Movies

'Friday The 13th' Producers Exploring "Found Footage" Sequel Ideas

Friday the 13th remake Crystal Lake
By Germain Lussier/

When the reboot of Friday the 13th made $40 million on its opening weekend in 2009, a sequel seemed inevitable. The film only cost $20 million and the franchise has been known to spit out a follow-up or ten. But four years have passed and there's been very little movement. In 2010, the producers all but declared the sequel dead. Then, this past Summer, Paramount regained full rights to the film on the condition a sequel get made in the next five years. So the clock is ticking.

Now, horror journalist Ryan Turek of Shock Till You Drop reports producers are indeed fielding pitches from writers for a new Friday the 13th. The catch is, they're asking for a "found footage" take on the material.

Here's Turek's tweet:

For anyone who may be skeptical, I'm friends with Ryan and he has some very good connections in the horror film world. I trust him.

So where does that leave us? Well first of all, just because the producers are fielding found footage takes on Friday the 13th, doesn't necessarily mean it's going to happen like that. Maybe someone will come in with an idea that truly lends itself to a traditional narrative. However, the fact they're aggressively pursuing this angle is a likely sign Paramount doesn't want to spend too much money on the film. Found footage is usually extremely inexpensive and highly profitable.

But the first film only cost $20 million. That's a lot of money, but not in the grander sense. Has a Friday the 13th movie ever *not* been profitable?

Here's another thought. Is Jason Voorhees as terrifying in found footage? Part of the sheer delight of the franchise is when the audience sees Jason, and the other characters do not. Or when a character dies without seeing Jason. Plus there's a lot of running away from him through dark woods and water.  These are scenarios that are a little more difficult in found footage.

Here's my idea for a found footage Friday the 13th movie. A group of character around a campfire. It's dark so we can't see much. A scream. They go running into the woods so the camera is all shaky. The swing of a machette and the screaming stops. The camera drops to the ground. Jason is seen walking away. End of movie.

Do you think Friday the 13th works in found footage? Will it happen this way?

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