Friday The 13th - The Many Faces Of Jason & The Art Of The Kill

Source: Warner Bros

A big challenge for the filmmakers and the writing team in developing the film, "Friday the 13th", was deciding on what Jason would wear to cover his deformed face. In the long history of the franchise, Jason first appeared in the final frames of the original film, jolting audiences out of their seats with his shocking leap out of Crystal Lake. In the second film, fans turned out in droves to watch the popular villain don a burlap sack. It wasn't until the third installment of the franchise that Jason put on the hockey mask that would propel him to a new level of pop culture status.

The filmmakers made the decision early in the scriptwriting process to have Jason begin the film wearing the burlap sack from "Friday the 13th Part 2," giving fans a chance to see how he finds what has become the character's calling card: the well-worn hockey mask.

"We decided early on that we didn't want to turn it on its ear and create a mask that people were not used to," notes producer Brad Fuller. "And we wanted to add our own sack like the one Jason wore in the second film. It's such a great visual."

"It was exciting for us to create a moment where you see Jason discover the mask," states screenwriter Mark Swift.

Fuller agrees. "We all felt that if you're going to make this film, it must include that moment when he takes off the sack and puts on the hockey mask and becomes Jason."

"Hopefully fans will dig it," says Swift. "It's really a scene that we wrote to be that 'wow' moment in the film."

Creating the look of both the mask and the sack was entrusted to special effects makeup supervisor Scott Stoddard and his gifted team.

"Scott was the first person we hired on this film," says Andrew Form. "He did amazing work for us before and is just an incredibly talented artist."

"Scott created a new version of the sack that we all fell in love with the first time we saw it," adds producer Fuller. "We knew the mask was the look everyone knows, but we thought it would be a perfect combination if he could wear both."

Stoddard notes, "I'm a big fan of 'The Elephant Man' and Jason is actually kind of a tragic figure like John Merrick, so I asked Tim Jarvis to make a hole that Jason sees out of that is a little bit square, and crudely stitched together. Tim did an amazing job making it and I think fans will really like the look."

For Stoddard and his team, coming up with Jason's overall look was born out of respect. "We definitely wanted to keep him more human," offers Scott, "because, within every serial killer, there's a history to the sociopath they become, and Jason has a great history."

For Derek Mears (Jason), seeing Stoddard's handiwork for the first time was something the actor would not soon forget. "The first time I strapped on the mask in Scott's make-up shop in Los Angeles, I got chills." reveals Mears. "Everyone in the shop stopped what they were doing and looked over. I felt like I was lifting Excalibur, and all I could see were heads looking at each other and smiling from ear to ear. It was an amazing moment for me."

Stoddard himself transported the hockey mask from Los Angeles to Austin for the film shoot. It was an adventure. "I hand-carried Jason's hockey mask in a special silver case because I was too afraid to send it any other way," explains Stoddard. "I was going through airport security when two guards came around and asked me to follow them. They took me to a special room and opened the case and said, 'Is that the Jason mask? We're really big fans--can you take it out and let us see it?'"

Another element that the filmmakers wanted to bring back was the carefree "sex, drugs and rock & roll" attitude that permeated the early films. "We really wanted to bring the fun back to the franchise," says producer Form. "We wanted to have young college kids having a blast being kids. It's a wonderfully vivacious group of kids who are a lot of fun to watch, even as they experience all these horrific scares."

For the filmmakers, making all of the deaths in the film memorable was essential to revitalizing the franchise. "We knew when we took this on that the deaths were one of the most important aspects of the film," says Andrew Form. "The one thing we didn't realize was just how many deaths there are in a 'Friday the 13th' film. Each death has to feel different and unique. You can't just kill everybody with a machete because that gets really old and boring. Luckily, Damian Shannon and Mark Swift came up with some really clever deaths that audiences will go home talking about."

"The ride we're hoping to present is a total roller coaster and, if we do it well, there will be a lot of phenomenal scares that will have audiences on the edge of their seat," says Brad Fuller. "Sean Cunningham created a great villain. When it comes down to it, people love to watch Jason kill. That's why people go to these movies."

"Just so all the fans know, they can be completely assured that they will see all of the iconic elements from the franchise that they have grown to love," says Form. "In this film, we're bringing back the fun along with the intense violence, unique kills and great scares. It's all there."

Directer Marcus Nispel teases, "The sleeping bag--it sums up everything you want to achieve with a 'Friday the 13th' kill. It's scary. It gets under your skin. It allows you to laugh somehow... but I think it's more of a panicky laugh."

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