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

Those behind-the-scenes details that make Friday the 13th Part III such a fun franchise entry.

by Andrew Pollard
Friday the 13th Part III Richard Brooker Jason Voorhees
Paramount Pictures

With the hulking, murderous, adult form of Jason Voorhees having been realised in 1981's Friday the 13th Part 2, the minds at Paramount Pictures were quick to get to work on Friday the 13th Part III for a release just one year later.

Bringing back Part 2 director Steve Miner - who would also later helm Halloween H20 in 1998 - this third entry in the franchise is notable for several reasons. Firstly, this is the Friday the 13th film that was shot in 3D, in turn kickstarting the rise in 3D horror seen in the '80s. On top of that, this could well be the F13 movie with the smartest, quickest iteration of Jason Voorhees ever seen.

Taking place just one day after the events of Friday the 13th Part 2 - meaning this threequel was technically set on Saturday the 14th, no? - Part III features some fantastic kills, plenty of genuine dread, and some of the most memorable victims in the history of this beloved series. Whether you love them or hate them, characters such as Chris Higgins, Shelly Finkelstein, and Fox certainly stand out from the pack.

Away from all of that, though, there are plenty of other details and tidbits that make Friday the 13th Part III such a fun franchise entry; details and tidbits that you likely won't be aware of.

13. The First Friday The 13th Movie To Be Released On Friday The 13th

Friday the 13th Part III Richard Brooker Jason Voorhees
Paramount Pictures

Friday the 13th Part III was released on Friday 13 August 1982, making it the first of five Friday the 13th films to be released on, well, Friday the 13th.

Following in Part III's footsteps, there came Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (13 April 1984), Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (13 May 1988), Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (13 August 1993), and Marcus Nispel's Friday the 13th reboot (13 February 2009).

With Friday the 13th TV series Crystal Lake in development from Hannibal's Bryan Fuller and A24, and currently hopeful of a late-2024 premiere, there just so happens to be a Friday 13 December on the horizon towards the end of the year...

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.