The ominous chime of the clock strikes again, signaling the potential resurrection of a horror classic that has long lain dormant in the crypts of cinematic history. It now seems like the popular Friday the 13th franchise might just be gearing up for a comeback, courtesy of Blumhouse Productions.
The genesis of these whispers can be traced back to a casual revelation to Inverse by Blumhouse producer Ryan Turek during a promotional round for the upcoming Exorcist sequel. When prodded about the possibility of revitalizing other beloved horror franchises, Turek didn’t play coy.
He laid bare the studio’s longing to lay hands on the Friday the 13th series, expressing a desire to strip it back to its roots, where summer camps, unsuspecting campers, and the menacing Jason Voorhees in his iconic mask played pivotal roles.
Jason [Blum] and I are definitely in agreement that Friday the 13th is the thing we would love to get our hands on. I really want to go back to the basics. You don’t need too many ingredients for a Friday the 13th film. You need summer camp, you need campers, and you need Jason Vorhees in a mask.
Listen, I’ve gone on the record saying Halloween is the ultimate slasher film for me. That’s my favorite slasher film of all time. But Friday the 13th as a franchise is one that I just bow down to. I just love everything about it. And if we were able to live in both worlds, like we do with Halloween, then to be able to live at Crystal Lake for a while would be so incredible.
The original Friday the 13th film, birthed in 1980 under the watchful eyes of producer and director Sean S. Cunningham, was the cornerstone of a sprawling horror empire. This empire eventually sprawled into twelve films, a television series, video games, novels, and comic books, becoming an indomitable presence in the horror genre.
However, the franchise has been ensnared in the sticky web of legal battles between Cunningham and Victor Miller, the co-creator and scriptwriter for the original film. This prolonged legal tussle has cast a shadow over the franchise, with Cunningham being barred from contributing to any new installment due to losing rights to the original characters and story to Miller.
Despite its legal woes, the franchise continues to wield influence, with the original film’s release in the 1980s being a pivotal moment in horror cinema. While critics weren’t exactly enthralled by the murders at Camp Crystal Lake, the box office told a different tale, underscoring the franchise’s enduring appeal.
The last time audiences were graced with the chilling presence of Voorhees was in the 2009 reboot of the franchise. Despite receiving a cold shoulder from critics for not adding anything groundbreaking to the lore, the film laughed its way to the bank, grossing an incredible $92.7 million against a modest budget of $19 million, making it the second-highest-grossing film in the franchise.
Will Blumhouse manage to capture the essence of the original films while adding its unique flavor to the mix? Or will this be another attempt that gets lost in the woods, never to be found again? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
