Jason Voorhees To Be Resurrected for First ‘Friday the 13th’ Film in Years

When it comes to 80s slasher villains, I’ve always been more of a Freddy Krueger guy. I think the first movie is incredible, and it still holds up super well. Wes Craven’s New Nightmare is the director’s warm-up to the Scream franchise, cleverly commenting on the tropes and themes of the Nightmare on Elm St. franchise in a way that still feels ahead of its time. However, that probably should have been Freddy’s last outing (my love for the cheesy Freddy vs. Jason notwithstanding). Freddy was not meant to exist past Robert Englund’s ability to play him. Jason Voorhees? He’s a different story.

I’m sure there are some Friday the 13th diehards who would disagree with me, but the hulking killer from Crystal Lake can be anyone. They just have to be big and wear a mask. The same for Michael Myers, which is why the Haddonfield horror has seen a revival onscreen within the last eight years. Was that a successful revival for Myers? Depends on who you ask. However, Myers had an easier path to return to the screen than his machete-wielding counterpart. The Friday the 13th rights were tied up in a lawsuit for years, preventing even LeBron James from getting a new film off the ground.

Well, happy day to those who have been waiting, because Jason Voorhees is returning to the big screen, and he’s bringing one of his original directors with him. Steve Miner, the man behind Friday the 13th Parts II and III, will direct a new entry in the franchise, according to Deadline. This news comes after the release of a prequel series, Crystal Lake, which focused on Pamela Voorhees (Jason’s mama). It will be the first theatrically released Friday the 13th film since the Michael Bay-produced 2009 entry.

“When I put the hockey mask on Jason for Friday the 13th Part III, I knew it would create a truly scary image that would work for that movie,” Miner said in a statement. “I had no idea that it would live on as one of the most iconic symbols in horror films. I’m thrilled to come back and continue the legacy.” Bringing the director back is a fun move, and it will be his first feature film in almost twenty years. As I said, the 13th franchise doesn’t have a particularly special place in my heart, but Miner made Halloween H20, and I’ll stand by that film forever.

Will audiences turn out for Voorhees? We’ll see! The 2009 movie was a modest hit. But perhaps absence makes the heart grow fonder. By the time the next movie arrives, Jason will have been away from the big screen for almost twenty years. That’s plenty of time away to possibly offer something fresh or more in line with what the original films were. Even to someone like myself, who wasn’t the biggest fan, Voorhees’ return does not seem like the worst idea. As Dustin noted, the worst idea is a You’ve Got Mail remake.