I love slasher movies. One of my most successful shorts is a two-minute homage to the Final Girl—
There's something comforting about the rigid structure of the slasher subgenre. It's like writing a haiku—there’s a set of very strict rules and expectations, but those same rules allow for a fair amount of experimentation and variation. Just look at Happy Death Day, or the recent Strange Darling.
On the other side of the coin, the Friday the 13th series is probably the most consistent of the classic slasher franchises. None of the Fridays are genuinely great films, like Nightmare on Elm Street or the original Halloween…
…but for that exact reason, none are as disappointing as Freddy's Dead or Halloween Ends, either. The highest aren’t as high, but the lows aren’t as low. When you walk into a Friday, you pretty much know what you’re going to get—horny camp counselors, gory deaths, a big guy in a hockey mask…
Afraid Not, No Way
It can be useful to think of commercial filmmaking as a sort of system, a cooperative/ competitive arena challenging directors, writers, cinematographers, and other film artists to innovate. Innovation isn’t the only aim of moviemaking, of course, and just because something is innovative doesn’t mean it’s good.
As students of the art of film, we’re naturally attuned to novelty—a fresh treatment of an established genre, an unusual approach to characterization, a new application of existing technology. If we’re interested in mainstream film, particularly Hollywood’s, we learn things from the way that filmmakers swarm over something new and try to mimic it or tweak it or turn it around.
I wrote about this follow-the-leader aspect of filmmaking in my video on genre cycles:
Bordwell goes on:
Call it the variorum quality of popular culture—the tendency to explore, sometimes exhaustively, all the possibilities of a single premise. Filmmakers seize an idea and run with it, in different directions. Of course they may be asking, “How can we cash in on this trend?” but in order to answer that they have to ask another question: “What if we did such-and-such differently?” Even if you start by trying to make money, you still have to make a movie. And that movie will need to be minimally distinctive. The question for the filmmaker remains: What is there for me to do?
He was writing this in the context of the Paranormal Activity series, but it applies just as well to the collective Fridays the 13th. One obvious example: Jason isn’t even in all of the films,1 as famously pointed out in Scream.2
Jason has been to Manhattan and outer space. He’s faced off against Freddy Krueger and a Carrie expy. He’s killed hundreds of people and died several times himself. What more is there for him to do?
More Thoughtful Than You’d Think
This was the question I had, after binge-watching the entire series (including the exhaustively thorough Crystal Lake Memories documentary). One element that I thought the various Friday filmmakers never fully explored was Jason’s mother, Mrs. Voorhees. She only appears for a few minutes at the end of the first film, and occasionally pops up in cameos in subsequent movies, but the character always struck me as deeper than that.
Part of that was actress Betsy Palmer. Although she often joked that she accepted the role simply so she could afford to buy a new car, she did take her performance very seriously—
Trained at the Actors Studio, she took every role seriously. She went so far as to write an elaborate backstory for the character. Pamela had given birth to Jason out of wedlock, and her parents kicked her out. She struggled to make ends meet, until she wound up at Camp Crystal Lake, which offered room and board for both her and her son.
It all ends in tragedy when the camp counselors who were supposed to keeping watch instead snuck away for a little private time. While they’re away, Jason drowns. His death pushed Pamela over the edge, killing the counselors responsible, and then continuing to harass anyone who attempts to re-open the camp. All of this got mixed up in a psycho-sexual stew, since Jason was born and died as a result of pre-marital sex. Hence why Pamela (and later Jason) are constantly killing horny teenagers.
Palmer put more work into a cheap Halloween knock-off than it really deserved, and as a result, she’s the most memorable part of the film.
A Personal Connection
I must admit I have a personal bias towards the Friday series, because I met my wife while working at a summer camp. Watching these films always has an extra tinge of nostalgia for that summer…
All of these things were kicking around in my head, and one day, I decided to do a dumb thing—I wrote a spec script for a series I don’t have the rights to. I wrote the ultimate Friday the 13th.
My script is about Mary, a single mother who takes a job as counselor (and then winter caretaker) at Camp Crystal Lake. The idea is to force Jason to confront a stand-in for his own mother, and all of the violence and sexual repression wrapped up in his and her tragic past.
I don’t know if it’s appropriate to publish the entire script I wrote, but today being an actual Friday the 13th, I thought it’d be fun to at least share the opening sequence. I’m quite proud of it, and one of my dreams is to actually film it some day. But since the rights to the franchise have been contested for well over a decade, I’m not sure that’ll ever happen.
Let me know what you think in the comments. And if you like it, why not share with a friend? Who knows, maybe it’ll reach the right person at the right time, and I’ll somehow get to make it after all.
Friday the XIII
By Matthew T. Price
EXT. FOREST - NIGHT Densely packed woods slope downhill towards a lake in the distance, barely glimpsed between the trees. KENT (PRE-LAP) ...and that's when Alice realized the maniac who killed her friends was the drowned boy's mother! As the story continues we move towards-- EXT. FIRE PIT - NIGHT A dozen pre-teen CAMPERS sit in a circle around a crackling fire. Also in the circle are a couple of teenaged JUNIOR COUNSELORS, as well as two adult counselors: KENT (21, glasses, shaved head, arms like tree-trunks) and MARY (27, mature for her age, short-cropped mom hair cut). The counselors wear matching CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE shirts. (Kent's appears vacuum-sealed over his massive torso.) Though normally sporting an easy-going smile, Kent is dead serious as he finishes his Campfire Tale of Terror-- KENT (CONT'D) Mrs. Voorhees chased her all around the camp, until Alice finally managed to rip the machete from her grasp. Then Alice cut off her head with her own blade! He swishes an imaginary machete. The kids GASP! MARY Wait, I thought this story was about Jason? KENT It is, for you see... (leans in) Jason soon rose up from his watery grave to wreak bloody vengeance for his mother! Some say he drowned Alice; others say he made her suffer the way his mother had. It doesn't matter. Every Friday the 13th, Jason emerges from the depths of that lake... He points downhill towards the shimmering water. KENT (CONT'D) ...stalks through these woods, watches over this very camp... (points at his shirt's logo) ...to punish any counselor who fails in their duty to protect the children. MARY Are you trying to scare the campers or the counselors? KENT ¿Por qué no los dos? LOGAN How does he know it's Friday the 13th? They turn to LOGAN (9, chubby; one of those obnoxious kids who makes you question your objection to corporal punishment). KENT Huh? LOGAN If he sleeps at the bottom of the lake, how does he know what day it is? Does he have a calendar or something? The rest of the kids chime in-- SOPHIE AIDEN Yeah, how does he know? And what about leap years? EMMA NOAH What time does he start? What day is it today? AIDEN CHLOE What about daylight savings? Does he have a watch, too? MARY Guys, guys! She holds up her hands, and they simmer down. MARY (CONT'D) It's a ghost story. If it made perfect, logical sense, it wouldn't be supernatural, it'd be science. JOSH (7, soft-spoken and respectful) raises his hand. JOSH I have a question. KENT Is it about what happens when it turns to Saturday the 14th? JOSH Um... no? It totally was. KENT (sighs) What is it? JOSH Um... Um... Where are Miss Katee and Mr. Chris? Everyone glances around, realizing that there are two empty seats around the campfire. Mary fumbles for an excuse-- MARY I think they went to... get some wood. Kent stifles a chuckle. Mary shoots him a chastising look. SOPHIE (8, precocious in pigtails) perks up. SOPHIE I know what that is! My sister told me. It means they're doing sex! Now the kids lose their goddamn minds. AIDEN CHLOE I want to do sex! What's doing sex? EMMA SOPHIE Are they bringing wood back? Why can't they do sex here? I'm cold. NOAH CHLOE Are they bringing sex back? Why won't anybody tell me? Kent looks over at Mary and shakes his head. She smiles, amused and embarrassed. Logan picks up a stick and waves it around. LOGAN Look at me! I'm doing sex, too! MARY Put the stick down, Logan. She calmly lowers the end of the stick. Josh raises his hand. JOSH I have a question! KENT Absolutely not. I am not answering any question you have right now. No. EXT. ROCK CLIMBING TOWER (TOP) - NIGHT KATEE Yes! YES! KATEE (23, tall and tan and young and lovely) throws her head back in ecstasy. She's riding CHRIS (19, also tall and tan and young and lovely, but, you know, in a masculine way). They're both naked, because that's how you do sex. A sharp CRACK echoes from somewhere below. Katee freezes, breath caught in her throat. CHRIS What? KATEE (soft) I think I heard someone down there. CHRIS So? We're forty feet up! In a WIDE, we reveal that they are, in fact, on top of a four story, wooden rock climbing wall. Each of its four sides are covered in hand holds. On the top is an open-air, wooden porch. They (probably Katee) laid out a picnic blanket to make their sex-doing more comfortable. Katee leans forward to peer over the edge. Her boobs dangle in Chris's face. CHRIS Uh... KATEE Shh! KATEE'S POV: A small, grassy clearing surrounds the tower. The foliage grows thick within a few yards. It's impossible to tell if the leaves are moving with a breeze, or because someone is in there. CHRIS NNNNNgguuuuuaaaahhhh... What starts like grunt turns into a moan. He exhales slowly. KATEE Seriously? CHRIS I'm nineteen! How long did you expect me to hold it in? Katee dismounts and snatches her Camp Crystal Lake shirt. KATEE Keep your voice down. CHRIS No one knows we're up here. Besides, sound travels upwards. KATEE That is not at all how sound works. She pulls on her shorts, too, as he grabs his shirt. KATEE (CONT'D) You better be ready to go again, soon. CHRIS Hey, I am nineteen. He offers her a cheeky smile. She pats him on the cheek. KATEE Good boy. Now dressed, Katee leans over the edge to get a better view. She catches only a brief glimpse of a HULKING FIGURE, before he passes below the climbing tower. He leaves behind a trail of wet footprints. Katee darts over to the other side of the platform, nudging Chris out of her way. He nearly falls over, trying to pull on his pants. CHRIS What's going on? KATEE (whisper) Someone's down there! Chris joins her at the edge, sees the figure merge from under the other side. He has a bald, misshapen head. Something is strapped to his face, but they can't see exactly what from this angle. He's carrying something large and shiny in one hand. A MACHETE. CHRIS Where's he going? KATEE How would I...? Then she realizes how she'd know. The figure is walking in a relentless straight line. He hacks through the underbrush with his machete, never deviating from that line. Katee's eyes follow that line up and onward to its logical destination-- EXT. FIRE PIT - SAME TIME The campers and counselors are now making s'mores. Two of the boys sword fight with sticks. Some of the girls watch a burning marshmallow in the fire. Sophie blows out the marshmallow on the end of her stick. SOPHIE What kind of fruit is a marshmallow? Kent and Mary laugh. Sophie's confused-- SOPHIE (CONT'D) Is it a vegetable? Now they really lose it, cracking up. JOSH Actually, there is a plant called a "marsh mallow." Ancient Egyptians used to candy it. KENT Okay, Wikipedia Brown, I'm pretty sure they're just balls of sugar now. He tosses one in his mouth. MARY Hey, save 'em for the s'mores! As she gives him a little smack, we hear SHOUTING in the distance, almost inaudible. KATEE (O.S.) CHRIS (O.S.) Hey! HEY! Hey! Mary turns, not sure if she heard something or not. EXT. ROCK CLIMBING TOWER (TOP) - SAME TIME Chris and Katee jump up and down, waving their arms, desperate to get their attention. KATEE HEEEEEYYYY! Chris stops, catching his breath. CHRIS I don't know if they can even hear us. An idea occurs to Katee. She pats her pockets, then drops to her knees and starts digging through their things. KATEE Flashlight! Where's my flashlight? Chris turns in a slow circle, looking for something useful. He spots a pile of rocks in mesh slings (carried up the wall by experienced climbers for an extra challenge). He picks up one, about the size of a softball. Katee pops back up, holding a big, D-battery Maglite. CHRIS What are you going to do? KATEE Try and signal them. What are you doing? CHRIS I'm gonna hit him with a rock. He hucks it, and it lands somewhere in the bushes. He picks up another one as Katee starts flashing her light. MATCH CUT TO: EXT. FIRE PIT - SAME TIME In the reverse, the flashlight is only a tiny pinpoint, clicking on and off among the trees. It could almost be mistaken for a twinkling star. MARY Is someone on top of the rock climbing tower? Kent turns, squints. KENT There's a blinking light, but... JOSH It's Morse code. They turn to him. JOSH (CONT'D) It says, "Go to... cabins." Kent and Mary exchange a worried look. EXT. ROCK CLIMBING TOWER (TOP) - SAME TIME Katee clicks away with her flashlight. The Figure is getting farther away, starting to disappear into the underbrush. Chris throws another rock, misses. He picks up one final rock, takes aim, and hurls it with all his might. Bullseye! He hits the Figure square in the back of the head. The Figure freezes, then slooooowly turns around... The camera swoops down for big, scary closeup. There he is, in all his hockey-masked glory-- JASON. MOTHERFUCKING. VOORHEES. Chi-chi-chi ah-ah-ah Katee and Chris drop down, lie flat to make themselves as invisible as possible. KATEE Shit! Do you think he saw us? Chris shrugs. KATEE (CONT'D) Go, look. Chris rolls over onto his stomach, and scoots to the edge. Jason isn't in the underbrush, anymore. Confused, Chris looks further down. Jason is DIRECTLY BELOW, staring straight up at him. Chris ducks back, startled. CHRIS He's seen us now. EXT. FIRE PIT - NIGHT Mary and Kent have stepped away, keeping their voices low. The kids are too busy goofing off to notice. Except Josh; he's watching them closely from across the fire. KENT What do you think? Is it a prank? Brandon did say it was supposed to rain. Mary can't decide. She looks over at the kids, considering. MARY Did you bring your phone? EXT. ROCK CLIMBING TOWER (TOP) - SAME TIME Chris and Katee tuck in close. KATEE We could call for help. CHRIS Jeez, yeah! Duh! He pats his pockets. CHRIS (CONT'D) Shit. I left mine in my bunk, charging. Wait, why'd you try Morse code first? Where's your phone? EXT. FIRE PIT - SAME TIME Kent holds his phone up to his ear. A phone RINGS. LOGAN Hey! We're not supposed to bring our cell phones to the fire pit! Sophie holds up a purse, from which the ringing emanates. SOPHIE I think this is Miss Katee's. MARY Shit. KENT I don't know what to do. A soft WIND blows, fanning the flames and tussling girls' longer hair. Mary looks up at Josh, the smallest boy in the group. He looks very worried. Suddenly, she puts on a happy face. MARY Okay, campers! Mr. Brandon said it might rain, so let's pack up! CUT TO: EXT. ROCK CLIMBING TOWER (TOP) - NIGHT Katee sits up, processing everything. KATEE Okay, let's think this through. We're safe up here, right? CHRIS I pulled up the ladder so no one would, you know, interrupt us. There's no way he can climb up. EXT. ROCK CLIMBING TOWER (GROUND) - NIGHT Jason looks up at the base of the tower. It's lifted off the ground on eight foot stilts, so no one will be tempted to climb without proper supervision. He crouches at the knees, then LEAPS into the air. He grabs the lowest handhold easily. INTERCUT: EXT. ROCK CLIMBING TOWER (TOP) - SAME TIME Katee and Chris watch Jason dangle from the hold. KATEE Shit. CHRIS Well, at least he'll have to drop that machete. Jason draws back, and stabs the wall with a THUNK, creating an improvised handhold with the machete handle. CHRIS (CONT'D) Shit. He pulls himself up with a mighty heave, grabs another handhold. He withdraws the machete with a SHHHHCK, then stabs it again - THUNK. EXT. FIRE PIT - NIGHT The campers and counselors are gathering up their things. MARY Double check your area. We're not coming back if you forget anything. KENT Lights on! He turns on his flashlight, pointing it under his chin. He scrunches up his face and sticks out his tongue. The kids laugh and do the same with their lights. KENT (CONT'D) Move out, soldiers! Kent leads the way down a trail. The kids follow single-file. Mary stands by the fire pit, counting heads as they go. Josh pulls up the rear. He stops. JOSH Something's wrong, isn't it? MARY I hope not, sweetie. She gives him a little hug, then directs him down the path. After one last sweep of the clearing with her flashlight, Mary follows. EXT. ROCK CLIMBING TOWER (TOP) - NIGHT Chris and Katee watch Jason's inexorable ascent. SHHHHCK... THUNK. SHHHHCK... THUNK. She steels her resolve, then turns to Chris-- KATEE We have to warn them. SHHHHCK... THUNK. CHRIS No, that'll just draw him to them. I've got a better idea. He tosses aside the picnic blanket, revealing a HATCH. He throws that open, revealing the dark interior of the tower. SHHHHCK... THUNK. CHRIS (CONT'D) Keep an eye on him. When he gets about three quarters of the way, I'll run down to ground level, and draw him away from firepit. KATEE Chris, no, you can't-- SHHHHCK... THUNK. CHRIS It's too far to jump; he'll have to climb down. That'll give me a big head start. SHHHHCK... THUNK. And in the distance... whistling? EXT. HIKING TRAIL - SAME TIME Kent heads a jaunty little march. The kids try to keep time in their uncoordinated way. He whistles the Theme from The Bridge on the River Kwai to help. BACK TO: EXT. ROCK CLIMBING TOWER (TOP) - SAME TIME Katee stares down at Jason's expressionless mask as he continues to climb. SHHHHCK... THUNK. He's about 30 feet off the ground. KATEE Are you sure you want to do this? SHHHHCK... THUNK. CHRIS No, but... Hey, listen, it's... They gaze into each other's eyes. KATEE It's been a good summer. She kisses him. SHHHHCK... THUNK. KATEE Go! He climbs down into-- INT. ROCK CLIMBING TOWER - CONTINUOUS The entire structure is hollow, except for a winding staircase around the outer edge. The steps are little more than unfinished boards, with no railing. Chris takes them two at time, running his hand along the wall for balance. THUNK! The machete blade slices through the wood two inches from Chris's face! He pulls up short, terrified. KATEE (calling down) Are you okay? CHRIS (catching breath) I'm... okay! SHHHHCK! The blade withdraws. Chris ducks and continues spiraling down. He reaches the bottom, flips open the hatch down there. He starts to reach for the ladder leaning against the wall-- KATEE Leave the ladder! CHRIS Right. He grabs the edges of the hatch and lowers himself down to-- EXT. ROCK CLIMBING TOWER (GROUND) - CONTINUOUS Chris dangles a couple feet off the ground. He lands with a soft whump. KATEE Ready? He looks up at her, through two different hatches. CHRIS Ready as I'll ever be. He doesn't hear Jason drop to the ground DIRECTLY BEHIND HIM. Chi-chi-chi ah-ah-ah KATEE You're a good man. CHRIS I'm alr- Jason grabs his upturned forehead and yanks back. Then, he slices Chris's throat. Blood pours out, just like the very first kill in the very first Friday the 13th. Above, Katee SCREAMS. Jason looks up, sees an easier path. Katee slams the upper hatch shut as Jason jumps to grab the lower one. EXT. ROCK CLIMBING TOWER (TOP) - SAME TIME Katee piles rocks and slings on top of the hatch. INTERCUT: INT. ROCK CLIMBING TOWER - SAME TIME Jason's big boots clomp up the steps. Katee wields her flashlight like a club. Blood drips from Jason's machete. Katee tosses the flashlight away. It wasn't going to do any good anyway. She looks around, desperate for any solution... Jason reaches the hatch. He pushes it, but it doesn't budge. So, he winds up... EXT. ROCK CLIMBING TOWER (TOP) - MOMENTS LATER The hatch BURSTS open, scattering rocks everywhere. Jason climbs out, massive and imposing. He looks around and sees... No one. He tilts his head, confused. He stalks around the perimeter of the platforms. That's when we see-- KATEE, clinging to the wall, breathing shallowly, trying to control her panic. She's below Jason's line of sight. His foot steps down just above her hand. Because this side is tilted inward, she's hidden from view. She tries to step down to the next handhold, but it's tiny. Her shoe slips. She tries again and slips again. Carefully, quietly, Katee lifts her foot, tucks her finger into her sock, and slips both the sock and shoe off. They fall four stories to the ground below. Above, she can hear Jason STOMPING around, growing ever more frustrated that his prey has eluded him. Katee puts her bare foot on the hold, grips it with her toes. She raises her other foot, yanks off that sock and shoe, too. She puts her foot down, and grabs a handhold, securing four points of contact. She lets out a breath, finally feeling secure. A monstrous hand GRABS her wrist! CHI-CHI-CHI AH-AH-AH Jason lifts her up, off the wall, to his eye level. Katee SCREAMS in terror. With a mighty heave, Jason FLINGS her off the top of the tower. She sails through the air. EXT. ROCK CLIMBING TOWER (GROUND) - CONTINUOUS Katee slams into the ground with a sickening CRACK. Many sickening cracks, actually. Her limbs bend in unnatural angles. Bones poke out of several points. Blood pools around the back of her head. Yet, somehow, she's breathing. Jason steps up to Katee, feet straddling her. That's when she hears them-- the campers, WHISTLING. Jason looks up. Katee cranes her neck, just enough to see flashlights flickering between the trees. They're coming this way! She looks up at Jason, pleading with her eyes. KATEE Don't-- She coughs blood. Jason looks down at her. She forces herself to continue, barely above a whisper-- KATEE (CONT'D) Don't-- hurt-- th' kids... Please. Jason considers her plea, then looks up at the children. Katee follows his gaze. The whistling grows louder as the flashlights bob up and down. She turns back to Jason... He's GONE. EXT. HIKING TRAIL - SAME TIME Kent leads the campers down the trail, whistling the Theme from The Andy Griffith Show. (Kent likes theme songs.) Logan points his flashlight down a fork in the path, where the climbing tower rises above the trees. LOGAN Hey! Can we take a shortcut? KENT I don't think so, bud. Kent guides him away, but Mary stops to look. Josh stops, too, clutching the hem of her coat. MARY'S POV: Is that... a body? REVERSE ANGLE: Katee lies on the ground, only a few yards from Mary. She reaches out, but she's too weak to make any noise. A drop of rain hits Mary in the eye. She wipes it away. When she looks again, whatever she saw is gone. MARY Let's stick to the main trail. That's where they're expecting us. They continue on. Where Katee was lying is now only a puddle of blood, with drag marks leading back towards the rock climbing tower. A couple more drops fall. Then a few more. Soon, the sprinkle becomes full-on rain. The deluge washes the blood away. Lightning flashes across the sky, followed by the crack of THUNDER, carrying us to the title card: FRIDAY THE XIII
SPOILERS: The twist ending of Part V: A New Beginning is that Jason isn’t the killer.
TRIVIA: Screenwriter Kevin Williamson won a bar bet by asking if anyone could name the killer in the original Friday the 13th. I think most people nowadays know the answer from seeing his film than seeing the original.