Similarities and Differences Between Friday the 13th and Halloween Movies

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Scary Movies and Series

Comparing the Halloween and Friday the 13th Movies

The Halloween and Friday the 13th killers and franchises are far too similar to be a coincidence. Thus, it is only logical that one copied the other. However, in the grand scheme of things…it is also reasonable to assume a range of characteristics found in both movies and killers would be considered a generalized public domain-type of fear. In other words: it is kind of hard to get an intellectual property patent for something like “a killer that stalks you” or “a killer that wears a mask”

How Are Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees Different?

Reason for Killing

Michael Myers is haunted by visions, nightmares and voices which tell him to kill in the time of Samhain (Halloween). He specifically typically hunts down his family members.  Jason Voorhees was a critical victim of childhood bullying and succumbed to a cruel drowning by unsupervised kids while camping. Although he too has heard his mothers voice, he is primarily killing for revenge.

Movie Setting

Halloween is set in the town of Haddonfield, where Michael can kill in a suburban setting…including roads, houses and stores.  Friday the 13th is set in Camp Crystal Lake, where Jason gains killing access to the woods, cabins and lake itself.

When the Killer Officially First Died

Michael Myers claims his first kill from a very early age, then returning as an adult to hunt the rest of his family. Jason Voorhees supposedly dies before he makes his first kill, being drown at a very young age.  He does not claim his first kill, in fact, until some 20 years later.

Mobility of the Killer

Michael Myers is able to travel great distances to get to his desired destination.  He can even hijack and drive automobiles. Jason Voorhees generally remains trapped in the Crystal Lake area, and is not seen traveling great distances (especially not by car).

How Are Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees Similar?

Both Feature a Masked Killer

Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers are notorious for their creepy appearances…most of which revolves around the center focus of their mask.

Both Feature a Weapon of Choice

Out of dozens of ways each slasher has creatively slain their victims, each has exhibited a supreme preference.  Jason Voorhees typically prefers his giant machete, while Michael Myers seems to enjoy knifing people to death.

Family Drama

Friday the 13th’s Jason has some seriously ‘effed up’ drama going on with his mother. She is very frequently seen egging him on, and even kills on his behalf in the first movie.  Similarly, Halloween’s Michael Myers is always chasing down and trying to hunt his family…most notably Laurie Strode.

Both Killers Are Mute

Interestingly, both franchises take advantage of a “silent but deadly” strategy. Neither Jason Voorhees nor Michael Myers will ever be caught speaking…yet they are both terrifying and everyone runs!

Supernatural Powers

No matter how victims fight back, they are never able to overcome the slasher.  Michael and Jason both manhandle their victims although they were nothing more than a sack of potatoes!

Brought Back from the Dead

michael myers listening to a phone

Despite being largely indestructible, both slashers have been beaten in a number of their movies, only to be brought back from the dead. Michael has been shot in both eyes and lit on fire, Jason blown up and dismembered, but both have survived to kill again!

Fun Fact: In Halloween Part 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Michael Myers can be seen 21:10 seconds into the film seemingly wearing Jason’s hockey mask.

Final Words: Halloween vs Friday the 13th

Both, Friday the 13th and Halloween, are fantastic horror franchises. Each movie features a number of gory, glorious kills which will grace the history book of slashers forever.  And while both slashers may be exploiting a similar genre niche and real-life fear of a masked, deranged psychopath killer, both contribute a steady stream of creativity in kill style.  Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees always offer an entertaining show that is undeniably exhilarating and always keeps viewers on the edge of their seats!

Check out our other article…Did Friday the 13th copy Halloween, to learn a little more about this horror franchise rivalry!

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Surprising Facts About the Friday the 13th Movies

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Lifestyle Scary Movies and Series

Interesting Facts About Jason Voorhees & F13 (Friday the 13th Movie Fun Facts)

Behind the Scenes: The Making of the Friday the 13th Franchise

Everyone knows the iconic sound of the chilling “Jason is coming” tune throughout the Friday the 13th.  This horror is repeated millions of times every day throughout the world…”Chi Chi Chi….Ka-Ka-Ka!” Where did the Friday the 13th franchise get it’s scariness? How did Jason Voorhees develop into the feared slasher that he is known as today?  Horror Enthusiast hid under a couple of cabins, crawling around Crystal Lake to get some answers! Enjoy some of the most interesting and viscous Friday the 13th Fun facts and trivia!

Interesting Facts and Trivia in the Making of the Friday the 13th Movies

Inspiration for the Famous Musical Prelude

The famous musical prelude of a Jason kill, his “Chi Chi Chi…Ka-Ka-Ka” tune was composed by Harry Manfredini.  This piece was created to resemble a voice of a child (presumably a younger Jason Voorhees) speaking to his mother, who is technically the killer in the first movie.  The voice is supposedly trying to say “Kill Kill Kill…Ma Ma Ma,” in an effort to encourage her revenge-inspired murders.

Characters Named After Video Game Users

The tenth film in the franchise, Jason X (2001), features  characters that were named after writer Todd Farmer’s friends.  These friends being people who played the video game EverQuest (released in 1999) with him.

Jason’s Highest Kill Count (for one movie)

Jason X (2001), also known as “Jason in Space” to many (rather disgusted) horror fans, features a super deadly Jason.  He claims 28 victims in this one single film, making it the highest kill count movie for Jason Voorhees, of all time.

Fake Props Cause Real Stir

Movies frequently use fake props in place of real objects and products in order to save money.  Many fake props get mistaken for real items during production and can create a bit of a ruckus.  While filming the second movie in the franchise, Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981), a fake telephone booth was a regular set highlight.  People would try to use this booth on a regular basis only to storm off angrily when it would not work, leaving the crew and cast bursting in laughter.

A Transferred Franchise

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) was the first film in the franchise to be produced by New Line Cinema.  Up until then, Paramount had been at the reins, all the way back to the original movie in 1980.

Many Filming Locations

Camp Crystal Lake is much bigger than anticipated! It turns out that the Friday the 13th franchise has been filmed in a number of places. While about half of the films were produced in California, the franchise has also seen movies shot in: Alabama, Georgia, Connecticut, Ontario, Texas and New Jersey (the original movie).

Sally Field

Sally Field almost played “Alice” in the original Friday the 13th movie. Instead, Adrienne King took the part (and did a fantastic job)!

Jason’s Highest Grossing Film

Jason always put on a good show, however, his best earnings were raked in during Freddy vs Jason (2003), in which he faces off against another horror slasher favorite, Freddy Krueger.  Strangely enough, this is also the case for Freddy. In fact, it turns out the two franchises are very close in total earnings. The Friday the 13th franchise has earned a total of more than $380 million, while the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise ranks a little over $370 million!  And still, the first film was still a strongly profitable venture, especially considering the shoestring budget!

Residual Involvement

The original movie’s write and director, Sean S Cunningham, helped pave the way for the franchise to grow into what it is today.  He produced a number of the films himself and helped produce all of the rest of the films as well by way of his production company, Sean S Cunningham Films.

Kevin Bacon’s Break Out Role

Although Kevin Bacon had a little experience before Friday the 13th, it was one of his first lead roles paving way for the successful career he has since enjoyed.

Freddy AND Jason?

Freddy vs Jason (2003) linked the two killers in the present alone, not providing any history of any substance between the characters.  Through a number of leaks, however, it has been suggested that there was talk of a backstory in some versions of the script which would have linked the two killers via a little history. One noted suggestion was that Freddy could have been a counselor at Camp Crystal lake, who at one point molested Jason before his real-life drowning. 

They probably steered around such a plot to associating Freddy Krueger fans with pedophiles…as the entire promotion of the film seemed to encourage fans to ‘choose a side.’ And ultimately, who would want to side with a pedophile?

Freedom of Creativity

The Friday the 13th franchise was great for giving a lot of directors the ability to both write and direct a movie.  Sean S Cunningham (Friday the 13th, 1980), Tom McLoughlin (Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI, 1986), Rob Hedden (Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, 1989) and Adam Marcus (Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, 1993), all get to experience this freedom in creativity! 

Final Words About the Making of the Friday the 13th Franchise

Painting of boat scene from Friday the 13th horror movie

Friday the 13th is one of the oldest of the horror movie slasher franchises. Jason and the Friday the 13th franchise has helped defined the scares and fear experienced throughout the entire horror genre altogether.  Like many of the other killers, Jason was able to secure notoriety based upon two key elements: a mask and a weapon. The creators of the franchise, however, have secured notoriety based upon their ability to scare the living hell out of audiences for decades! Thus, Jason Voorhees will live on through the movies he’s made, and the movies to come…for any time they tell us there will never be another Friday the 13th, we find Jason slashing a few years later again!

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Were the Friday the 13th Movies Released on Friday the 13th?

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Scary Movies and Series

When Were the Friday the 13th Movies Released?

The movie title “Friday the 13th” would lead fans to believe all of the movies were released on Friday the 13th itself. The truth, however, is that the movies would be released as it were most profitable for the film makers and theaters playing the films.  It does appear that they attempted to get it close, however, the true release dates of the Friday the 13th movies will surprise many fans.  Additionally, the plot of the films seem to draw very little connection to the ‘unlucky’ day, Friday the 13th. Still, Horror Enthusiast mapped out the release dates in order to draw a fair conclusion.

List of Friday the 13th Movie Release Dates

It is interesting that the Friday the 13th movies were not released on Friday the 13th. Here is a full list of the release dates of all Friday the 13th movies.

  • Friday the 13th (1980) was released on May 9th. While it was a Friday, it was not the 13th.
  • Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) was released on May 1st. This was a Friday, but not the 13th.
  • Friday the 13th Part III (1982) was released on August 13th, the first movie to be released on an actual Friday the 13th.
  • Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) was released on April 13th, the second movie in the franchise to snag an authentic Friday the 13th release date.
  • Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) was released on March 22nd, which was a Friday, but not the 13th.
  • Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI (1986) was released on August 1st. Again, they secured a Friday but not a 13th.
  • Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) released on May 13th, a Friday, securing the third movie in the franchise with a genuine Friday the 13th release date.
  • Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) was released on July 28th, a Friday but not the 13th.
  • Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) got released on August 13th, a Friday and a 13th. This becomes the 4th movie in the franchise to have an authentic Friday the 13th release date.
  • Jason X (2001), aka “Jason in Space,” was released on April 26, which may have been a Friday, but was most certainly not a 13th.
  • Freddy vs Jason (2003) opened on August 15th, a Friday but again, not a 13th.
  • Friday the 13th (2009), the latest in the franchise, released on February the 13th. This movie locks in the 5th movie with an official Friday the 13th release date.

Last Notes About the Friday the 13th Release Dates

In the end, they got the release date right 5 times out of 12 movies.  That’s not that bad considering there are very few Friday the 13th dates each year (if more than one at all). The movies themselves are not very much so based on the date. And it has even been speculated that the movie title was chosen as a way to capitalize on Halloween’s success. Still, however, the Friday the 13th movies do quite well and wind up getting played across tons of TV networks and movie screens on Friday the 13th itself!

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What Personality Type is Jason Voorhees [Myers-Briggs Personality Type]

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Scary Movies and Series

Analyzing the Personality of Friday the 13th Slasher Jason

Friday the 13th is a staple in the slasher horror genre…and Jason is one of the best killing machines there is!  However, despite many attempts at understanding the silent, hockey-mask wearing killer, the body count continues to rise!  Horror Enthusiast has been able to break down the most critical characteristics and traits which make up Jason’s Myers-Briggs personality type after all!

What Myers-Briggs Personality Type Would Jason Voorhees Have?

Jason Voorhees is a INT-J Myers-Briggs personality type.

Jason Voorhees is not that complicated of a killer if one is provided enough background information.  Still, his undeniably strong personality traits are what contribute to his suspected personality type.

Hates Other People

Besides his mother, Jason hates just about everyone else.  This is probably due to his natural deformities making him a prime target for harassment as a child. He is eventually drowned at camp by unsupervised bullies.  Overall, his hatred of other people easily qualifies him as an “I” Introversion personality rank.

Thrives On His Own

Many killers have required assistance from others in order to achieve their goals, be it creatures, supernatural entities, or their family members.  Truthfully, Jason handles everything himself and pretty much thrives being alone!  This extreme success from being so independent also qualifies a ranking of “I” Introversion.

Convoluted Ambition

Jason loves to kill but sometimes loses track of his target in exchange for something more interesting, or exploring a new possibility. He often has hazy recollections of his past which fuel his killing ambition, but his big picture is always the same: get them back for what they have done; and the facts and subsidiaries that make up the big picture take a backseat to his slaughter fest. This convoluted ambition scores Jason a “N” Intuition personality ranking.

Loves His Mother

Jason’s mother is dead for most of the movies, and all of the movies which feature Jason as a horror killer. He still remembers his mother, hears his mother’s voice and listens to his mother to hack and slash victim after victim.  He is so trusting in the symbol that is his mother from beyond the grave, that it contributes to a personality ranking of “N” Intuition.

Methodical Killing

Jason is methodical in his killings, slashing victim after victim, one by one, as quickly as possible. This systematic approach to slaughtering campers has given Jason more kills than any other horror movie killer to date. It also makes him more of a “T” Thinker than a feeler!

A Just Killer

Drawing of Jason from Friday the 13th horror movie in his hockey mask

Due to the fact that Jason was a victim of brutal bullying himself, the audience naturally has sympathy for Jason.  Jason, as well, kills only because he and his mother believe the killings are just.  After all, the camp counselors and other kids were all negligent bullies…so it is easier to condemn their behavior. The fact that he does not kill purely for sport, makes him a reasoning, logical killer (despite his low IQ), and thus he scores more firmly as a “T” Thinker.

Never Procrastinates

Jason is not a procrastinator, and ensures all of his victims are slain as promptly as possible throughout all of his films.  The chases are usually brief and many times the deaths are sudden.  Jason is considered task-oriented due to his ability to follow instructions from his mother (or Freddy Krueger) so precisely!  His well-rounded reliability as a killer ranks him a strong “J” Judging personality.

Tunnel Vision

Unfortunately for Jason, he can become so obsessed with a harder-to-kill survivor, that he becomes a little reckless and sometimes misses new information.  In fact, this is what usually leads to his capture, death or dismembering.  It is also what secures his ranking as a “J” Judging personality.

Final Mental Health Notes on Jason Voorhees

Jason is a reliable, punctual, methodical horror movie slasher who will rank INT-J every time. And his killings are far more horrifying after understanding the “just” psychology behind them, and his procedural format for ripping through his victims. Regardless, no matter how little Jason may talk or what his personality type may indicate, a lot of times, his machete speaks on his behalf!

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