DID YOU KNOW?
1. There were many tributes in the film, including "the authorities from Carpenter" (a nod to John Carpenter), 'Karloff's General Store' (a nod to Boris Karloff), and "Cunningham Road" (a nod to series creator Sean Cunningham).
2. Though not credited as a stuntman, C.J. Graham did all of Jason's stunts in the film, including being yanked by wires during gunshot scenes and being set on fire in the climactic scene.
3. The movie was filmed in Covington, Georgia, a suburb about 30 minutes outside of Atlanta, as well as in nearby Rutledge. The camp is Camp Daniel Morgan, and the majority of the camp still looks identical to the scenes in the movie. Other films made there include 'Little Darlings' (1980) and 'Poison Ivy' (1985).
4. In the movie, Crystal Lake is renamed Forest Green. This is obviously a reference to a lot of the signs posted around Camp Daniel Morgan in Covington, Georgia, which urges people coming into the state park area to "Keep Our Forests Green".
5. The shots of Jason getting the propeller in his neck were shot in the director's parents' swimming pool.
6. The hands of Tommy Jarvis opening Jason's casket were actually director Tom McLoughlin's hands.
7. Crew member Dan Bradley played Jason on the first day of shooting. That is why Jason's build in the paintball scenes is different from C.J. Graham's. This is also why Jason's eye color changes during the film. Paramount had seen the first day's rushes, and they asked that Jason be recast, so C.J. Graham was given the role.
8. Additional death scenes were filmed after the movie was screened for test audiences. Among them were Martin the caretaker's, Steven and Annette in the woods (filmed at Griffith Park in Los Angeles), and Sissy's death. Her head being ripped off was actually filmed, but cut from the final print.
9. Alice Cooper was hired to perform three songs for the soundtrack of the film. They were 'He's Back (The Man Behind The Mask)', 'Teenage Frankenstein', and 'Hard Rock Summer', all of which you can download in our MP3 section, along with a rare guitar solo version of 'He's Back'.
10. At the end of the original script, Jason's father Elias was introduced by going to the cemetery where Pamela Voorhees was buried. The scene was cut from theatrical prints, but is in the novelization.
11. C.J. Graham only got the role after performing in a magic show as Jason. The man who put on the show later went on to work on the effects for Part 6 and remembered Graham's role as Jason on stage and helped to have him cast.
12. If you watch the triple decapitation scene in slow motion, you should be able to catch a view of the cords which support the fake bodies when they drop to the ground.
13. C.J. Graham did play the role of Jason in Alice Cooper's music video 'He's Back (The Man Behind The Mask)' and posed for all of the publicity stills which feature Alice and Jason.
14. The work print version of the film contains the sheriff's backbreaking death in its entirety. The ending is also slightly altered; it excludes the profanity Tommy spouts at Jason, and the ensuing fight between Tommy and Jason both above and below the lake's surface runs longer. Later, after Megan rescues Tommy and shoves the boat's propeller into Jason's neck, the shot of the gore spilling into the water is eliminated.
15. Director Tom McLoughlin took home some props from the movie, including Jason's tombstone (which is sitting outside of his house made to look like Jason is buried in his yard) and his casket (which sits in his house). The DVD extras in the 'From Crystal Lake To Manhattan' box set include a scene where he shows off these props at his home.
16. During the scene when the campers are in bed, you can see an issue of Marvel's 'Power Man and Iron Fist', with a guest-appearance by El Aguila.
17. Both Melanie Kinnaman (Pam) and John Shepherd (Tommy) were originally slated to return, but John backed out after becoming a born-again Christian, and producers felt they couldn't have one without the other. Thus, Melanie was not brought back, and the Tommy role was recast and given to Thom Mathews. In addition, Reggie (Shavar Ross) was also asked to return for a cameo, but he declined, not wanting his character killed off.
18. To keep the film's storyline a secret, the production was given the fake title 'Aladdin Sane', both as a pun ("a lad insane", referencing the storyline of a mental patient pursued by a killer) and in keeping with the series' tradition of using David Bowie song/album titles as fake names. Another title, 'Jason Has Risen' was also considered, but not used.
19. Actress Kerry Noonan (Paula) later went on to audition for a film titled 'Birthday Bash' in which the killer 'Ethan' goes against a girl with telekinetic powers. While auditioning, she asked the producers, "Hey, is this 'Friday The 13th'? I was already in one of these!" She was right. 'Birthday Bash' was the fake-working title for 'Friday The 13th, Part VII: The New Blood' (1988) and "Ethan" was the pseudonym given to Jason in the scripts in order to protect the films from press during pre-production.
20. The blue pick-up truck that Tommy Jarvis drives was the same truck that Pam (Melanie Kinnaman) drove in 'Friday The 13th: A New Beginning' (1985).
21. This film marks the only time in any of the 'Friday The 13th' films that there are actually children staying at the summer camp.
22. In addition to that, this film is the only one in the series that features absolutely no nudity, even though there is a sex scene.
23. Thom Mathews (Tommy) is good friends with George Clooney. The two roomed together for a while when both first arrived in Hollywood.
24. For the scene where Martin the Caretaker finds Jason's grave open, producers Don Behrns and Martin Becker went by the day before shooting just to scope out the scene, and found that the grave was not yet dug. Ever the opportunists, they proceeded to dig the grave themselves so that it would not delay shooting.
25. This film is one of the rare 'Friday The 13th' movies that received positive reviews when it was released. it was praised for director Tom McLoughlin's passion and attention to detail, and for breathing a breath of fresh air into the series.
26. The character of Sheriff Garris was named after director Mick Garris, who is known for his work in the genre, in particular with adaptations of author Stephen King.
27. Director Tom McLoughlin's wife Nancy (Lizbeth) became a pseudo 'den mother' to the cast as the production unfolded. Since Nancy was a bit older than the rest of the cast, it was a role she embraced.
28. Producer Don Behrens and director Tom McLoughlin were constantly at odds over the production. Behrens was known as a 'nickel-and-dimer' when it came to production, and it wasn't until the end of the production that McLoughlin learned that Behrens earned a hefty bonus from Paramount if he completed the film on time and under budget.
29. A running joke of the crew on set was a cooler that producer Don Behrens wanted to keep after production. Because of his relentless frugality, the crew became so frustrated, they tied the cooler to the top of the RV just prior to shooting the crash scene, hence destroying it and costing the production $5,000.
30. The 'Eternal Peace Cemetery' was actually the Madison Cemetery in nearby Madison, Georgia.
31. The first scene filmed by C.J. Graham (Jason) was the RV kill scene.
32. Actor Michael Swan (Officer Pappas) stated that his favorite line was the 'whole enchilada' line over the CB radio transmission with Sheriff Garris.
33. Contrary to popular belief, the little girl named Nancy was NOT named after Nancy from the 'Nightmare On Elm Street' series. It was simply Tom McLoughlin's nod to his wife.
34. Originally, the death of Officer Pappas ran longer, with Jason picking him up off the ground while he squeezed his head, causing his brains to squirt out. This was cut by producer Don Behrens, but remnants of that can still be scene in the final cut, when Sheriff Garris finds Pappas with goo sticking out of his nose.
35. Annette (Cynthia Kania) is actually the wife of Deputy Rick (Vincent Guastaferro).
36. Director Tom McLoughlin actually owns a plot at Hollywood Memorial Park, which is very sentimental to him. He said that because of its proximity to Paramount Studios, he would often go there and sit in peace and hand write all his scripts. He also filmed his first movie, 'One Dark Night' (1982), on location there.
Know any assorted facts that we don't have here? E-mail them to us at: lairofhorror@yahoo.com and you will get credit for them.
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