The Friday The 13th Blog is now live. There are plenty of kinks that will be worked on daily, but this is where you will be accessing news and updates for the time being. Coverage on the Friday remake is filterable by clicking on its category. You wanted discussion? You got it. Use the comments function of each news post to share your thoughts and chat with other fans.
We covered the Michael Bailey Smith as Jason possibility wayyy back in December, but no one sat up and listened until Fangoria ran it on March 20. Now the original journalist who chased MBS up on all this way back when (UK's Christian Sellers) has followed up the Fango report and gotten the definitive answer from the actor:
"Christian,
Hi. Well, like I said, "You can’t count on anything until they call "Action." And for me, that’s not going to happen. I just talk to the guy today who will probably be playing Jason. I’m not going to say his name. You’ll have to hear it from someone else. He and I have worked together before and he’s a great guy. I’m very happy for him. I know he’ll do a great job.
So, there you go!
Thanks!
Michael"
My guess then, based off limited evidence? The terrific Desmond Askew from Go, and was "Big Brain" in Platinum Dunes' remake of The Hills Have Eyes. He's not a stunt man like the casting call seeked, but is thin, lean, not to mention he has that creepy British face and big forehead.
Announced in The Hollywood Reporter - the New Friday gets its lead. So Jason never ended up in Supernatural, but the Supernatural guy ends up in Friday The 13th! Gotta love that.
Jared Padalecki is in final negotiations to star in the remake of "Friday the 13th" that Platinum Dunes is producing for New Line and Paramount.
Marcus Nispel is directing from a script by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form are producing.
Paramount released the original "Friday" in 1980, introducing horror icon Jason with a brief appearance. The remake will focus on the serial killer, who will wear his now-iconic hockey mask. Padalecki will play the lead, who investigates what happened up at Crystal Lake.
Cale Boyter and Guy Stodel are overseeing for New Line. A release is planned for -- what else? -- Friday, Feb. 13, 2009.
Padalecki stars as Sam Winchester on the CW's "Supernatural," and his film credits include "House of Wax" and "Cry Wolf." He next appears as Thomas Kinkade alongside Peter O'Toole and Marcia Gay Harden in Lionsgate's "Home for the Holidays," slated for a December release and based on the life of the artist and his painting "The Christmas Cottage."
Padalecki is represented by Artistry Management, CAA and attorney Michael Fuller.
Here's the casting description for Jason as posted by BD. No, I don't know who to contact!
JASON VOORHEES: Caucasian, fair complexion, Late 20's, Early 30's, stunt man. He is thin, lean, and cut from living off the land and residing in the forest around Crystal Lake...
YOUNG JASON VOORHEES: Caucasian, fair complexion, older, smaller, kid to play 9 or 10 years of age..
Over six months of work finaly comes to fruition today. All the site's fan images have been shuffled into our brand new Gallery. That's over a 1000 images, plus an additional 100+ from your email submissions over the years (with several hundred more to come). It likely won't be limited to fan content either - screencaps & trailers are possible. An uber-sized thankyou goes to Dustin McNeill of The Phantasm Archives for his help. The gallery also has some powerful features:
Rate Images from 1 to 5. This would be helpful in the event quality drops and we decide to cull the galleries down to the best of the best in future.
Send Ecards. On every image is a button that allows you to send the image along with a message to a friend of your choice.
View Options like latest images, most viewed, highest rated, random, search etc..
As for what you can't currently do: commenting is turned off for the time being until I can implement reliable security, and user registrations to upload your own images is not a place we'll be going just yet (but is something that will be routinely considered).
On the cards is a switch of the news page to a blog format so faster regular updates can occur. And since I am stretching myself thin lately, I'm inviting other folks to help contribute. The pay is low (zero) and it won't get you chicks, but you do get the chance to be part of the oldest, biggest and best Friday The 13th website on the internet (I can say that because I didn't start it) as well as be at ground zero of the absolute hammering of news and images that the new film, shooting soon, will result in. I need a chosen few to help unleash all that and also post up anything and everything Jason Voorhees - comics, action figures, cast/crew convention appearance dates/schedules, etc. I am only looking at having 1 or 2 people at the most being part of this, plus the site has always maintained a certain level of quality in the past so here's the deal: shoot me an email. Ideally you'll have had some experience blogging or forum posting that you can point to, otherwise you better get into decent detail why you're qualified, as I suspect after the first bunch of emails, you kindly folks' are all gonna run together. Not trying to be a prick, but thems the breaks. No need to wow me, but a little sincerity goes a long way. This will be kicking in soon, so get crackin'. With rss support and open comments, the blog should kick ass most severely.
With the writer's strike now over (yay, more Lost!), it's time to get on with the New Friday. BD (accurately, for once) report "We received word that Platinum Dunes' remake of Friday the 13th will now shoot on April 21 in Austin, Texas. No casting has been announced thus far, but expect some updates once the untitled David Goyer projects gets rolling. This shouldn't effect the planned February 13, 2009 release date by New Line Cinema."
Looks like New Line Cinema is dead. I knew all that shameless mugging Robert Shaye did in the Nightmare films would catch up with him. Anyway, it's unknown yet how New Line's absorbing into Warner Bros. will effect the New Friday. Warner released the first Friday in my neck of the woods way back when, so there's a certain personal symetry involved if they end up distributing the new one.
Platinum Dunes' A Nightmare On Elm Street Remake - we will only mention it fleetingly due to its loose links to the Friday franchise. You can scope the Variety announcement here and visit the best Freddy website, NOESFilms.com.
The same Variety story erroneously reported that ""Cloverfield" star Odette Yustman has just been set to star" in the New Friday, however this was quickly deleted from the article.
Post holiday hell, I've been able to catch up on comics. As usual, here's what I thought:
Freddy Vs Jason Vs Ash #2 & #3 (of 6): They were fun reads, if you're a Freddy or Ash fan. But as a Friday fan, perhaps I took slight offense to the constant jokes made by various characters at Jason's expense. Taking the mickey out of Jason is not blasphemy, but it's a thin line - one that 3 out of the 11 films have trodden on and arguably tripped over at times. It's also hard to fear or respect the maim man when the scripts and artwork always depict him slicing through bodies like they're butter. But that's more a negative comment on all Jason comics in general - I'll also highlight that these are two entertaining, well-produced issues, but I just miss the meaty, prolonged murder strokes of the Paramount era.
Friday The 13th: Bad Land #1 (of 2): Now here's a comic that takes my complaints to task. This entry taps into mythology lore outside of Friday The 13th, and seemingly sets up a Native-American slasher, and a possible showdown with Mr. Voorhees next issue. That's just guesswork, because unlike most of these comics, the story doesn't telegraph where its going. Half-normal acting young adults, Lost-like flashbacks interweaved with present day, and Jason unleashed in the snow... what an unexpected, unplugged affair this was! It's just a shame writer Ron Marz and artist Mike Huddleston finish this up next month, I'd felt a spark of adreneline and mystery with a Friday The 13th story that I hadn't had in ages.
With two diverse Jason stories being unspooled simutaneously, and a one shot Friday The 13th: Abuser And The Abused planned for an April 30th release, Wildstorm Comics are definitely taking care of the fans in ways Topps & Avatar did not in previous four-colour incarnations.
One of the more persistant casting options running around the rumor mill has been that Michael Bailey Smith would play Jason Voorhees in New Friday. Now here's the real deal (for now) direct from Bailey himself when he was asked by journalist Christian Sellers:
"Now, let's talk about the rumors of me playing Jason in the remake of
"Friday the 13th." Well, I've heard the rumors too and a few people in
certain positions have talked to me but that's about it. I would be
very flattered and honored to get the opportunity to play such an iconic
character. However, like anything in Hollywood, don't ever count on
anything until you're standing in front of the camera and the director
calls, "Action!""
I personally wouldn't mind if Bailey got the role. Check of this composite I've put together - Bailey's facial characteristics and noggin recall Friday 3's Richard Brooker. Bailey played Pluto in the 2006 Hills Have Eyes remake which came off looking somewhat like Warrington Gillette in Friday 2. In addition, he played another mutant in the Hills remake sequel, and years earlier was the Leatherface-like killer Fuckface of the awesome Jeepers Creepers/TCM hybrid Monster Man.
As long suspected by the observant, it appears the New Friday is more sequel than remake. STYD reported a bit back that "After speaking to a source close to the project who wishes to stay outside of the spotlight (for now), we're striking the former term out of future reports on the film. "It's not a remake," says our insider. Don't even expect an origin tale - as some production listings around Hollywood are pegging it as. Imagine if there was a story to be told somewhere between parts two and four, just add water (from Camp Crystal Lake, duh), insert a leaner, meaner, faster Jason Voorhees, set to "blend" and you've got the recipe for what Dunes, writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift and director Marcus Nispel got cookin'"
Too good to be true, but still a sly wink... Jason will not be appearing on TV's Supernatural but all is not lost. Final confirmation comes via Shock Till You Drop. Click here for the skinny.
Released this month - Freddy Vs Jason Vs Ash #1: Written by James Kuhoric (based on Jeff Katz's movie treatment); art by Jason Craig; 3 interlocking covers by J. Scott Campbell. It's a pretty wild ride, with a good sense of humor that doesn't undercut Jason's powerful presence. Looking forward to the next issue and the mixing of the three icon's universes. An enjoyable postscript to reading the issue is this Director's Commentary.
I might as well use this space to share my thoughts on the news of a film Freddy Vs Jason 2. I'm wrong as many times as I'm right, but my immediate feeling is that it's simply a disposable headline grab. The post contradicts itself and even admits to its own vagueness. I doubt New Line would undermine their own big series reboot by parallel-developing another Jason movie.
What a flurry of remake info the past week has been... and the it just keeps on coming! Click below to view spoilers of the remake's opening scene as well as some juicy details about the script. Also, the release date has been revealed as - Friday the 13th of February, 2009!
We're now aware of the 13 slabs of meat Jason will convert into spamburgers come 2009. BD have posted a casting breakdown for the young adults. Get 'em all in our New Friday page below:
Thoughts (highlight to view) --> I'm pumped. From this breakdown it looks more sequel in nature than remake, and I'm betting the writers are going that way because as we know, they're fans too. The character names aren't retreads of older characters, so score one there. The storyline appears more in the vein of Part 3 In 3D (birth of the hockey mask), as the mentions of a weekend trip suggest. It has the potential for repetition because of that (especially on top of Nispel's TCM which also traced a weekend-from-hell) but the diversion from the original film's camp counsellor setup is promising. Too vague to say if the fleeting Christmas reference infers a snow element, but since it's a winter shoot, it seems unlikely they're aiming for a sunny vibe.<<-- End.
Wow, that was quick. The Hollywood Reporter ran a story today revealing the director of the New Friday. Director of TCM 2: The Beginning Jonathan Liebesman is out. Director of TCM 1: The Remake Marcus Nispel is in. Makes sense.
Does the writer's strike still affect the project? Yeah. If it's shooting while the strike's still on, that means they can only go with whatever script was written up to strike point recently. No rewrites. So let's hope the recently announced writing duo were already scripting well before their names hit the wire and therefore have already banged out an air-tight shooting draft.
Marcus Nispel is in final negotiations to direct the revamp of "Friday the 13th" for New Line and Paramount/MTV. Platinum Dunes is producing.
Damian Shannon and Mark Swift wrote the script for the redo, which aims to bring back horror icon Jason, the unstoppable hockey mask-wearing killer.
While Jason made only a brief appearance in the final frames of the first movie in 1980 and didn't even don his famous mask until the third movie, the new movie will focus on Jason -- who will wear the mask and kill -- and keep the famous setting of Crystal Lake.
Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller of Platinum Dunes are producing.
A winter start date is being planned.
"Friday" reunites Nispel with Platinum Dunes, for whom he directed 2003's remake of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." The director, who began his career in music videos, also helmed "Pathfinder" and USA's telefilm "Frankenstein."
The new Friday The 13th's screenwriters were recently announced, but since we're now in the all-spanning Writer's Guild strike, you can do the arithmatic and realize the project - and any other union Film/TV project in USA hinging on the development or completion on scripts - is on hold.
It's relevant to you because this could delay the production of Jason's next slasherama to far, farrrr off. But in a broader scope, it's also going to impact your entertainment in 2008 in a big way if this continues without succesful resolution. If you're unaware of the specifics of the strike and want to educate yourself (knowing is half the battle!) and maybe help a bit in the process (helping is the rest of the battle!), here are some handy dandy links:
Fan Union - my super friend DocArtz started this movement which suggests we send inexpensive rollerskate charms to the companies (cheap skates, get it?) to show our support of the writers.
Friday The 13th: The Myspace! As pretentious as the concept is, we don't have a specific forum here for feedback and my sense of self-worth hangs by a string of unwaxed dental floss. So pop along, the sooner the better - then I can get that completely useless default friend Tom outta there!
My friend Mykii has been editing together an Unrated DVD of Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood. He's working with the shabbiest of elements, so his determination must be admired. Here's a snippet below. His edit is entirely for personal use, so please don't ask where you can buy it.
If you missed Todd "Jason X" Farmer's Alien Pig Farm 3000 in paper form, it's now being offered as a slick and vibrant digital edition at Download.com. It's not free, but cheaper than a TBP!
The farm was a peaceful place for rabble rousing and making moonshine, until varmints from outer space decided to make a mess of things. A bunch of Kentucky rednecks are the planet's only hope from that big slaughterhouse in the sky.
RAW Studios co-writers Steve Niles (30 Days of Night), Thomas Jane (star of 2004s The Punisher), and Todd Farmer (Jason X, The Messengers) bring their wild tale of shotguns, aliens and livestock from the printed page to screens everywhere in a digital video comic that will have you looking at your sister in a whole new light.
My buddies at Deadpit Radio have unleashed a special Halloween treat - an audio commentary mp3 for Friday The 13th Part V: A New Beginning! It's a limited release, so do visit ASAP.
Released earlier this month, Wildstorm's Friday The 13th: How I Spent My Summer Vacation #2 (of 2). Written by Jason Aaron and illustrated by Adam Archer, Peter Guzman & Dustin Nguyen (cover), the second issue is far better than the first, and puts its all in context. Jason here is characterized almost like a slasher version of The Iron Giant. It also has an incredible ending with the full-page revelation of where Jason was traveling to and what he does when he gets there - not a slight against the films, but there's more character development for Jason in that one image than several of the past few filmic entries. I'm now kind of digging these two parters from Wildstorm if you just keep in mind part one is the setup, part two the payoff. A tight little two-act tale. Next month - yipee - it's Freddy Vs Jason Vs Ash!
My good friend Dustin has dropped in word and images about the North Carolina theatrical Friday The 13th Part 3 in 3D screening last night: "Tonight was so much fun it was sick. A sold-out show - they used a
gorgeous old dirty print of the film and the 3-D was astonishingly
good. Far better than the typical crappy red/blue glasses. This was
true 3-D. The film came alive so wonderfully. The movie had a few title cards as part of the print that went after
the Paramount Logo and after the music had started to play that
weren't on the DVD. An interesting variation on the film. I thought
the only difference was the lack of 3-D but these cards explained to
the audience that the F13 P2 flashback wouldn't be in 3-D but that
you'd still need your glasses on. Neat."
On October 30th, Monsters HD will be having a Friday The 13th Marathon, all in glorious hi-definition and not cut beyond their original R ratings. Here's the schedule, and all times are eastern standard:
FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980)
TUESDAY, OCT. 30TH AT 7AM & 9:45PM
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART II (1981)
TUESDAY, OCT. 30TH AT 8:45AM & 11:30PM
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART III (1982)
TUESDAY, OCT. 30TH AT 8:45AM & 1AM.
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART IV: THE FINAL CHAPTER (1984)
TUESDAY, OCT. 30TH AT 12PM & 2:45AM
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART V: A NEW BEGINNING (1984)
TUESDAY, OCT. 30TH AT 1:45PM & 4:30AM
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VI: JASON LIVES (1986)
TUESDAY, OCT. 30TH AT 3:30PM and WEDNESDAY, OCT. 31st AT 6:15AM.
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VII: THE NEW BLOOD (1988)
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30TH at 5PM and WEDNESDAY, OCT. 31ST AT 7:45AM.
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VIII: JASON TAKES MANHATTAN (1989)
TUESDAY, OCT. 30TH AT 6:30PM & WEDNESDAY, OCT. 31ST AT 7:15AM.
JASON GOES TO HELL: THE FINAL FRIDAY (1993)
TUESDAY, OCT. 30TH AT 8:15PM & WEDNESDAY, OCT. 31ST AT 11AM
Here's a mighty arse-kicking Jason vs Godzilla rendition by Dan Jackson. Also, consider this post my raincheck for a future meaty update to the various fan galleries on the site. You all know my hard luck story by now - I'm playing catch-up after taking this beast on - so please do keep those jpegs of drawings, tattoos, photos and Steve Christy pez-dispensers coming.
Thanks to everyone who emailed me and kicked me in the butt to post this. Cult Times Special #45, as scanned by Supernatural.tv, featured an interview with Eric Kripke - creator of TV's Supernatural - and revealed that ol' mongo face is headed for the show's third season. And I thought my trivial errors writing on this website were bad, but calling the killer Vorhees? Anyway, hopefully this'll be less groanable than when Michael Myers was "in" an episode of Cold Case.
A pair of 25th Anniversary theatrical screenings of Friday the 13th Part 3 in 3D happened last night in LA, but before Halloween comes and goes, there will be more yo-yo dropping, eye popping action. Geoffrey Rayle drops in word of the following:
"I manage a 7-plex movie theatre in Boone, North Carolina and will be
showing
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3 in true, polarized, twin-image 3D on October
26th & 27th, 2007
at 10:45pm & 1:00am each night (as a Halloween weekend special show). I've shown 3D films every Halloween for the past 10 years. This will
be the first time
since 2000 that I will have shown FRIDAY THE 13TH 3D at the theatre.
The last time
we ran it, it sold out every show. We show it in true polarized 3D
(not the red/green glasses). We have a website that I have created to promote this: http://friday13th3d.angelfire.com."
Presenting, the world's biggest shit-eating grin. Via Reuters / Hollywood Reporter comes confirmation for both screenwriters and classification of remake status for the New Friday. The fanboy in me says they should've properly killed/finished off Jason in his 23-year canon before retconning it all. But what do I know? At 28 I'm considered an old fart. But no matter, I'll be there first in line - and you will be too. So let's run with it.
Bay pumps news blood into "Friday the 13th" - By Borys Kit
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Transformers" director Michael Bay is reviving the "Friday the 13th" franchise through his low-budget production company.
The remake of the original 1980 horror classic, which turned the villainous Jason into a cultural icon, is being produced for New Line Cinema by Bay's Platinum Dunes banner. Platinum Dunes was also behind the revival of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "The Hitcher."
In the original "Friday the 13th," the serial killer made only a brief appearance in the final frames and never killed anyone. Jason didn't even don the famous mask until the third movie. The remake, however, will focus on Jason -- who will wear the mask and kill -- and keep the famous setting of Crystal Lake.
Damian Shannon and Mark Swift will write the script. They wrote 2003's "Freddy vs. Jason," the killer's last big-screen appearance. That film grossed more than $82 million domestically.
Now on sale, Wildstorm's Friday The 13th: How I Spent My Summer Vacation #1 (of 2). Written by Jason Aaron and illustrated by Adam Archer, Peter Guzman & Dustin Nguyen (cover), it's about a deformed kid thrust into camp and reliving some of the same tribulations Jason did as a child, which makes him intriguing to Jason in a way similar to young Tommy Jarvis. What should be a good character study tends to falter under an alternating mix of vague story points with too on-the-nose dialogue. It does set up a worthwhile encounter in next issue though. Also of note, September 26 sees release of Friday the 13th Vol. 1, collecting the initial 6-issue Wildstorm comic.
Reported on Shock Till You Drop, and days now having passed with no debunking in sight (confirming its solidarity), Freddy Vs Jason's Damian Shannon & Mark Swift have been tapped to write Platinum Dunes' New Friday which aims to shoot early 2008. Say what you will of FVSJ, the writers were hardcore fans who took series continuity to heart. In case you haven't watched your New Line Platinum DVD in a while, I've compiled this handy dandy collection of screencaps from Jason's nightmare sequence, our first indicator of how the writers might approach the task of rebooting Jason's origin. If this project winds up a clear-cut remake, I have a feeling they'll slide the timeline outta whack so Jason's drowning can happen in 1980. Hrmph, we'll see.
Itching for your Kane-Hodder-As-Indestructable-Killer fix? Hatchet is now playing theatrically in the States with Kane in the role of Victor Crowley. You can find other post-Jason X franchisable slasher roles by running down his resume - if his character has a surname, I can almost guarantee it. And why the hell not, after getting airdropped from Freddy Vs Jason in 2003? You can also enjoy him as Ed Gein in Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield, and if assorted deals and rumors come to fruition, Tyler Hillburg in Black Friday, and Horace Pinker in the Shocker redux.
Scope out this new extension of the fanfilm concept - a fan web series. Life With Jason is the series in question, and the pilot episode is up on their website (www.lifewithjason.com) for viewing. Episode 1.01 - "Jason Gets A Job": Much to Jason's dismay, Sara insists that he gets a job in order to pay his back rent. Unfortunately for our pal Jason, Laura's friend Kimmy has an opening available in her office.
The team behind the Halloween remake seem pretty confident it's a cut above the rest - and above Friday The 13th. Writer/Director Rob Zombie in particular has been critical of the Jason movies as being mere bodycount flicks. True, but now that the redux is in nationwide US theatrical release, it'll be up to the audience to decide if it trumps our spam-in-a-cabin treasures. Many are saying that the box office of this film will define whether or not Jason's next outing happens, but I don't think so. The New Friday has been in development for a few years now, with no clear-cut status as a remake or sequel. If Halloween is a hit, we can expect our own franchise reboot. If it's a bomb, I'd wager the Friday project would nudge towards a more sequel mentality. Hollywood's era of "re-imaginings" will inexorably draw to a close one day, but if they start losing money anytime soon, we may have an indication as to which side of the fence the next Friday will fall on.
Surprise, surprise. Another month, another beat-up on Robert Englund by Bloody Disgusting in a news piece about the man mentioning Freddy Vs Jason Vs Michael as an in-progress project at New Line possibly directed by John Carpenter. The site, and online horror news joints in general, have treated Englund like a laughing stock in recent years. I'm not so sure the man deserves it. Lets examine the evidence: One, he has a highly speculative mind, which goes way back to the 80's when he gave an interview to Fangoria shortly after Freddy's Revenge detailing his frankly awesome idea for a third film, Freddy's Funland. Two, actors are frequently the last to be told the status on any given project, and as they're just humans too he could simply be regurgitating what he's read on the web at places like BD. Which brings me to Three - these sites lampoon the fact that he's years behind with current news, yet they freely use his info to spin attention-seeking headlines on what they say are dead projects - thus feeding a vicious cycle of their own creation.
Friday The 13th: Pamela's Tale #2 (of 2) has recently been released. I thought it a huge improvement on the first issue (am I the only one completely uninterested with Mama Voorhees' pre-Jason domestic life?). The scene of spazoid kid Jason quizzically grunting at Barry and Claudette doing-it over a tree branch was worth it. They take some artistic license however, by inserting dialogue into Annie's murder which I'm not adverse to - since Pam was such a blabbermouth in the climax, it only served the audience for her to be a silent killer throughout the film. Next up from Wildstorm, September brings another dual-issue story - Friday The 13th: How I Spent My Summer Vacation.
Finally, a chance to kick Jason in the nuts and get away with it. Fan Devon drops some news that "Jason is going to be one of the mascots along with Leatherface and Freddy for the Halloween Horror Nights event at Universal Studios theme park in Hollywood, CA and in Orlando, Florida.
I go to USH theme park a lot and they're currently constructing a F13 maze in the middle of the park for the event in October." The Orlando section of the site seems far more developed at the moment, and includes a Carnival Of Carnage containing some strange interactive puzzles like a Crystal Lake Employment Application. I couldn't make heads or tails of them - can you?
Updated: The solution is Pamela Voorhees, Blairtown, New Jersey, Cook - thanks to MD.
Details are tentative, but it looks like there will be a 25th Anniversary theatrical screening or two of Friday the 13th Part 3 in 3D on Saturday, October 13th at LA's Chinese Theater. It'll be part of the Screamfest Horror Film Festival (tickets availible September) and also have a cast Q&A session following the screening - confirmed for now, the great Larry Zerner.
Say, how mildly creepy was that see-thru mask Larry wore in his first scene? You never know - seeing as it was just one of Shelly's masks, it could have easily ended up being the one Jason swiped for his mug instead. A common dimestore mask, similar ones have been sadly underutilized other 80 slashers - Whodunnit (1982) in a prank scene, and the poster artwork of David Hess's To All A Goodnight (1980).
If FridayThe13th.com could be considered the 1st incarnation of the site, and Blake & Brenna's the 2nd, consider this the official launch of version 3.0. This revamped main page is one that's been hammered together guerilla-style and will be refined as an ongoing process. It was never going to be easy coming in with a new look, but I wanted to keep the spirit of the established design as well as broaden the posting area to accomodate the steady output of news and updates. I'll be taking redesigns into the other areas of the site in the future, specially tailored to each section. By all means, do email me your feedback on the design, no matter how nitpicky.
Newsarama have posted an interview with writer of the Freddy Vs Jason Vs Ash comic adaptation, James Kuhoric.
Blake gave me the heads-up that sample pages (not from actual comic) from the artist Jason Craig have appeared online here.
Former New Line exec Jeff Katz's unrealized Freddy Vs Jason Vs Ash treatment (purposely leaked right here) gains new life as a 6 issue comic from Wildstorm & Dynamite in November. For the skinny plus an interview with Katz, check out Newsarama.
Back in 1993-94, my favorite non-Fangoria magazine was G.A.S.P etc., which was a symetrically equal division between horror and metal. It has now made a return online, with archived PDF's of most of the short but sweet run. Of note is #4 which contains Jason Goes To Hell-era interviews with Kane Hodder and Harry Manfredini. Go to G.A.S.P. etc. or click the cover to head straight for the scanned issue (Adobe Reader required).
Might be old news to you, but I was stunned to learn there are not one but two official Friday The 13th mobile games availible. And they couldn't compliment each other any better - Herocraft's is a side-scrolling action adventure placing you in Jason's towering form as he cuts his way through hell itself, while Xendex's is a Crystal Lake-set RPG! Click the thumbs below for animated gif footage of each in action. Thanks to Kelox.
Not an official announcement by any means, but Variety.com gave the New Friday a casual mention in a horror piece worth noting, that "New Line Cinema built itself on the backs of Freddy and Jason; another Friday the 13th sequel, as yet untitled, is scheduled for 2009."
Kelly (FvsJ) Rowland's Where Are They Now has been updated, including this pic (thanks Brenna!) that has set impossibly high standards for my birthday cake come later this year, dangit.
I've added a section for the Friday Remake, re-imagining, what-have-you. For now it's only accessible via the film buttons above, but it's a thorough page from Blake, Brenna and others, which I culled from an archive of the old forum.
Out now from Wildstorm Comics, Pamela's Tale #1 (of 2). Written by Marc Andreyko, illustrated by Shawn Moll (cover by Dustin Nguyen) - the synopsis reads "The sad, bloody saga of Jason Vorhees is well-chronicled, but one story element of his origin remains untold — that of his mother, Pamela Voorhees! As seen in the original instant classic film, Pamela was a woman unhinged by her son's death at Camp Crystal Lake but what of the woman before that tragic afternoon? And Jason's father Elias?" FYI, I'm planning on updating the Comics section, but will first fill the holes in my collection.
The pissed-off lovechild of Jason & Commando? No, it's a pic from Mother's Day, the adaptation of Eric Morse's Friday The 13thYoung Adult Novel. Fan Films typically get a bum rap, but this one - based on an official (non-canonical) source and produced with the author's participation - is at least intriguing. You can check out extensive materials at their website, and the more seafaring among you can download a straight 300mb Divx file of the flick.
Friday The 13th Films lives. An equal mix of excitement and fear will power the website from here on, as I try to honor its legacy while pushing it forward with new content. The transfer is still in progress, so please forgive any outtages or general loopiness in these early days. For now there will not be a forum, out of respect to the fallen uberforum. Special thanks to Dustin McNeill, Old-Boo-Radley, and of course Brenna and Blake for their tireless efforts to make this place what it is today. -Dusk (f13admin@gmail.com)
Friday, 13th July, 2007 - Posted By Blake & Brenna
Wednesday, 4th July, 2007 - Posted by Blake & Brenna
Sorry folks, we don't know what to say.
Our server went down hard.
After nearly a decade in one form or another, the Friday the 13th Forum is gone. Dead. And unlike Jason, it's not coming back.
For those forum members that want to say goodbye and leave contact info, we set up a goodbye blog where you can post your thoughts.
It is the end of an era. We wish you all well. - Blake Washer and Brenna O'Brien
Friday the 13th Part 1-8 are owned by
Paramount Pictures
"Friday the 13th", Jason Goes to Hell and Jason X
owned by New Line Cinema
Webmaster JohnKlyza - Original site design by owners Blake Washer & Brenna O'Brien
Released this month - Freddy Vs Jason Vs Ash #1: Written by James Kuhoric (based on Jeff Katz's movie treatment); art by Jason Craig; 3 interlocking covers by J. Scott Campbell. It's a pretty wild ride, with a good sense of humor that doesn't undercut Jason's powerful presence. Looking forward to the next issue and the mixing of the three icon's universes. An enjoyable postscript to reading the issue is this 
Wow, that was quick. 
The new Friday The 13th's screenwriters were recently announced, but since we're now in the all-spanning Writer's Guild strike, you can do the arithmatic and realize the project - and any other union Film/TV project in USA hinging on the development or completion on scripts - is on hold.
The farm was a peaceful place for rabble rousing and making moonshine, until varmints from outer space decided to make a mess of things. A bunch of Kentucky rednecks are the planet's only hope from that big slaughterhouse in the sky.
Released earlier this month, Wildstorm's Friday The 13th: How I Spent My Summer Vacation #2 (of 2). Written by Jason Aaron and illustrated by Adam Archer, Peter Guzman & Dustin Nguyen (cover), the second issue is far better than the first, and puts its all in context. Jason here is characterized almost like a slasher version of The Iron Giant. It also has an incredible ending with the full-page revelation of where Jason was traveling to and what he does when he gets there - not a slight against the films, but there's more character development for Jason in that one image than several of the past few filmic entries. I'm now kind of digging these two parters from Wildstorm if you just keep in mind part one is the setup, part two the payoff. A tight little two-act tale. Next month - yipee - it's Freddy Vs Jason Vs Ash!
On October 30th, 
Presenting, the world's biggest shit-eating grin. Via 
Now on sale, Wildstorm's Friday The 13th: How I Spent My Summer Vacation #1 (of 2). Written by Jason Aaron and illustrated by Adam Archer, Peter Guzman & Dustin Nguyen (cover), it's about a deformed kid thrust into camp and reliving some of the same tribulations Jason did as a child, which makes him intriguing to Jason in a way similar to young Tommy Jarvis. What should be a good character study tends to falter under an alternating mix of vague story points with too on-the-nose dialogue. It does set up a worthwhile encounter in next issue though. Also of note, September 26 sees release of 
, collecting the initial 6-issue Wildstorm comic.
Scope out this new extension of the fanfilm concept - a fan web series. Life With Jason is the series in question, and the pilot episode is up on their website (
Surprise, surprise. Another month, another beat-up on Robert Englund by 
Friday The 13th: Pamela's Tale #2 (of 2) has recently been released. I thought it a huge improvement on the first issue (am I the only one completely uninterested with Mama Voorhees' pre-Jason domestic life?). The scene of spazoid kid Jason quizzically grunting at Barry and Claudette doing-it over a tree branch was worth it. They take some artistic license however, by inserting dialogue into Annie's murder which I'm not adverse to - since Pam was such a blabbermouth in the climax, it only served the audience for her to be a silent killer throughout the film. Next up from Wildstorm, September brings another dual-issue story - Friday The 13th: How I Spent My Summer Vacation.
Finally, a chance to kick Jason in the nuts and get away with it. Fan Devon drops some news that "Jason is going to be one of the mascots along with Leatherface and Freddy for the 
Details are tentative, but it looks like there will be a 25th Anniversary theatrical screening or two of Friday the 13th Part 3 in 3D on Saturday, October 13th at LA's Chinese Theater. It'll be part of the 
Former New Line exec Jeff Katz's unrealized Freddy Vs Jason Vs Ash treatment (purposely leaked 
Kelly (FvsJ) Rowland's 
Out now from Wildstorm Comics, Pamela's Tale #1 (of 2). Written by Marc Andreyko, illustrated by Shawn Moll (cover by Dustin Nguyen) - the synopsis reads "The sad, bloody saga of Jason Vorhees is well-chronicled, but one story element of his origin remains untold — that of his mother, Pamela Voorhees! As seen in the original instant classic film, Pamela was a woman unhinged by her son's death at Camp Crystal Lake but what of the woman before that tragic afternoon? And Jason's father Elias?" FYI, I'm planning on updating the 
The pissed-off lovechild of Jason & Commando? No, it's a pic from Mother's Day, the adaptation of Eric Morse's Friday The 13th 
