FRIDAY THE 13TH Creator Sean S. Cunningham Reveals Inspiration for Jason and His Iconic Mask

The creator of one of horror’s most successful franchises of all time – the Friday the 13^th film series – talks about how his slasher character Jason Voorhees and his infamous hockey mask were born, plus he talks about working with horror director Wes Craven and reveals his odd history with O.J. Simpson.

Sean says that before his horror genre history, he was actually making children’s films, but when one of his projects was held up due to financing issues, he came up the title Friday the 13^th, but as a possible title for a soccer project that ended up becoming Manny’s Orphans.

“In the process of making lists, I came up with the title Friday the 13^th, and out of frustration I said to myself, ‘If I had a movie called Friday the 13^th, I could sell that.’”

But he said he remained so committed to the catchy title that he set out to make a Friday the 13^th film, even taking out a full-page ad in Variety, with the heading, “Friday the 13^th, The Most Terrifying Film Ever Made.” The ad garnered interest from some film distributors and Sean was able to get enough funding to get his project off and running. “So I said, okay, I guess I’ll do it,” he said, clarifying that at the time he remained independent from a studio.

But even after he got the ball rolling, he said he still had no clue that his horror movie would grow to be so big. “This was meant to be sort of a stop-gap measure because I really thought that the soccer movie, Manny’s Orphans, would become a TV series and would open a new door.”

Addressing the unique sounds that were created for the 1980 film, Sean said he collaborated with film composer and jazz soloist Harry Manfredini, who had used electronic equipment that was cutting-edge at the time, to produce the film’s creepy, echoed soundscape.

“He came up with this sound, which was him speaking into a microphone and he’d (make the sound) ‘ki.’ I think he was saying “kill ma, or mom.”

Speaking about the origins of Jason’s iconic mask, Sean reveals that the first idea tried was a simple burlap sack atop Jason’s head, which he said “obviously had no future” for wide horror appeal.

“I think (Director Steve Miner) had done a lot of hockey documentaries, when he was learning the editing craft, and I think that out of that, he just said, ‘Let’s just try this,’ and that was the choice for Friday 3, and it just stuck,” he said.

“And every movie since then, there’s always a readjusting of the mask, how to make it just right. But it has stuck, and the character himself has just morphed so dramatically over time… the movies end up being about Jason, and not the people Jason is threatening.”

Watch the full interview to also hear Sean discuss his collaboration with Wes Craven, the making of his 1978 movie Here Come the Tigers, and his experience watching Alien with O.J. Simpson.