Slasher movies set at a campground tend to do well around this time of year because of the proximity of Halloween and the end of summer. There are many options to satisfy this craving, ranging from recent releases like last year’s Sadie Sink–led slasher Fear Street: 1978 and Peacock’s latest LGBT horror They/Them to cult classics like Sleepaway Camp or 1981’s The Burning. Fans of the original 1980 horror film Friday the 13th will tell you that none of the sequels, prequels, or remakes come up to the original. Fans of Jason Voorhees know that the first Friday the 13th was shot at Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco, a real Boy Scouts camp near Hardwick, New Jersey. The campsites are not open to the public, but there are special events hosted there that fans can attend to get a glimpse of the set.
Crystal Lake Tours has saved the day for Friday the 13th devotees in recent years by giving them the chance to visit the actual Crystal Lake. As Halloween approaches, Crystal Lake Tours has planned a couple of activities, as reported by Bloody Disgusting. Tours of Crystal Lake will be available on the weekends of September 30 and October 1, October 21-23, and October 28-30. Crystal Lake Tours will also be debuting public access to the generator shed on the inaugural weekend, September 30 and October 1.
Visitors may go inside the facility and acquire a complimentary 8″x10″ print of themselves next to the generator that was switched off at the end of the movie, casting a shadow over the campsite. In this classic from the ’80s, a group of camp counsellors are being pursued by an unknown assailant. The first Friday the 13th, directed by Sean S. Cunningham, was a very serious horror film, but the series gradually became more humorous as more and more sequels were added to the franchise. One of the most recognisable murderers in horror film history, Jason Voorhees, wasn’t even in the first film in the series; instead, his mother (played by Betsy Palmer) did all the bloody deeds.
Several following campy horror films and even allusions outside of the horror genre may trace their origins back to the original Friday the 13th film, which has spawned 11 sequels/remakes. The website for Crystal Lake Tours sells tickets to visitors to Camp Crystal Lake.