13 Things You Didn't Know About Friday The 13th Part III

3. Why A Hockey Mask?

Friday the 13th Part III Richard Brooker Jason Voorhees
Paramount

While certain other people - such as director Steve Miner and producer Frank Mancuso Jr. - have been credited with giving Jason Voorhees his iconic hockey mask, it appears that 3D supervisor Martin Jay Sadoff is the person responsible for this decision.

As the story goes, Mancuso wanted to move away from the "no substance" visual of Jason with a sack over his head - as seen in Friday the 13th Part 2 - and it just so happened that big-time hockey fan Sadoff had some hockey gear with him on the set.

The decision was made to do a lighting test with a Detroit Red Wings hockey mask on Jason actor Richard Brooker, and with that, horror history was set in motion. Make-up effects director Doug White created a larger VacuForm mask, and art director Terry Ballard added three red triangles near the eyes to complete the appearance.

So, the hockey mask look was effectively stumbled on by accident, but Mancuso says that all involved realised they'd found Jason's "signature piece" as soon as they saw Brooker with the mask on.

These days, eBay lists Martin Jay Sadoff-signed hockey masks, complete with the inscription of "I put the mask on Jason".

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