Friday The 13th: Facts Behind The Fear

BY AMANDA POOLE

Friday the 13th - instead of the typical Friday where the work week ends and the weekend begins, for some people Friday the 13th is a day of great concern. Those suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia, Friday the 13th is a day to contemplate pulling down the shades, hiding under the covers waiting for midnight to come.

But why do some people fear the day? Moreover, why is this the most famous superstition, and one that has persisted for ages? There are so many different connections and theories, and About.com's David Emery has gone to great lengths to document most that sheds a little light on this dark day.

The Infamy Of 13 Letters In Your Name

Courtesy: Biography.com

We here at PPC love when a Friday falls on the thirteenth day of the month! It's like a mini paranormal holiday when we can discuss spooky things and superstitions. Thanks to a recent blog post sent to us by Sarah Mann, we've seen some light shed on another possible "unlucky" aspect of the number 13.

In light of 2014’s only Friday the 13th, Findery, has uncovered some downright interesting, and somewhat disturbing, facts/stats/occurrences from past."

Check out the list of infamous people below and tell us what you think of this theory. What are some of your superstitions?

-Larissa Mrykalo

Happy Friday The 13th 2014

Happy Friday the 13th! May your unlucky day of 2014 be filled with black cats crossing your path, umbrellas opening indoors, walking under ladders, spilling salt, breaking a mirror, and other unlucky things like, ummm ... running with scissors, eating yellow snow, drinking milk without checking the date?

For us here at Paranormal Pop Culture, we like to celebrate by visiting Voorhees Township in New Jersey to talk with locals about superstitions and about sharing the town name with a famous movie killer. This is an older video but one I still kinda dig.

-Aaron Sagers

What Are The Odds This Friday The 13th?

You've got to ask yourself one question: Do you feel lucky this Friday the 13th? Well, do ya, punk?

If not, try to look at the bright side. Not only is this Friday the 13th the only unlucky day of 2014 (albeit one that falls on a full moon), but your odds of getting attacked by a zombie today are pretty slim. Still, the freakiness of this day is socially ingrained. The betting advice site estimates as many as twenty-one million people around the nation fear this date causing an estimated $800 million in lost business dealings on days like today.

So, to put things into perspective, here is a breakdown of SportsBettingDime.com's odds of the calamities that might befall you today. What do you think you run the highest risk of occurring?

• Flight delayed 5/1
• Accidentally send an embarrassing text message 500/1
• Cable/Internet stops working 700/1
• Lose your keys 900/1
• Girlfriend/Boyfriend breaks up with you 1000/1
• Car breaks down 1000/1
• Lose your wallet 1100/1
• Lose your job 1200/1
• Get divorced 1400/1
• Lose your engagement/wedding ring 1600/1
• Get in a car accident 2000/1
• Power goes out 8,000/1
• Get robbed 8,000/1
• Get injured at work 10,500/1
• Computer crashes losing important files 12,000/1
• Unable to leave house due to Triskaidekaphobia 1,000,000/1
• Flight delayed due to black cat on runway - 10,000,000/1
• Get struck by lightning 182,000,000/1
• Pick every correct lottery number except #13 - 200,000,000/1
• Get bitten by a zombie – 50,000,000,000/1

-Aaron Sagers

'Friday the 13th' Returning to The Small Screen

Courtesy IMDB

Jason Voorhees has been hacking and slashing his way across the big screen since the 1980s, but soon, he will be making his killer debut on the small screen. According to Deadline, Crystal Lake Entertainment, along with Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films, have inked a deal to produce an hour-long dramatic series based off of characters and settings from the original "Friday the 13th" series.

Sean S. Cunningham, director of the 1980 film, is set to act as an executive producer on the upcoming project alongside Ted Fox (Fox Entertainment), Steve B. Harris (Diversion3 Entertainment), Mark Canton (Atmosphere Entertainment MM), and Randall Emmett & George Furla (EFO Films). Producer of the feature films and Horror Inc. president, Robert Barsamian, is slated to produce the new series. Roy Knyrim of SOTA FX will be providing special FX makeup for the series.

Horror Valentines to Show Them You Scare!

The self-proclaimed "Ed Wood of Cartoon Humor," James A. Roberson has created some awesome, printable horror-Valentines (Horrortines?) over on JARHUMOR.com and we really wanted to share them with our readers.

Whether you're a fan of the holiday or not, these cards based on such classics as "Friday the 13th," "Critters," "Killer Klowns from Outer Space," "Invasion of the Saucermen" and even the recent pop culture hit, "Sharknado," will warm your heart and "show them you scare."

Head over to the site to print and share. Below are some examples for you to pine over and of course, have a Happy Bloody Valentine's Day!

-Larissa Mrykalo

Rumors About Friday The 13th Found Footage Persist

Sequel rumors to 2009’s Friday the 13th remake have been rumbling around for a few years now but news bubbled up via  Shock Til' You Drop that Paramount is looking to make the next Jason film found footage.

Of course, Paramount has the Jason franchise rights after Warner Bros. gave it back to them (in exchange for a 50/50 split on Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar). So now that the studio is back under one roof, they may want to make a go of it before 2015.

The found footage news isn't completely news but it's still being toyed with. It is an interesting idea, but would it actually work? Think about films like "Cloverfield" or "Blair Witch." Those films hide or obscure the monster behind debris, background or disorient you from fully viewing it with a shaky camera. Jason could be done that way. Why not? A filmmaker clever enough could possibly make it frightening and interesting.

This is all a rumor, of course, so nothing is set in stone just yet. A sequel is definitely going to happen, but we’ll let you know exactly what kind when we hear.

-Andrew Peters

The Number 13 Conjures Up Many Superstitions: What's in a Name?

Courtesy: Biography.com

We here at PPC love when a Friday falls on the thirteenth day of the month! It's like a mini paranormal holiday when we can discuss spooky things and superstitions. Thanks to a recent blog post sent to us by Sarah Mann, we've seen some light shed on another possible "unlucky" aspect of the number 13.

"In light of 2013’s first Friday the 13th (another occurs in December) Findery, a new discovery platform that brings the places around you to life through little-known details shared by others, has uncovered some downright interesting, and somewhat disturbing, facts/stats/occurrences from past."

Check out the list of infamous people below and tell us what you think of this theory. What are some of your superstitions?

-Larissa Mrykalo

'Friday the 13th' complete collection gets a killer Blu-ray treatment this September

Not too long ago, Paramount re-acquired the rights back to the Friday the 13th franchise and you can believe fanboys were geeking out and gearing up for what was to come: All the Friday the 13th titles, for the first time ever, under the same roof -- and a complete box set with all the films, up to the remake (previously, Paramount only had the right to distribute the first eight films).

And so it shall be. To be released on Sept. 13 (yes, a Friday), the collection will be a 10-disc set, with the 12 films on nine Blu-ray discs with that leftover disc to be chockful of bonus feature goodies. So what’s this beast gonna look like? Well, no worries, because it didn’t take them long to push out an image! Inside this collectible tin set, you will also get a 40-page, soft cover booklet of inserts from the Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th. But that’s not all! Dust off your Boy Scout shirt and add a Camp Crystal Lake Counselor patch to that!

Here's more of the rundown:

1989 'Friday the 13th' video game gets the NECA toy treatment

If you're like us, you have so many memories of the Friday the 13th Nintendo game… and most of them are bad.

Still, just the idea of playing a game based on the R-rated series was shocking. It wasn’t the best game, but it has a lot of nostalgic value for Friday fans. Thankfully the crafty devils at NECA are just as nostalgic! They recently revealed their newest Jason Voorhees figure in their Friday the 13th line as a tribute to that purple and blue 8-bit Jason!

The idea actually came from Will Edwards, a fan, who really dug the 1989 Nintendo look and tweeted images over to NECA. Turns out they really loved the suggestion. However, it’s only a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive, and according to NECA, it’ll cost you $25 and will be available at their booth!

(via FEARnet)

-Andrew Peters

'Friday the 13th' doc 'Crystal Lake Memories' slashes into August

There is no question that the Friday the 13th series is perhaps the most inspirational and longest ongoing series in horror. A few years ago, we received a documentary titled His Name Was Jason, and coming this August, some of the people that worked on that documentary are bringing us another: Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th.

This word comes from Shock Till You Drop, who also noted some insight on the upcoming documentary:

From Fridaythe13thfranchise.com: With a running time of approximately seven hours, Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th explores each film – from the seminal 1980 slasher hit to the 2009 reboot, including the hit syndicated television series – in chronological order, and promises to be the definitive retrospective on one of the most enduring horror franchises in motion picture history.

Over seven hours! As a huge fan of Friday the 13th, you can guarantee I’ll keep close watch for more news on this one. The documentary will hit Aug. 27.

-Andrew Peters

'Poltergeist' soundtrack coming from Mondo ... on vinyl!

If you’re a fan of Poltergeist or a collector of vinyl records (or both), then you may want to grab this while it’s available soon. How soon? Well, the creative folks at Mondo will be releasing the Poltergeist score soundtrack on Feb. 22! So, pretty soon.
According to the press release, Mondo -- the collectible art division of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema -- commissioned original cover art from Australian Illustrators We Buy Your Kids for a two-disc vinyl of Jerry Goldsmith's score. Available for $25, a small portion of clear vinyl copies will be randomly included. Also, there will be five tracks never before released on vinyl.

Celebrate Friday the 13th

This is what happens when
Friday the 13th lands right after Easter

While it is a day of bad luck and superstition for much of the world, here at Paranormal Pop Culture, Friday the 13th is a holiday.

To celebrate Friday the 13th, Part Two of 2012 (remember there are three this year: Jan. 13, today and July 13 - all exactly 13 weeks apart), we encourage you to read up on Amanda Poole's history of the cursed day as well as revisitng our interview with the king of Friday the 13th, Jason Voorhees himself, Kane Hodder. 

Speaking of Voorhees, no Friday the 13th is complete without a visit to its capital, Voorhees Township, NJ. Check out our video below where we visited Voorhees, and asked residents about their take on unlucky number 13 - and what it's like to live in a town that shares its name with a famous movie killer.

TCM Classic Film Festival launches tonight

The good folks over at Turner Classic Movies just reminded us, in a press release, that "for the third year, the TCM Classic Film Festival is the place to experience classic movies as they were meant to be seen: on the big screen, in some of the world's most iconic venues, with the people who made them."

The four-day festival, which takes place Thursday, April 12 – Sunday, April 15, features a wide range of screenings, events and appearances starting early in the morning and going into the late evening. Passes for the fest are on sale now at http://www.tcm.com/festival, and will include such classic gems as Vertigo, Dr. No, Chinatown and one of our Paranormal Pop Culture faves, James Whale's 1931 classic Frankenstein - which is appropriately screening on a day of horror, Friday the 13th.

If you're in the area, check it out.

Friday the 13th: Facts behind the fear

BY AMANDA POOLE

Friday the 13th - instead of the typical Friday where the work week ends and the weekend begins, for some people Friday the 13th is a day of great concern. Those suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia, Friday the 13th is a day to contemplate pulling down the shades, hiding under the covers waiting for midnight to come.

It could be an especially stressful year since there are three Friday the 13ths in 2012 (Jan. 13, April 13 and July 13) and they are all exactly 13 weeks apart.

But why do some people fear the day? Moreover, why is this the most famous superstition, and one that has persisted for ages? There are so many different connections and theories, and About.com's David Emery has gone to great lengths to document most that sheds a little light on this dark day.

For instance, the site reports that many professions regard it as an unlucky day to undertake journeys or begin new projects. Plus, Black Friday has been associated with the stock market crash and other disasters since the 1800s. Also, according to Christian scripture, Jesus was crucified on a Friday - and there were 13 dining at the Last Supper (on a Thursday).

The number 13 is also associated with the devil’s luck. Those with 13 letters in their name might stumble across some pretty serious bad luck, and share something with thirteeners Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson and Jeffrey Dahmer.

Meanwhile, ancient Egyptians considered 13 an important part in their lives; they believed life was a quest for spiritual ascension which unfold in stages - 12 in this life and a thirteenth beyond, which was the eternal afterlife. So the number 13 symbolized death, but not necessarily dust and decay.

We may never completely grasp why Friday the 13th became one of best known superstitions but supposedly 17 to 21 million people in the United States alone fear this unluckiest of unlucky days.

On the bright side, Friday the 13th gives you an excuse to call off work if you can convince your boss you came down with a serious case of paraskevidekatriaphobia.

Friday the 13th in (Jason) Voorhees, NJ

Happy Friday the 13th! May your day be filled with black cats crossing your path, umbrellas opening indoors, walking under ladders, spilling salt, breaking a mirror, and other unlucky things like, ummm ... running with scissors, eating yellow snow, drinking milk without checking the date and picking up women named Lola with prominent Adam's apples?

For us here at Paranormal Pop Culture, we like to celebrate by visiting Voorhees Township in New Jersey to talk with locals about superstitions and about sharing the town name with a famous movie killer.

Kane Hodder: 'Friday the 13th's Jason on acting, ghost hunting

BY AARON SAGERS

Despite being 6-foot-3, and having been in show business for three decades, most casual audiences wouldn’t recognize Kane Hodder, but they know his work. The stuntman and actor has appeared in more than 100 films and TV shows, and has left a mark on popular culture – and more often than not, it has been a big, bloody mark.

Although he has worked on blockbuster thrillers (Se7en), super hero flicks (Daredevil) and Oscar-winning films (Monster), Hodder’s most enduring legacy is his time behind a hockey mask hacking through fornicating teens.

He portrayed killer Jason Voorhees in the classic slasher flicks Friday the 13th, parts seven, eight, nine and 10, and is the only actor to play the undead, deformed maniac more than once. More recently, the actor’s role in the Hatchet films - as Victor Crowley, another undead, deformed maniac– has allowed Hodder to originate his own character in a cult franchise, the third entry of which was just greenlit in March. The result is a spot in the pantheon of actors who repeatedly left their mark on horror, alongside Robert Englund, Anthony Hopkins and Anthony Perkins.

But what’s a guy to do after making a killing in Hollywood? Hunt for ghosts, naturally.

While filming the 2006 supernatural horror film Fallen Angels at the reportedly haunted Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Hodder and fellow stuntmen Rick McCallum (Hatchet, The Devil’s Rejects) and R.A. Milhailoff (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3, Hatchet II) – all of whom who potrayed demons in the movie - decided to form the Hollywood Ghost Hunters paranormal investigative group. The team appeared on a January 2011 episode of Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures and also organize events where fans and amateur investigators can join the hunt. Like other ghostbusters, Hodder’s crew ain’t afraid of no ghosts, but as “horror film professionals stalking the supernatural,” the ghosts may just be afraid of them.

On June 10-11, 2011, Hodder will get a chance to spook the spooks at Rolling Hills Asylum (www.rollinghillsasylum.com) in East Bethany, N.Y., where he’ll be leading ticketed investigators through the famous haunted site, which has been featured on numerous paranormal programs.

A big, grizzled dude with intense eyes who looks too comfortable wielding a machete or with his hands around someone’s neck, Hodder is actually a likable man who’s just hacking and strangling for a scene or fan photo, and joined us to talk about his upcoming investigation and his work in the entertainment industry.

Friday the 13th in (Jason) Voorhees, NJ

Last week editor Aaron Sagers took a trip to Voorhees Township in New Jersey on Friday, May 13, to talk with locals about superstitions and about sharing the town name with a famous movie killer. These are the results.