Crystal Lake Memories Derek Mears as Jason Voorhees in the 2009 remake of “Friday the 13th.â€It takes almost 10 hours to watch the landmark Holocaust documentary “Shoah.†If you have 24 hours to spare you can spend it with Christian Marclay’s movie-clip art film “The Clock.†Now horror fans have their own chance for marathon movie-watching with the release of “Crystal Lake Memories,†a new 7-hour documentary about the highly successful “Friday the 13th†franchise.
Named after the idyllic camp where randy teenagers met bloody fates, the documentary features interviews with some 150 cast and crew members from the dozen “Friday the 13th†films and the syndicated television series that ran from 1987 to 1990. (The documentary was released this month, of course, on Friday the 13th.) The original “Friday the 13th,†directed by Sean Cunningham for about $550,000, was a surprise hit when it opened in 1980, grossing more than $39.7 million. The films collectively have become one of the most profitable movie franchises thanks in large part to its central villain, Jason Voorhees. Like the lead character’s disguise in the Broadway musical “The Phantom of the Opera,†Jason’s hockey mask has entered the top tier of pop-culture iconography.
“Jason is this iconic symbol of evil that has gone from generation to generation,†said Daniel Farrands, who wrote and directed “Crystal Lake Memories.â€
And the killing might not be over. Corey Feldman, who narrates “Crystal Lake Memories†(and who as a child appeared in “Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter†in 1984), has expressed interest in developing and starring in a 13th film. Mr. Farrands is developing a TV series called “Crystal Lake Chronicles.â€
But a seven-hour documentary? Mr. Farrands, 44, recently spoke with ArtsBeat about why he devoted so much time to the franchise, why Jason should never have gone to space, and how Hugh Jackman fits into it all. Following are excerpts from the conversation.
There are long movies, and then there’s a seven-hour documentary about “Friday the 13th.†How did you get the idea for a long-form film?
I worked on another “Friday the 13th†film called “His Name Was Jason,†but I was limited to 90 minutes. The fans hated us because it was so short. After that, Thommy Hutson, my producing partner, and I made “Never Sleep Again,†a four-hour documentary about the “Nightmare on Elm Street†films. It turned out to be a fan favorite. Then I was one of the financiers and editor of a coffee table book about “Friday the 13th†that came out in 2005 called “Crystal Lake Memories.†There’s just this loyal fan base for the “Friday the 13th†movies. They don’t want the truncated bonus features you might get on a DVD.
Crystal Lake Memories Corey Feldman, who starred in “Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter,†narrates the documentary “Crystal Lake Memories.â€The film is like 12 mini movies in one, with each chapter devoted to a different film. Each one tells its own story. You can watch it in a marathon, or piece by piece. Even if you’re not a “Friday†fan, what we tried to do was tell the story of what it’s like to make low-budget movies in the trenches. It’s like a film school, wrapped up in an documentary.
Why do you think the original “Friday the 13th†became so popular in the first place?
You can’t define the moment when something becomes a pop-culture phenomenon. But Sean Cunningham took what was becoming popular, because of “Halloween,†and upped the ante. He took the suspense, and the mysterious killer who can’t be stopped, to the next level by putting the graphic kills in your face. That hadn’t been done in a mainstream way. He convinced Paramount, a major studio, to release it in a big way.
Even people who don’t like horror movies know who Jason is. Why do you think his image has become so well known?
Although he’s a boogeyman, Jason was a nerd who was abused and left behind. He suffered this horrible tragedy, and when he came back to life he couldn’t stopped. There’s a wish fulfillment there for a lot of kids. By killing off the cool kids, he speaks to people who feel alienated. Not that you wish people dead, but it’s a way for some people to live out their strangest fantasies. He’s an antihero. I think he’s transcended horror movies. He made his way into comics. He won an MTV lifetime achivement award. He was on Arsenio Hall’s show and “The Simpsons.†Hugh Jackson said he wanted to play Jason, and that’s why he became an actor.
Kane Hodder as Jason Voorhees, with the actress Julie Michaels, during the shooting of “Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday†(1993).When the first film came out, it was controversial because of its graphic depiction of violence, especially against women. But that outrage barely registers today.
In the early days the filmmakers were accused of being misogynist. But I think the movies actually empower women. The films have a lot of female fans. The actresses who have played the surviving characters, who use their intelligence to beat Jason, have an amazing female fan base. They are the ones that are outsiders who don’t fit in, but they are the one who have to survive. I think that’s a metaphor for so many struggles facing adolescents, including women.
There are several famous people who appeared in “Friday the 13th†films before they made it big: Kevin Bacon, Crispin Glover, Kelly Rowland. But they’re not in your film. Did you have a hard time getting celebrities who were in the films to agree to participate?
Everybody who was a part of the movies was contacted. Kevin Bacon is a huge star. Whether or not he chooses to speak about it is up to him. The answer was no, not because he didn’t want to talk about it, but because he was working. There are people who might not want to relive it, or they have just moved on.
Do you have a favorite “Friday the 13th†film?
The first four really spoke to me when I was growing up. As it went on, it got campier, more ridiculous, with Jason in space and going to hell.
Which one do you like the least?
That would have to be “Jason X,†where he goes to space. It’s the final frontier, where franchises go to die.
