13 Things You Didn't Know About Friday The 13th
10. The Film Was Cast With Broadway Kids
The casting was taken care of by Julie Hughes from TNI Casting, a highly respected New York based casting agency that had excellent roots and contacts in the Broadway community.
Friday the 13th was the first horror film that Hughes and TNI had worked on, and they went to who they knew, casting young stage and theatre actors who were attracted to the low rent production based purely on the reputation of the casting agency. Many of those throwing their hats into the ring didn’t even know what kind of movie they were auditioning for.
The pedigree helped, as the film's premiere ended up being on Broadway at the Loew's State theatre, a near 2000-seat venue. By that point, advance word was so good that the place was sold out, and subsequent showings had lines around the block.