Friday the 13th fans have been desperate for new content to emerge in support of the franchise, as various rights battles have stagnated the development of new movies and also seen the popular Friday the 13th video game put on the back burner. Luckily, Halloween Horror Nights has come to the rescue, as they’ve announced that they’re partnering with Jason Universe to debut an all-new haunted house at both their Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood locations. Halloween Horror Nights will kick off on Friday, August 29th at Universal Orlando Resort and on Thursday, September 4th at Universal Studios Hollywood and run select nights through Halloween.
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Per press release, “For 45 years, Jason has tormented audiences worldwide and is considered one of the most notorious villains in cinematic history. This fall, the twisted, creative minds behind Halloween Horror Nights pay homage to the machete-wielding slasher in a horrifying haunted house that re-awakens the legend to terrify old and new fans alike.”
“Jason Universe will take Halloween Horror Nights guests on a vengeance tour throughout the summer camp to see where it all began, from the creaking floorboards of Jason’s ramshackle cabin to the decaying main lodge and the eerie forest that offers no refuge for his victims. Around every corner, fans will be inundated with infamous killer moments from Jason’s heinous homicidal career as he taunts and stalks his victims who learn too late that the legend is real.”
The first Friday the 13th was released in 1980, an experience that was inspired by the slashing success of John Carpenter and Debra Hill’s Halloween. Filmmaker Sean S. Cunningham selected the unlucky date as the title of the movie and hired Victor Miller to pen the script. The result was a movie about camp counselors attempting to reopen a camp at Crystal Lake, only to be picked off one by one in grisly ways. The identity of the killer was revealed to be Pamela Voorhees, as she was seeking vengeance for her son Jason drowning at the lake years earlier, a result of negligent counselors.
In subsequent films, it would be the otherworldly Jason who would return from the dead to continue the mission of revenge his mother ignited, and in Friday the 13th Part III, he would secure a hockey mask that would go on to define his frightening legacy.
The reason for the big-screen stagnation of the franchise is due to the legal battles between Cunningham and Miller, as they both sought to secure ownership of both the title “Friday the 13th” and also the mythology of Jason Voorhees. While the upcoming Friday the 13th house at Halloween Horror Nights is one of the biggest major reveals for the franchise, the prequel TV series Crystal Lake is currently in the works, which is set to come to Peacock.
Halloween Horror Nights will kick off on Friday, August 29th at Universal Orlando Resort and on Thursday, September 4th at Universal Studios Hollywood and run select nights through Halloween.
Are you looking forward to the Friday the 13th house? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!
