The Tragic Tale of Friday the 13th

Ah, the horror genre! Yet, one of its greatest tragedies is the existence of the Friday the 13th franchise that hasn’t hit the jackpot of 13 movies. We’ve been stuck at 12 entries since the 2009 reboot, simply titled Friday the 13th. But wait! If it were up to screenwriters Mark Swift and Damian Shannon, we would have been graced with a 13th Jason flick ages ago!

What Could Have Been!

During a recent chat about their new movie Send Help, directed by the legendary Sam Raimi, Mark and Damian spilled the beans about their ambitious project for a sequel. “We dreamed of Friday the 13th Part 13,” gushed Shannon, “and we even had a catchy title: The Death of Jason Voorhees or maybe Camp Blood: The Death of Jason Voorhees!” Talk about a title that might ruffle some fan feathers.

Jason’s Unending Resilience

Now, hold your horses! The F13 fans might roll their eyes because, let’s be real, Jason Voorhees has been through the wringer more times than anyone can count. Remember The Final Chapter? Yeah, they thought they had put him to rest when Tommy Jarvis (Corey Feldman, the legend) decided to take care of business. And how could we forget that explosive intro in Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday? Spoiler alert: he doesn’t stay dead, as it turns out he’s a demon worm hopping around like it’s a party.

But if we learned anything from the franchise, it’s that strict continuity is about as stable as a house of cards in a windstorm. Plus, keep in mind that Camp Blood: The Death of Jason Voorhees was set to follow the 2009 reboot, which gave nods to the first three films (and had some seriously nostalgic moments). Jason was back and better than ever, minus the bag and with a fresh hockey mask, of course!

The Bummer of Legal Trouble

Despite the reboot doing well at the box office and the screenwriters believing they had a hit on their hands with the sequel script (everyone allegedly loved it), legal woes stepped in like an unwanted camp counselor. Original writer Victor Miller has been embroiled in a lawsuit with producer Sean S. Cunningham, effectively hitting the pause button on any new franchise adventures.

And while we’re waiting for the highly-anticipated series Crystal Lake, set to star Linda Cardellini pre-Jason’s demise, Swift and Shannon are understandably bummed that their sequel never got the green light. “We had bigger, crazier kills lined up!” said Swift. Oh, and there was this killer (pun intended) zipline kill that Shannon was super jazzed about.

What’s Next for Horror Fans?

So, what do we make of this tangled web of horror? If there’s any luck in the universe, we might just see these wild ideas come to life in a potential thirteenth movie! But anyone familiar with the franchise knows luck and Friday the 13th don’t exactly go hand in hand.

Catch Send Help in theaters now and let those horror juices flow!