Eight films from the iconic Friday the 13th horror franchise are now available for streaming on Paramount+, Paramount Pictures announced this week. The films, spanning from the 1980 original to 1989’s Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, collectively grossed over $468 million worldwide.
The available titles include Friday the 13th (1980), Friday the 13th Part II (1981), Friday the 13th Part III (1982), Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter (1984), Friday the 13th Part V: A Latest Beginning (1985), Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986), Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988), and Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989). According to Paramount+, the first film, directed and produced by Sean S. Cunningham, holds the highest Rotten Tomatoes rating within the series.
The original 1980 film centers on a group of camp counselors stalked by a mysterious killer at Crystal Lake. The synopsis describes a scenario where “Superstitious locals warn against” reopening a summer camp, but “the fresh-faced young people…pay little heed to the traditional-timers.” The film stars Betsy Palmer, Kevin Bacon, Adrienne King, and Harry Crosby, among others. The initial installment introduced Pamela Voorhees, portrayed by Palmer, as the vengeful killer targeting those at the camp, driven by the presumed drowning of her son, Jason.
The franchise’s future extends beyond the streaming release. A television prequel series, Crystal Lake, is in development at Peacock. Linda Cardellini will star as Pamela Voorhees in the series, exploring the events leading up to the original film.
The availability of the films on Paramount+ arrives as a complex legal battle over the rights to the Friday the 13th franchise continues to unfold. Screenwriter Victor Miller initiated a copyright termination claim in 2016, seeking to reclaim the rights to the original film and its core characters – Jason Voorhees, his mother Pamela Voorhees, and heroine Alice Hardy. A 2018 trial court ruling initially sided with Miller, but the decision was contested by Cunningham.
In September 2021, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the lower court’s decision, finding Miller to be an author and entitled to the domestic rights to the franchise. Even though, international rights remain with Cunningham’s company. Entertainment lawyer Larry Zerner, who appeared as a character in Friday the 13th Part III, reported in December 2021 that Cunningham did not petition the Supreme Court for further appeal, suggesting the case may be nearing a final resolution.
The legal dispute centers on whether Miller was an employee or an independent contractor when he wrote the screenplay. If considered an employee, Cunningham argued, Miller would not have the right to terminate the copyright. The court’s ruling determined Miller was not an independent contractor, thus upholding his claim to authorship rights.
