Gosh, I don’t know what gets me more excited about Friday the 13th: all the literary associations of the numerology as it pertains to ancient texts and lore, or the absolute suggestion of brutal, scream-happy gore that this day evokes.
I want to talk about the cultural legacy of Friday the 13th, specifically as it relates to modern American entertainment. But, first, allow me to tell you my favorite bit of F13 trivia.
In 2004, National Geographic News interviewed Donald Dosse, the founder of the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in North Carolina, about the ways Friday the 13th affects the patients at his center. Instead of answering the question, Dossey offered this gem of economic insight about F13 that I find almost riotously-funny:
“It’s been estimated that [U.S] $800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day because people will not fly or do business they would normally do.”
Even the well-oiled gears of the capitalist machine can’t combat the cultural anxieties of the American people, however entertainment-driven and utterly fictionalized they may be! Dosse went onto say that triskaidekaphobes (the term for people with a clinical phobia of the integer 13 in any form) occupy about 20 million people in the American republic. Which is as fascinating as it is intriguing. And a little beyond my suspension of disbelief.
In any case—let’s take a quick look back at some Friday the 13th staples that might be available to triskaideka-fans, for whatever itch-scratching they need today.
The movie franchise
Let’s start here, shall we? We’re at a campground; we’re illegally drinking; we’re just a bunch of silly kids having a little fun! And then, boom, through the trees—the masked man with the chainsaw hunts us like so many little piggies.
Friday the 13th remains the most beloved staple of the entire slasher genre, in my opinion. John Carpenter’s Halloween franchise fanatics might balk when I say that, but I’d redirect them to the fairly extraneous way their series wrapped up with the sound of a deflated balloon when Halloween Ends released a few years ago.
My wife and I try to do a Friday the 13th marathon every October during our spooky viewing evenings. But what better way to celebrate Friday the 13th than watching Friday the 13th et al.?
Many folks choose to bounce around the franchise (you easily can without missing too much narrative continuity). My wife and I are no different. Here’s how we do it:
- Friday the 13th Part II
- Friday the 13th Part III
- Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
- Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
We’re not the biggest fans of the original (sorry!) and find we can pick up Part II without it. Watching II, III, and Final Chapter back-to-back-to-back is always fun. And Jason Lives just provides an ending we find satisfying and to our liking. I imagine true triskaideka-fans have much longer Friday the 13th marathons, but this works for us.
Most all these movies are available on streaming services, so settle in for some slashing tonight with some like-minded psychos. Let loose. Watch some randy teenagers get macheted.
Oh, and check this out: there’s a Friday the 13th marathon live-streaming on Twitch all day today. I had it on in the background while I wrote this piece.
My recommendation for a new Friday the 13th-inspired movie: In a Violent Nature (Shudder)
So, in case you’re not in the mood to marathon the Jason franchise, might I recommend to you an alternate bottle of wine to pair with your Friday the 13th entree? Most Amazon Prime Video members have access to this movie, In a Violent Nature, via Prime’s absorption of the indie horror channel Shudder. And it’s totally worth a watch, if you’re looking for something new to splatter you with blood tonight.
It’s so similar that instead of Jason, the resurrected, invulnerable, hell-bent, slashing killer is named Johnny in In a Violent Nature. And, instead of chainsaws, Johnny often employs the use of plain old chains as his weaponry.
So far as horror movies go, slashers rank among my least favorite. But the cinematography in this movie, as well as the fresh take on a hunted-in-the-wilderness classic, make it a surefire hit for triskaideka-fans.
The video games
A bit of an untrodden path re. Friday the 13th, no? But, as much as I love a horror movie, I love a horror video game just about twice as much. They often demand a level of total immersion that, sometimes, can be elusive for certain subgenres of horror films.
However, many of you might know what an absolute smash hit Friday the 13th: The Game was for a multiplayer horror experience during the late 2010s. It officially released from developer Illfonics in 2017 to a metascore of 61 on Metacritic.com, which is fairly impressive for a horror video game.
What fans liked about it most were things like the authenticity of the multiplayer maps, the simplistic gameplay, the gory finishers (which were taken straight from the movie franchise). It was never a game that fans intended to play year-round; it’s one of those games you return to in September/October for a few playthroughs with your friends.
However, the multiplayer servers for The Game shut down in 2018, and while there have been attempts to revitalize the game via third-party PC mods, they’ve never quite recaptured the magic.
My recommendation for a new Friday the 13th-inspired video game: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (all consoles and PC)
This game tends to circle its way back to the subscription-streaming services for console games (as well as Steam for PC) every year around this time. 2024 has been no different: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is once again free on Xbox Game Pass, and fans are beginning to flood the multiplayer servers again.
I know Friday the 13th fans might want to slash me open for mixing franchises like this, but I truly do believe TCM is the closest approximation to The Game widely available at the current moment. Even though all of its characters, weaponry, and gameplay are lifted directly from the Texas Chainsaw franchise.
You either play as The Family (which is to say, Leatherface and all his inbred housemates), or the Victims. Like The Game, your goal as The Family is to prevent the Victims from escaping. Vice versa for the victims. These matches last only about fifteen minutes and are tense.
Not to mention, there are some really wonderful gameplay wrinkles (auditory cues, crafting tools, booby traps, etc.) that make every match of TCM unique.
They just patched it with brand new maps and skins almost exactly a month ago on August 15th. It’s absolutely worth a look between you and your friends.
Happy slashing!
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is thegreatdansby9) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
