Jason Takes a Page from Norman: Friday the 13th to Come to TV

Deadline is reporting that Sean S. Cunningham is taking his creation of Friday the 13th and bringing it to the small screen.

We all know the story of the ill-fated summer camp and surrounding lake of Crystal Lake that saw the death of a young boy that drown while in the care of camp counselors that were more into exploring each other's anatomy than taking care of the kids. Flash some 20 years later, the now closed down camp looks to reopen with a new crop of horny twenty-somethings looking more for a good time than a job. Once again dark days fall upon the camp as one by one the counselors die. This premise has now spawned a plethora of sequels and not only on e reboot, but a new as well.

While the movies follow our favorite honky mask wearing, machete wielding maniac the new series looks to go more in-depth with the town, its residents and the Voorhees themselves. No different than what is now being done with Norman Bates and his mom and the strange Twin Peaks type town they live in.

Terminator's Bill Basso and Jordu Schell from Avatar are on task to write the script that will take Jason through multiple time periods. Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films and Crystal Lake entertainment are the producing partners that are going to take the franchise to the small screen. No word as of yet on what channel will be the home of the new Friday the 13th Series.

In 1987 another (short lived) series of the same name hit airways. Origainally entitled the 13th Hour, producer Frank Mancuso Jr.(Producer of Friday the 13th Part 2) thought that changing the name to Friday the 13th would draw a bigger audience.

Mancuso's version followed the cousins Michelle "Micki" Foster and Ryan Dallion as they hunted cursed antiques that were sold by their uncle who had made (then broke) a deal with the Devil.

That series lasted 3 seasons.      

Paramount Says: Save the Date for Jason Voorhess!!!

Hockey mask wearing, machete wielding Jason Voorhees looks to be set loose once again on unsuspecting half naked 20-somethings as Paramount (who has finally wrangled back the rights to one the most well known horror movie franchises) is planning a reboot. And after the last debacle of a reboot I would say that it is much needed. That, and the fact that since New Line pretty much ran the well dry of sequels & story-lines for Jason which went from fun to just plain stupid by the end. However, there is a catch for Paramount on obtaining the rights, and that is that they only have 5 years to do something with it

On tap for the latest attempt to resurrect the franchise: David Bruckner. Bruckner you may know is of the V/H/S (the "Amateur Night" segment) alum and that of the 2007 sleeper, "The Signal". Although, it is still unclear where Bruckner plans to take the reboot. But rumor has it that [Bruckner] may employ the widely over used found footage format.

So save the date for Friday, May 13th, 2015 --thankfully the Hollywood retards finally figured out that the movie that has a date in it should be put out on the said date-- for that's the day Jason once again is set upon Big-Chested Betties and the dudes that need to die along with them. Unfortunately that doesn't mean it'll be any good. Especially after piss poor attempts that we have been made to sit through of other rebooted horror franchises.

Richard Brooker: RIP to the Man in the Mask

Probably best known for portraying the famed masked, machete wielding maniac, Jason VoorHees, and ironically was the actor that first put on the hockey mask that would forever be associated to Jason, Richard Brooker has passed away at 58.

[Richard] Brooker began his career in the Friday the 13th Part 3 which in turn lead him to other acting spots such as the film Deathstalker (1983) and an episode of Trapper John M.D.. Brooker was also a stuntman and an avid polo player. Originally from Europe he trained as a trapeze artist and performed throughout the world as a circus stage manager.

After his brief stint as an actor, Brooker turned his sights towards production and directing. He is credited for directing 42 episodes for Bill Nye the Science Guy.

He was set to appear at the 30th Anniversary of the Iconic Hockey Mask from Friday the 13th along with Kane Hodder at the Calgary Horror Con in September.

How Masked Horror Villains Should Jump the Medium

Ah, yes. What I am sure is going to be the next “low-rent” re-hash of one of my favorite horror flicks makes it’s way to the movie theaters today. “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” has had some worthy notes to the franchise and some rather full fledge duds as well. And this latest incarnate of Leatherface has me feeling that this is on the latter side of the sequel/remakes.

This time around “TCM” gets a name makeover to the awesomeness of “Texas Chainsaw 3D” (yes, for whatever the fucking reason we get to see Leatherface in all his gory glory in 3D… yay! And yes I am being sarcastic when I say “YAY”). Hollywood seems to still have a hard-on for that for some moronic reason. Sure we have the supper hot Alexandra Daddario for our heroine but is that enough to make me cough up ten plus dollars to sit in the theater, and in January no less. Because we all know that January is the dumping ground for crap movies. That and I have been fucked over too many times with these updates/reboots that have just sucked. (“Friday the 13th” anyone?)

Hey. I am all for a good telling of the same old story. (Just ask any of my friends who get to sit through one of my drunken retellings of days gone by to anyone new and/or willing to listen.) I think with how horror has finally jumped mediums and moved into television we can truly explore some of the old 80s villains. (Hell, they already have Norman Bates & Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lector cued up, ready to go.) Just look how widely respected “American Horror Story” and “Walking Dead” have become. This makes me think that it might be time to explore that thinking. How good of a story do you think can come out of story lines like “Hellraiser” if given a 13 episode run instead of trying to pound 3 lbs of shit into a 80-90 minute flick? Same goes to Freddy, Jason, and the aforementioned Leatherface.

Hopefully Hollywood is watching and taking note if “Bates Motel” takes off. Imagine the great TV horror fans and fans of the great masked villains would be given.

Until Next time…