20 Things You Somehow Missed In Friday The 13th (1980)

1. Friday The 13th: The Orphan (1979)

Friday The 13th
Warner Bros./Paramount Pictures

Although Victor Miller's original working title for the film was "Long Night at Camp Blood", the title "Friday the 13th" was pivotal from the outset (even though no actual story was in place when it was devised), owing to naming horror films after holidays or unusual dates, as established by Halloween.

Sean S. Cunningham registered the title and circulated it as a whole page advertisement in Variety in 1979 so that he could determine the interest in the film and understand whether the title was already owned by someone else.

At first, it became clear that another, unrelated horror film entitled Friday the 13th: The Orphan had been released in 1979, which threatened to sink Cunningham's favoured title.

Ultimately, however, a settlement was reached allowing Cunningham to use the title, which must have been a great relief to him; after all, Long Night at Camp Blood doesn't really have the same impact as Friday the 13th, does it?

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Friday The 13th
Paramount Pictures

1. Claudette Hayes

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I started writing for WhatCulture in July 2020. I have always enjoyed reading and writing. I have contributed to several short story competitions and I have occasionally been fortunate enough to have my work published. During the COVID-19 lockdown, I also started reviewing films on my Facebook page. Numerous friends and contacts suggested that I should start my own website for reviewing films, but I wanted something a bit more diverse - and so here I am! My interests focus on film and television mainly, but I also occasionally produce articles that venture into other areas as well. In particular, I am a fan of the under appreciated sequel (of which there are many), but I also like the classics and the mainstream too.