, 2012 at 2:37 PM Central
by John Couture
It is without a doubt, the most iconic date in horror movie franchise lore. Just saying the words Friday the 13th will usually have some sort of visceral reaction in most people.
If they don't immediately conjure up images of the hockey mask wearing serial killer, they will usually shudder at all of the supposed bad luck that befalls this rather frequent "anomaly." For instance, did you know that each and every calendar year contains at least one Friday the 13th? Or that there can be as many as three Friday the 13ths in any given calendar year (like this one)?
Yeah, I didn't know either of those facts either, but that's why we all love Wikipedia.
Pop quiz hotshot: how does "Friday the 13th" work into the franchise? Well, this one is pretty easy if you're a big horror fan like myself. All of the action of the original 1980 movie took place on that date in the years 1958 and 1980. I'm too lazy to do much more research than that, but I'm sure that date works its way into a few of the sequels.
The only problem is that after the first movie, most of the sequels span more than one day, so unless it were to jump ahead months or years, it would be hard for it all to occur on Friday the 13th.
Here's another quiz: How many of the films have actually been released on a Friday the 13th? Considering that there's at least one Friday the 13th every calendar year, this one should be a no-brainer, right? Wrong, only five of the 12 Friday the 13ths were released on an actual Friday the 13th.
The first one to be released on an actual Friday the 13th was Friday The 13th, Part 3. This film made up for its two predecessors though as it was actually released on August 13, 1982 and then re-released on May 13, 1983, both dates a Friday the 13th. The third film in the franchise also featured another milestone, can you guess it?
Besides being originally released in cheesy 3D, Friday The 13th, Part 3 is also the first film in which Jason Voorhees dons his iconic mask for the first time. Originally a prop of convenience for the killer to hide his identity, Jason's hockey-style mask quickly became his most resonating quality.
Not that a Friday the 13th would ever be confused with an expensive Michael Bay special effects extravaganza, but only one film in the series failed to bring in more money at the domestic box office than its budget, can you guess which one?
If you guessed Jason X, then you get to go to the head of the class. Affectionately referred to as "Jason in Space," students return to the desolate wasteland that was Earth in 2455 to study artifacts from Camp Crystal Lake. Naturally, one of those artifacts is Jason himself. For those playing at home, the action of the movie must have taken (will take?) place on August 13, 2455 as that is the only Friday the 13th that year.
But speaking of box office, there's a reason that there have been 12 (and counting) films in this franchise. The entire franchise has earned a total of $380 million and change at the box office for an average of about $32 million per film. When you realize that the average budget for a Friday the 13th film is $6.7 million, you can see why there's no shortage of sequels.
Another pop quiz hotshot: how many different people have played Jason Voorhees in the 12 movies? You might think this is a trick question, and of course it is. They are all tricky, aren't they?
If you answered 11, then it was a lucky guess, but you would be correct. Kane Hodder was the only actor to play Jason in more than one film. He actually played the killer in four films from Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood to Jason X. So, how did I get 11? Easy, you have to remember that Jason Voorhees appeared as a kid four of the movies and a different youngster played him each time.
This little picture might help you remember the first 10 incarnations of Jason.
Also, you have to remember that Jason Voorhees never showed up at all in Friday The 13th, Part V: A New Beginning. The killer in that film was Tommy Jarvis the EMT whose name escapes me just impersonating the M.O. of Jason Voorhees. Oops, spoiler alert. So, technically he only killed someone in 10 of the 12 films. This little chart should help keep track of his body count.
Yes, you can click on the image above for an even bigger one. Sorry, spoiler alert again as it details each and every kill. This infographic originally debuted on The National Post, but the blog post has since disappeared. Thankfully, much like Jason's legacy, this image can live on in perpetuity.
So whether you lavish in the mystique of "Friday the 13th" or suffer from friggatriskaidekaphobia (the fear of Friday the 13th - I can't make this up), today is for you. Personally, my favorite film in the series is Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter. I can't really explain why, but I've always held onto that one as my favorite. What about you? Which one is your favorite?