Forty-five years ago, Camp Crystal Lake became synonymous with terror when Friday the 13th hit theaters. Although Jason Voorhees doesn’t show up till the end of the movie (kinda), the iconic slasher nevertheless became the series mascot. Now, as a way of celebrating 45 years of Jason, we’ve learned (via Adweek), that Horror, Inc., the company that owns the Jason Voorhees IP, has revealed the character’s new look. Fans got a look before its debut in the A24/Peacock series, Crystal Lake. And it’s a very retro-looking design, harkening back to Jason’s first handful of appearances. Special makeup effects legend Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead) helped design the “new” Jason, which you can see below:
Here’s what Horror Inc.’s Rob Barsamian had to say about Jason’s new (old) look:
We strive to maintain Jason’s original essence, while continuing to move toward the future with a defined look and feel that takes Jason into his next chapter. We’re also working with both familiar and fresh franchise voices to strike that balance. We gave Greg our new 13-hole mask and worked together on this full body look that embodies classic Jason. He’s a strong, towering and terrifying slasher with a machete, his weapon of choice.
The new Jason look will debut in the new Crystal Lake series, but will be consistent across all “Jason Universe” media. So when the legendary slasher appears next in a video game, or that eventual new Friday the 13th movie, he’ll look the same. From a corporate standpoint, we get it. But it’s a little dismaying that a future director of a movie or game where Jason appears won’t really have a say on the character’s design. It’s already pre-chosen.
The rights to the cinematic Friday the 13th franchise were in litigation for several years. But in 2024, original Friday screenwriter Victor Miller won the rights back. Whatever new movie that eventually comes out will be made in collaboration with him. It’s now been 16 years since Jason killed horny camp counselors on the big screen. And that’s just way too long a wait. Hopefully, this all means we won’t have to wait too much longer for the thirteenth Friday installment.
Content shared from nerdist.com.