Friday the 13th

 

 

 

Screenplay by                             Victor Miller

 

Produced by                               Sam Cunningham

 

Directed by                                Sean S. Cunningham

 

 

 

Cast List:

 

Besty Palmer                           Mrs. Voorhees

Adrienne King                         Alice

Jeannine Taylor                                   Marcie

Robbi Morgan                          Annie

Kevin Bacon                            Jack

Harry Crosby                           Bill

Mark Nelson                            Ned

Peter Brouwer                         Steve Christy

 

 

 

FADE IN:

 

 

EXT. ROAD – DAY

 

The TRACK is SILENT.

 

The CAMERA looks at a sign. It reads:

 

"CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE

Established 1935"

 

Gradually we can begin to hear, in the B.G., the SOUNDS of CHILDREN playing.

 

CUT TO:

 

 

EXT. SOFTBALL FIELD – DAY

 

In the B.G. a few dozen CHILDREN, in camp uniforms, are enjoying a game of softball.

 

In the F.G. CLAUDETTE is looking for someone. Claudette is 17 years old. She is pretty. She wears a t-shirt with "Assistant Counsellor" written on it. She fills out the shirt very well.

 

Failing to find whomever she is looking for, Claudette walks quickly in the opposite direction.

 

The CAMERA holds on the game for a few seconds and we SUPERIMPOSE:

 

"JULY 4, 1958"

 

The CHILDREN'S VOICES FADE slowly.

 

CUT TO:

 

 

EXT. RIFLE RANGE – DAY

 

EXTREME CLOSEUP as a COUNSELLOR squeezes off a shot.

 

The paper target is ripped in the black.

 

The Counsellor hands the weapon to a CAMPER who snaps in at the line.

 

Claudette shouts up to the Counsellor from the B.G..

 

CLAUDETTE

Have you seen Barry?

 

The Counsellor smiles. Shrugs.

 

COUNSELLOR

He and Chloe were at the Lodge last time I saw him.

 

Claudette leaves. The Counsellor smiles.

 

CUT TO:

 

 

EXT. MAIN LODGE – DAY

 

Two CHILDREN run by carrying Indian headdresses. Claudette passes them impatiently as she sees BARRY and CHLOE.

 

Barry is leaning against the front rail of the porch, his arms behind his head – the better to show off his physique to Chloe, and Assistant Counsellor, who is currently looking at him with cow eyes. In the B.G. we can hear a portable radio blaring out an Everly Brothers hit.

 

Barry is 17, handsome and out for all he can get. He is not ashamed for being caught with this other good-looking girl.

 

CLAUDETTE

We've got to talk.

 

Barry looks at Chloe, then eases off the rail. Nods.

 

BARRY

Okay.

 

Barry puts an arms around Claudette, looks over his shoulder at Chloe, and saunters off with the former.

 

The Everly Brothers continue as we:

 

CUT TO:

 

 

EXT. LAKE – DAY

 

From over the tops of a rack of canoes we see Barry and Claudette walking along the shore.

 

CLAUDETTE

You said we were special.

 

BARRY

I meant everything.

 

In the B.G., CHILDREN leap into the water.

 

BARRY

(continuing)

You know what I said, though.

 

CLAUDETTE

I can't, Barry...

 

CUT TO:

 

 

EXT. FOREST – DAY

 

The TRACK goes SILENT.

 

Barry & Claudette walk along a path. This is not an aimless walk, for Barry knows exactly where he wants to go. He leaves the path and goes to sit on a log in a small clearing. Claudette hesitates, then goes to sit next to him.

 

BARRY

I care very much.

 

He puts an arm around her and draws her close. They kiss. They separate.

 

CLAUDETTE

Does Chloe kiss as good as I do?

 

Barry decides to be politic.

 

BARRY

I wouldn't know.

 

CLAUDETTE

Oh, you...

 

She kisses him and they are locked.

 

A bird calls, wheels across the patch of sky above.

 

The CAMERA shifts to ANOTHER ANGLE: Just beyond the thicket of lacy vines. It is a slow tracking shot which gives the impression that we are watching the action from the POV of another person, an unseen visitor... watching the two teen-aged Assistant Counsellors making their first sexual encounters.

 

This unseen observer will be called the PROWLER.

 

Barry reaches up outside Claudette'S t-shirt to hold her breast. She reaches up to take his hand away.

 

BARRY

Claudette...

 

CLAUDETTE

Somebody'll see.

 

BARRY

No, they won't...

 

He ends the argument by snaking his hand inside her t-shirt so that part of her bra is exposed. He seals her protesting lips by kissing her.

 

From the PROWLER'S POV, the CAMERA MOVES to get a better angle. A hand moves into FRAME and pulls back some branches to clear the field of vision. A branch pops.

 

CLAUDETTE

(in a thick whisper)

Somebody's there, Barry.

 

BARRY

Come on, Claudette. A man's not made of stone.

 

CLAUDETTE

Let's go back, Barry...

 

BARRY

I need you so much, Claudette.

 

Barry leans in and unhooks her bra. They kiss again, passionately.

 

The Prowler pauses, then moves, never seen – except for a bit of foot or hand – from the POV of the CAMERA, closer and closer as the two TEENAGERS become more and more oblivious.

 

Closer. The THEME has snuck in. It becomes discordant. It swells. Closer.

 

QUICK CUT to Barry & Claudette's faces, their eyes closed, the perspiration streaking their flushed skin.

 

Suddenly Claudette looks up into the CAMERA with terror.

 

A hatchet flashes into FRAME and Claudette goes down under the blow.

 

The CAMERA TURNS TO Barry. The Prowler's powerful hand has him by the throat. He backpeddles, trying to get away.

 

 

ANOTHER ANGLE

 

As Barry is stopped against a tree.

 

A hunting knife soars against the leafy sky.

 

Barry grabs the knife-hand at the wrist. The knife falls to the mossy floor of the clearing.

 

Two hands go for the free blade. Barry's hand has it.

 

There is a confused jumble of struggle.

 

Onto the bed of moss falls the little finger of the Prowler.

 

 

REACTION SHOT

 

Barry, horrified by the sight.

 

The Prowler's hand has the knife. It moves quickly forward. We can hear the blade strike.

 

Barry stares up at the sky in a soundless shriek.

 

MEDIUM CLOSEUP the moss where the finger fell. The Prowler reaches into FRAME, picks up the finger, and exits FRAME.

 

QUICK CUT TO: Chloe, out searching for the missing Counsellors. She stands at the edge of the clearing, her hands pressed on her temples, her throat filled with a scream of terror. The MUSIC has stopped abruptly.

 

THE SCREEN BLEEDS TO WHITE.

 

It is completely SILENT.

 

CUT TO:

 

 

TITLE SEQUENCE

 

The screen is completely black. A small white shape starts to ZOOMS towards the F.G.. The shape becomes a three-dimensional rendering of "FRIDAY THE 13TH". Just as it gets to its final position, the "FRIDAY 13" logo shatters a previously unseen pane of glass. There is a loud crash. The logo shifts to the upper left corner of the FRAME as we ROLLS TITLES, white on black.

 

The THEME MUSIC is a reprise of the THEME we heard during the Forest sequence, now done in a childlike arrangement.

 

TITLES END and the MUSIC fades out.

 

DISSOLVE TO:

 

 

EXT. RURAL TOWN – EARLY MORNING

 

The TRACK is SILENT.

 

In a LONG SHOT we see the one main street. A newspaper delivery truck drives away from the CAMERA. A GIRL walks down the street.

 

SUPERIMPOSED TITLE:

 

"THE PRESENT"

 

A MEDIUM SHOT in front of the bank reveals a day/date/time/temp sign which blinks:

 

"FRIDAY, 13

7:01

60 Degrees"

 

"FRIDAY, 13

7:01

60 Degrees"

 

We can begin to hear a small-town DJ OVER as a pick-up truck moves down the street past the Girl in her late teens. She has a knapsack, a freshly scrubbed face, jeans, and a plaid shirt. She wears her hair in a long braid. She wears Nike jogging shoes. This is ANNIE.

 

DJ (V.O.)

It's 7:01 on Friday the 13th of June. This is Big Dave and it's time for you lazy bones to GET OUT OF BED! It's black cat day in Crystal Lake. Don't forget the big drawing today to see who gets our FRIDAY THE 13TH Monster Surprise: either a man's digital continuous readout watch or a Panasonic color television set!

 

CUT TO:

 

 

INT. DINER – MORNING

 

In CLOSEUP a hand moves to turn down an old brown plastic radio from which Big Dave is doing his morning-man routine.

 

DJ (V.O.)

Don't walk under a ladder! Don't spill any salt, don't...

 

The radio is turned way down. We see that the hand belongs to TRUDY, a hefty waitress who wears her golden hair in a bun with a pencil stuck in it. BUDDY, the boss, is seen in the B.G. working the grill.

 

The regulars are there: five MEN and two WOMEN who always come in for breakfast. They are the retailers, the oil delivery man, the switchboard operators, and the cop.

 

Annie walks in the front door, crosses the past the cash register and walks down the counter.

 

SALESMAN

I'm sick of them repeats.

 

TRUDY

I musta seen that Kojak 82 times.

 

ANNIE

Excuse me. How far is Camp Crystal Lake?

 

SALESMAN

They gonna open that place Camp Blood? again?

 

ANNIE

Can I get a bus or something?

 

TRUDY

Not likely. Sam? You goin' out to the crossroads?

 

The OIL MAN nods.

 

TRUDY

(continuing)

Give her a lift? That's hallway.

 

OIL MAN

(paying up)

No sweat, Trudy. Let's do it to it, kid.

 

ANNIE

Name's Annie.

 

OIL MAN

Okay, Annie. Let's go.

 

Annie steps aside as the OIL Man heads for the front door. He is smirking. He's fifty, strong, and balding. He makes no attempts to hide his appreciation for Annie's figure.

 

They exits.

 

TRUDY

I wouldn't send my kids to that camp for all the tea in China.

 

SALESMAN

(kidding)

I thought you hated your kids.

 

Trudy looks around, does a take, then laughs.

 

CUT TO:

 

 

EXT. TOWN STREET – MORNING

 

Annie walks a half step behind the Oil Man, heading for his truck which is parked there on the street.

 

OIL MAN

All the girls up there gonna look as good as you?

 

ANNIE

I don't know.

 

Annie wonders if she should accept the ride with this guy. Suddenly, from between two parked cars pops RALPH, a crazy hobo who has two dead rats in his mouth, their tails in his teeth; they swing from him like a strange beard.

 

OIL MAN

Goddamnit, Ralph! Get outta here.

(to Annie)

Don't worry about him. He's harmless.

(back to Ralph)

G'won. Git!

 

RALPH

It's Friday the 13th.

 

He giggles and skulks away.

 

OIL MAN

Climb on up, Miss.

 

The Oil Man gives her a boost up and then climbs aboard the rig.

 

CUT TO:

 

 

INT. OIL TRUCK – DAY

 

As the truck pulls away, we see Ralph through the windshield, standing at the edge of the road. He is angry and upset now. He pats his rats.

 

The Oil Man shifts, looks over and smiles. His two front teeth are missing on top.

 

OIL MAN

Must be the fourth time somebody's tried to reopen that place.

 

ANNIE

Camp Crystal Lake?

 

He nods.

 

OIL MAN

Something always happens up there.

 

He turns on the radio in the cab and we hear the DJ again.

 

DJ (V.O.)

... of bed. I'm gonna count to three and then you better get up. It's 7:24. A beautiful day. Weatherman Dr. Jim says it's gonna be a nine point five day. Here's Meatloaf from the Bat Out of Hell album.

 

CUT TO:

 

 

EXT. RURAL ROADS – DAY

 

The oil truck thunders along the road.

 

CUT TO:

 

 

EXT. RURAL CROSSROADS – DAY

 

The oil truck has stopped. Annie stands alongside the driver's side.

 

OIL MAN

Don't let the spooks getcha, Annie.

 

Annie smiles.

 

ANNIE

No sweat. Thanks a lot for the lift.

 

He nods and shakes his head with the sense of what might have been if he were thirty years younger. He puts it in gear and roars off.

 

Annie looks around and sees an old gas station. It is closed. There's a sign which reads: "No Gas 'Til Sat." A mangey dog sits on the stoop watching Annie.

 

Annie kneels down and calls the dog. The dog comes. Annie pets him and then heads off up the road.

 

The dog watches her go.

 

CUT TO:

 

 

EXT. RURAL HIGHWAY – DAY

 

Annie is beginning to get worried about the time. It's hot and she's late.

 

She looks up.

 

From her POV a Jeep barrels along the road towards us.

 

Annie puts out her numb.

 

CUT TO:

 

 

INT. JEEP – DAY

 

From the DRIVER'S POV, we see Annie waiting for a lift. The DRIVER, unseen, shifts down until Annie is alongside. The Jeep, an uncovered model, stops. Annie smiles a big delicious smile at us as we sit in the Driver's seat.

 

ANNIE

Hiya! I'm headed for Camp Crystal Lake. Can you help me out?

 

Apparently the Driver nods, because Annie beams at us. She tosses her pack in the back and hops aboard. The Driver accelerates.

 

CUT TO:

 

 

EXT. RURAL ROADS – DAY

 

The Jeep roars along the road. The sun and shadows keep us from seeing the Driver.

 

CUT TO:

 

 

INT. JEEP – DAY

 

Still in the DRIVER'S POV, the CAMERA watches as Annie looks around, admires the woods, the Jeep, the day. Things are going her way.

 

ANNIE

I can't remember being this excited about anything. I want to be a teacher when I finish at Southern State. I guess I've always wanted to work with children. I hate it when people call 'em kids. Sounds like little goats.

 

The forest outside the speeding Jeep is deeper and signs of civilization have all but disappeared. Annie still turns and looks at the CAMERA when she speaks to the Driver.

 

ANNIE

(continuing)

The job market for teachers is supposed to be the pits these days, but I don't care. When you have a dream as long as I have, you'll do anything...

 

A look of surprise passes Annie's young face.

 

ANNIE

(continuing)

Wasn't that Camp Crystal Lake? Just back there?

 

CUT TO:

 

 

EXT. RURAL ROADS – DAY

 

In the F.G. the sign for Camp Crystal Lake. In the B.G., the Jeep roars off into the distance.

 

CUT TO:

 

 

INT. JEEP / DRIVER'S POV – DAY

 

ANNIE

(frightened, confused)

I think we better stop... Please stop... Please! Stop!

 

The Jeep's speed increases.

 

ANNIE

(continuing)

Please!

 

Annie grabs for the ignition key, but the Driver's hand darts out and slaps Annie away. We see that this hand is missing its little finger!

 

Panicked, without any other recourse, Annie looks about her and then leaps from the moving Jeep, aiming for the relatively soft underbrush alongside the narrow road.

 

CUT TO:

 

 

EXT. ROADSIDE – DAY

 

Annie lands, rolls, is upended, scratched by brambles, and flips. She scrambles to her feet and starts running towards the camp.

 

CUT TO:

 

 

EXT. RURAL ROAD – DAY

 

The Jeep stops, turns quickly, heads back for her.

 

CUT TO:

 

 

INT. JEEP – DAY

 

From the DRIVER'S POV we see Annie run, looking back in fear.

 

CUT TO:

 

 

EXT. ROADSIDE – DAY

 

Annie's feet pound the hard-packed di