Friday the 13th is a common occurrence, but a Friday the 13th that falls smack dab in the middle of Halloween season is much rarer. As luck would have it, 2017's Friday the 13th is going to take place in October, and horror movie fans are already gearing up. In fact, in honor of the event, the original Camp Crystal Lake is holding tours of the camp that day and tickets have already sold out. Ki ki ki, ma ma ma...
Ever since the first Friday the 13th was filmed at Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco, the idea of going to sleepaway camp has terrified many. Eager to capitalize on that terror and fan enthusiasm, the camp (which continues to operate as a legitimate sleep-away camp for Boy Scouts) began offering Friday the 13th-themed tours of the locale to select visitors in 2011. This year the tour will be held on October's Friday the 13th (arguably the spookiest version of the day), and per the camp's website, tickets sold out fast. Unfortunately, no new tour dates have been announced yet. Why anyone would want to go to that massacre venue is anyone's guess, but you can subscribe to the camp's official newsletter to keep yourself up to date on notifications for the next tour announcement.
Of course, the fact that fan enthusiasm for Friday the 13th remains this high only leaves us wondering whether or not we will ever get another entry in this franchise. The killer exploits of Jason Voorhees (and his mother Pamela) have consistently thrilled fans of spooky films for decades, and while the murderous mama's boy hasn't wowed with many of his most recent outings, fans have consistently clamored for another installment in this franchise for years. The latest planned incarnation of the franchise was cancelled over creative differences, but it's clear that fans still love this universe.
The popularity of the Friday the 13th franchise has also continued through forays into non-film media. A video game based on the series recently debuted, and it has allowed players to inhabit the role of Jason AND the horny teenage counselors of Campy Crystal Lake -- thus creating an entirely new dimension to the violent mayhem. With Jason cornering a new horror market, a growing fan base of gamers can only help his chances of making a silver screen comeback.
Given the success of other recent horror franchises, there's a strong argument to be made that Friday the 13th could still come back -- even in the face of its recent cancellation. With The Conjuring franchise doing great work in the realm of cinematic universes, and the upcoming IT adaptation receiving a ton of praise from critics, horror is on a major upswing. Beyond that, Michael Myers is about to get another shot at some teenage babysitters with the upcoming resurgence of the Halloween franchise; if that particular inhuman serial killer can make a strong comeback, then we have every reason to believe that there's still an appetite for Jason's brand of violence.
With tickets to tour the original Camp Crystal Lake officially sold out, how are you going to celebrate this October's Friday the 13th? Let us know your horror-themed plans and be sure to check out our movie premiere guide for more information on this year's major theatrical release!
