7. Jason's Mom Is Only There To Buy A New Car
Betsy Palmer, who played Jason's mother, Pamela Voorhees, only agreed to appear in the original Friday the 13th because she needed to buy a new car. You see, Betsy was already a successful actress and news reporter at the time of Friday the 13th. She wasn't a household name, but she was known in acting circles. She had co-starred with Jack Lemmon in the original Mr. Roberts and worked as a reporter on the Today Show starting in 1958. She even lived with the immortal James Dean for eight months. That was BEFORE his death, of course. She's no Norman Bates, after all. A movie and television personality like Betsy Palmer just didn't appear in horror movies back in the 1970's. Many stars thought it was demeaning. So when Betsy's agent offered her the role of Pamela Voorhees, Betsy's first thought was to reject the offer. Luckily for us, her car broke down and a new one would cost $10,000 - the exact amount she was offered for the honor of getting her head chopped off by Alice Hardy. There are a few other interesting facts about Jason's family. Mr. Voorhees, Jason's father, is named Elias. He was supposed to appear in one of the final scenes of F13 VI, but his part was cut from the script. He was also set to appear in F13 IX: Jason Goes to Hell along with Jason's sister and niece (Diana and Jessica Kimble), but once again, the part of Elias Voorhees didn't make it into the final film. Jason's sister and niece did make the cut, and his niece sends Jason to Hell with a mystical dagger at the end of the film.