Horror Movie Facts: Friday the 13th and More

When it comes to slasher films, Jason is a legend. Equipped with a hockey mask to cover his face and usually in possession of a knife, he made you think twice about attending camp, swimming in a lake after dark, or camping in the woods. In this article, you will learn facts considering the first “Friday the 13th” movie, as well as trivia about other horror movies, such as “Night of the Living Dead.”

“Friday the 13th” (1980)

Not only is Friday the 13 considered an unlucky day, it is also the title of a collection of movies that focuses on Jason Voorhees , who stalks and murders camp counselors at Crystal Lake. The summer camp was the site of a drowned child, who turns out to be Jason.

The man who wrote the script for “Friday the 13th, Victor Miller, also did a bit of writing for soap operas, such as “All My Children”, “Guiding Light”, and “One Life to Live.”

Friday the 13th was filmed at Camp Nobebosco in New Jersey. To this day, the camp is still entertaining kids for the summer. They even have a wall dedicated to Friday the 13th paraphernalia.

It took 28 days to film the entire movie.

“Night of the Living Dead” (1968)

One of the most classic horror movies of the past centered on a gaggle of bloodthirsty zombies that terrorize a farmhouse. It would become an iconic gem for movies regarding the dead that come back to life. With their newfound zest for life, they also have an appetite for eating the living. A rural house becomes the only place that a group of people have to survive the night. They barricade themselves inside and defend themselves with what they can.

The first ‘Night of the Living Dead’ was in black and white and filmed with a low budget.

With a budget of $550,000, the film was made with an extremely high return of $39,754,601.

Ten people died in the first “Friday the 13th”

Victor Miller had originally given the name Josh to the title character, but then thought it sounded too nice, so he changed the name to Jason after a school bully he remembered from his own childhood.

“Child’s Play” (1988)

The ‘Chucky’ doll that appears in the movie “Child’s Play” was once a man named Charles Lee Ray. Interestingly, the doll was named after infamous murderers , Charles Manson, Lee Harvey Oswald, and James Earl Ray. Good thing the movie wasn’t released with its original title , “Blood Buddy.” This movie would go on to make other sequels, including ‘Bride of Chucky.’

“Carrie” (1976)

‘Carrie’ has the honor of being the first Stephen King movie that was adapted into a novel. The high school (Bates High) in the film is a reference to Norman Bates from the 1960 classic ‘Psycho’. To further pay homage to the movie, the four note violin theme from Psycho was used repeatedly in the film.

“Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974)

The movie titled “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” was released in 1974, but not everyone was thrilled with the thought of a man wielding a chainsaw as a weapon. Filmgoers were so scared of what was to come, some actually exited before the sneak previews had finished for the movie. Interestingly, the film didn’t hit theaters in Australia until the early 1980s.