Friday the 13th (2009) - Welcome to Crystal Lake

Danielle Panabaker as: Jenna
Other Cast: Jared Padalecki, Amanda Righetti, Travis Van Winkle, Aaron Yoo, Derek Mears
Release Date: February 13, 2009 (US)
Directed by: Marcus Nispel
Writers: Damian Shannon, Mark Swift
Genre: Horror
MPAA: Rated R
Runtime: 97 min | 106 min (extended edition)
Production & Distribution: New Line Cinema, Paramount Pictures, Platinum Dunes, Warner Bros. Pictures

Searching for his missing sister, Clay Miller (Jared Padalecki) heads up to the eerie woods of legendary Crystal Lake, where he stumbles on the creaky remains of rotting old cabins behind moss-covered trees. And that's not the only thing lying in wait under the brush. Against the advice of police and cautions from the locals, Clay pursues what few leads he has in the search for his missing sister, Whitney (Amanda Righetti), with the help of Jenna (Danielle Panabaker), a young woman he meets among a group of college kids up for an all-thrills weekend. But they are all about to find much more than they bargained for. Little do they know, they've entered the domain of one of the most terrifying specters in American film history - the infamous killer who haunts Crystal Lake, armed with a razor-sharp machete... Jason Voorhees.

- The first film in the series released by both New Line Cinema and Paramount Pictures. Originally, Paramount owned the rights to the series after the original was released in 1980 but sold the rights to New Line Cinema in the early 1990's after poor box office returns of Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989). New Line bought the rights to the characters of Jason Voorhees and Pamela Voorhees, the Crystal Lake name, and the trademark for the title "Friday the 13th". All footage from the first eight films and the remake rights for the first film remained the property of Paramount. New Line Cinema released Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993), Jason X (2001) and Freddy vs. Jason (2003). When Platinum Dunes came aboard to develop the new film, they wanted the freedom to use scenarios and characters from the films still owned by Paramount. After a legal dispute, the companies decided to co-produce the 2009 film.

- Jonathan Liebesman, director of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006), which was also produced by Platinum Dunes, was once in negotiations to direct the film. Rather, Dunes decided to bring back Marcus Nispel who directed The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003).

- In this movie Jason wears both the legendary hockey mask and the burlap sac, although neither of those appeared in the original Friday the 13th (1980). The burlap sac was the first mask worn by Jason in Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) and the hockey mask did not appear until Friday the 13th Part III (1982).

- Principal photography wrapped on Friday, June 13, 2008. Additionally, the American theatrical release date was Friday, February 13, 2009.

- Warner Bros. (through its New Line Cinema label) is distributing this film in North America while Paramount will distribute the film in most all other territories. Ironically (and coincidentally), the 1980 original was distributed by Paramount in North America, with international distribution being handled by Warner Bros.

- The title card of the movie isn't displayed until the end of the opening segment, nearly 25 minutes into the film.

- With $42.2 mil, had the biggest opening weekend of a horror-remake beating out former record holder The Grudge (2004) ($39.1 mil).

- The first time Paramount has any association with the "Friday the 13th" series since 1989.

- Despite the title, the date the events supposedly take place on, Friday the 13th, is never once mentioned in the film.

- Clay and Whitney's last name is Miller. This is a reference to Victor Miller, the creator of the Friday the 13th (1980) series.

- According to co-writer Damian Shannon, the character of Jason Voorhees was re-envisioned as more territorial, like a hunter, someone who doesn't kill people at random but will defend his territory from anyone invading it, and this in the most horrible manner. Director Marcus Nispel similarly claims the film shows new aspects of Jason's personality. Derek Mears says his portrayal of Jason as a survivalist defending his territory is partially inspired by the character of John Rambo in First Blood (1982).

- Whereas this film was shot in Texas (mostly Austin), the original Friday the 13th (1980) was filmed in New Jersey (mostly Blairstown and Hope).

- Derek Mears is the eighth actor to portray the adult Jason Voorhees in the series, following Steve Dash, Warrington Gillete, Richard Brooker, Ted White, C.J. Graham, Kane Hodder and Ken Kirzinger. As of this movie, Hodder is the only actor to have portrayed the character more than once, with four films under his belt from 1988 to 2001. This also makes Hodder the only actor to have portrayed the character more than once in the first series, as this film is the start of a new series.

- Interestingly, co-writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift were involved with both the conclusion of the old Friday The 13th series and the start of the new one. Indeed, their first produced script (this is their second) was that of Freddy vs. Jason (2003), the last installment in both the original Friday The 13th and A Nightmare On Elm Street series (even though Jason X (2001) takes place later).

- Producer Michael Bay walked out in the movie premiere, stating that the movie featured too much sex.

- Factual errors: It is illegal for patrons to pump their own gas in New Jersey. By law there would have been an attendant on duty and gas would not be paid for inside.

- Continuity: After the verbal altercation with Trent at the lake house, Jenna leaves with Clay Miller, who is carrying a satchel. As they approach Miller's motorcycle, notice how the position of the satchel changes from being strapped around Miller's left shoulder, to being carried in his right hand, and, finally, back to his left shoulder.

- Continuity: When Jenna and clay are looking for his sister, Jenna is in a skirt. when they get back to the house she runs upstairs and knocks on the door and cant get in. When she comes down she is in jeans.

Jenna: I never liked camp.
Clay: Why?
Jenna: Bad food, bugs, cheap toilet paper...

---

Jenna: Right now, I feel safer with him than I do with you.
Trent: You just dug your own grave, bitch.

---

Lawrence: [Clay and Jenna just ran inside the house telling him they found a body] You ain`t fucking with me cause I`m high? Because I just got done smoking.

"Jenna is ambiguously dating Trent, whose parents own a big cabin that she and several other friends go to for the weekend. She and Trent have not hooked up and she's not sure if it's something she wants to pursue. She's just there to have fun and hang out at a beautiful house by the lake."
- Danielle Panabaker

"The character of Jenna is a little bit complicated. We need the viewer to like her, even though she goes to the lake house with one guy and ditches him for a different guy."
- Marcus Nispel

"There's an incredible innocence to Danielle, she's not nave; she just has a wide-eyed view of the world, which was needed for Jenna. The character had to be likeable so audiences understand why she makes the choice that she does and love her for doing it."
- Andrew Form

"I’m a bit of a sissy. I can’t watch horror movies, so when I first heard about this, I had to run out and find Friday the 13th but insisted on watching it when it was daylight out, and I had all the curtains open for fear that I would be traumatized and have nightmares."
- Danielle Panabaker

"We just saw the movie the other night and it’s still pretty scary, even though I knew – like, I’d read the script, I’d been there when we were shooting, I knew when the scares were coming, but I still screamed and I still jumped, so I don’t think I was desensitized at all."
- Danielle Panabaker

"We wrapped Shark on a Friday and I flew to Texas on a Sunday, so it was that quick. I think Jared has it the worst because he’s got so much pressure on him through Supernatural and all that."
- Danielle Panabaker

"I’m excited for the premiere with hundreds of people and to see how infectious the screaming and the laughing is."
- Danielle Panabaker

"It was the scene that literally is on film for maybe five seconds, the scene where I’m running between Jared and Travis from upstairs to downstairs, and that scene – it was a doozy! (laughs) It doesn’t look like it would be anything, but because we were fighting the sun coming up, we were rushing and Travis ran into me by accident and I hit my chin, and blacked out and cut my chin open, all very dramatic and ugly bruises later, but I felt like I was one of the guys after that, like I had my battle wounds."
- Danielle Panabaker

"Sadowski and Feldman are so funny in the movie together, they are like an old married couple."
- Danielle Panabaker

"There’s an incredible chemistry between all the cast members. I mean, I’ll be watching the Super Bowl at Sadowski’s house tomorrow afternoon after we finish (the press junket), so there is a great chemistry between everyone and I think that translates well. Aaron Yoo and Arlen Escarpeta are amazing together and a lot of their dialogue is completely improv-ed, so I think it’s great."
- Danielle Panabaker

"He’s terrifying (Derek Mears in make-up) because he’s a big guy as it is and then they put more on top of it. And his mobility becomes limited and so he becomes this big, hulking monster, which is scary."
- Danielle Panabaker

"I was kicking and screaming as I watched. I was sitting there next to my manager grabbing her arm and wincing in terror, and that’s I think what’s really great about this movie is that someone who was around for so much of those kills and had seen them made, I’ve seen people put the units on, they’re still scary. I knew it was fake, but I was still scared."
- Danielle Panabaker

"I had the best time. I feel like everything involved water, wake boarding, tubing, which is my new favorite pastime... I feel like it was great for our cast too, because it’s a younger cast and being able to hang out in the college scene. If anybody’s been to Austin, it’s 6th Street and all that... It was summer time at the Four Seasons in Austin, you can’t really complain."
- Danielle Panabaker

"I feel like with this movie everybody gets it -- man, woman, child. If you’re going to get it from Jason, you’re going to get it pretty hard. So I don’t feel like any special treatment was given to the women in this movie."
- Danielle Panabaker

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03. OFFICIAL: Visit the official website for Friday the 13th (2009).