160 Fun Facts About Friday the 13th

The fear of Friday the 13th has a specific name. Which of these is it?

It is also called friggatriskaidekaphobia, after Frigg, the Norse goddess Friday is named for; fear of the number 13 alone is triskaidekaphobia.

One origin story for the superstition points to the mass arrest of which order on Friday the 13th, 1307?

King Philip IV of France, in debt to them, had Jacques de Molay and scores of Templars seized at dawn; de Molay was burned at the stake in 1314.

Which pope formally dissolved the order arrested in 1307, at the Council of Vienne in 1312?

He did it at the Council of Vienne with the bull Vox in excelso; most Templar assets passed to the Hospitallers.

Christian superstition holds that which disciple was the 13th to sit down at the Last Supper?

The Bible actually says nothing about the seating order, but the idea stuck.

An early English reference to Friday the 13th appears in an 1869 biography of which composer, who died that day in 1868?

The composer of The Barber of Seville reportedly regarded both Fridays and the number 13 as unlucky.

Which stockbroker-author wrote the 1907 novel 'Friday, the Thirteenth', credited with spreading the superstition?

In the book a broker picks the date to engineer a Wall Street panic.

What is the maximum number of Fridays the 13th that can occur in a single calendar year?

There is always at least one, and any month that begins on a Sunday will contain one.

A month contains a Friday the 13th whenever it starts on which day of the week?

On average one comes around every 212.35 days, and the longest possible gap between them is 14 months.

In the Gregorian calendar, the 13th of the month is very slightly more likely to fall on which weekday?

The 400-year Gregorian cycle contains exactly 20,871 weeks, and the maths works out fractionally in the unlucky day's favour.

The Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute estimates US businesses lose roughly how much every Friday the 13th?

The same source estimates 17 to 21 million Americans are affected, though Delta and Continental said their bookings showed no dip.

In Spanish-speaking countries and Greece, the unlucky 13th falls on which day of the week?

For the Greeks the day belongs to Ares, god of war; the Spanish saying is 'martes trece'.

In Italy, 13 is generally considered lucky. Which date is the unlucky one there instead?

The Roman numeral XVII can be rearranged to VIXI, Latin for 'I have lived', which is to say 'I am dead'.

A 2002 Otis Elevators review found what share of tall buildings using its lifts had no floor labelled 13?

A 2007 Gallup poll found 13 percent of American adults would be bothered by a hotel room on a 13th floor.

The word 'triskaidekaphobia' was first used in print in 1910 by which psychiatrist?

It appeared in his book Abnormal Psychology; Franklin D. Roosevelt and Arnold Schoenberg are among the famous sufferers.

Which country holds a road-safety 'National Accident Day' that always falls on a Friday the 13th?

Dutch insurers, by contrast, found slightly fewer accidents, fires and thefts on Fridays the 13th than on other Fridays.

Which businesses treat Friday the 13th as an unofficial holiday, offering cheap 'flash' designs featuring 13?

A 1993 British Medical Journal study, meanwhile, suggested transport-accident admissions rose by as much as 52 percent on the date.

Which heavy metal band released its self-titled debut album on Friday, February 13, 1970?

The record reached number eight on the UK chart and is widely treated as the birth of the genre.

On Friday the 13th of which month in 1972 did the Uruguayan rugby team's plane crash in the Andes?

Sixteen survivors were finally rescued on December 23 after two of them trekked out over the mountains.

Which rapper died on Friday, September 13, 1996, six days after being shot in Las Vegas?

He was 25, and the shooter has never been officially identified.

Apollo 13, launched in April 1970, suffered its oxygen tank explosion on which day of the month?

It lifted off on the 11th at 13:13 Houston time, and all three crew still made it home safely.

Who directed the original Friday the 13th film in 1980?

He had produced Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left, and rushed a Variety ad using the title before the script was even finished.

The killer in the original 1980 Friday the 13th is not Jason at all. Who is it?

Betsy Palmer took the part because she needed money for a new car, despite thinking the script was 'a piece of shit'.

Composer Harry Manfredini created the whispered 'ki ki ki, ma ma ma' motif from which line of dialogue?

He took the first syllables of 'kill' and 'mommy' and ran them through an echo effect.

Which future star played Jack, killed by an arrow through the throat, in the 1980 original?

Tom Savini rigged the effect from beneath the bed; the picture cost about $550,000 and grossed nearly $60 million.

Tom Savini suggested the 1980 film's lake-lunge ending after seeing which movie?

He wanted a 'chair jumper' like the hand from the grave, and it gave the sequels their monster.

The original film was shot at a real Boy Scout camp, Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco, in which state?

Filming began in September 1979, and the camp still hosts occasional fan tours.

Which studio paid $1.5m for the domestic distribution rights to the original Friday the 13th?

Warner Bros. took the international rights, and New Line acquired the franchise much later.

Screenwriter Victor Miller took 'Jason' from his sons' names. Where did 'Voorhees' come from?

The sons were Josh and Ian.

In Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981), what does Jason wear over his face?

Forty-eight seconds had to be cut from the film to avoid an X rating, and heroine Ginny fools him briefly by putting on his dead mother's sweater.

Friday the 13th Part III (1982), where Jason first dons the hockey mask, was the only entry released in what format?

The idea came up during a lighting check on set, and the film briefly knocked E.T. off the top of the US box office.

Jason's hockey mask was adapted from a goaltender mask of which NHL team?

It was enlarged and given new red triangles, and has become one of the most recognisable images in horror.

Which stuntman played Jason in four consecutive films, more than any other actor?

His run began with Part VII: The New Blood in 1988 and ended with Jason X; he later did the motion capture for the 2017 video game.

In Part VI, what brings Jason back from the dead?

From that film onward he is essentially a supernatural, superhuman zombie rather than a man.

In Friday the 13th Part VII, Jason is accidentally freed from his chains by a girl with what ability?

Tina Shepard's powers set up a finale often described as 'Jason vs. Carrie'.

Jason X, in which Jason is thawed out aboard a spaceship, is set around which year?

Earth has become uninhabitable, David Cronenberg cameos as a doctor, and nanotech turns him into 'Uber Jason'.

The 2003 Elm Street crossover ends with Jason walking out of Crystal Lake carrying what?

The head winks at the camera, keeping the outcome deliberately ambiguous; the film grossed $117 million.

Who directed Freddy vs. Jason?

Ken Kirzinger replaced Kane Hodder as Jason, while Robert Englund returned as Freddy for the last time.

The 2009 reboot, released on Friday, February 13, starred which Supernatural actor as Clay Miller?

Derek Mears played Jason, and the film opened to $40.6 million, a franchise record at the time.

How many Friday the 13th feature films had been released as of the 2009 reboot?

Together they have grossed more than $468 million, and a new TV series called Crystal Lake is due in autumn 2026.

Friday the 13th: The Series, which ran for 72 episodes from 1987 to 1990, was about what?

It had nothing to do with Jason; the title was purely a marketing hook.

In Friday the 13th: The Game (2017), how many players could be counsellors against one Jason?

It sold 1.8 million copies but was pulled offline after a rights lawsuit between Victor Miller and Sean Cunningham, with all servers gone by the end of 2024.

The 1980 original's director first coined the title 'Friday the 13th' as a name for what?

He was inspired to make a slasher after the success of Halloween, and put the ad out before there was a script.

In Norse myth, which uninvited trickster arrived as the 13th guest at a dinner of twelve gods?

He arranged for Höðr to shoot Balder with a mistletoe arrow, one origin story for unlucky 13.

Which French king ordered the arrest of the Knights Templar on Friday, October 13, 1307?

Historians agree the superstition's origins remain murky despite the popular Templar story.

Before which period is there no record of Friday and 13 being linked as especially unlucky?

An 1834 French play has a character born on Friday, December 13th blame it for all his misfortunes.

An 1834 play, Les Finesses des Gribouilles, has a character born on Friday the 13th of which month?

He was "born on a Friday, December 13th, 1813 from which come all of my misfortunes".

How many days are in each 400-year Gregorian cycle, which repeats the pattern of Fridays the 13th?

That is exactly 20,871 weeks, which is why the 13th lands on a Friday very slightly more often than any other day.

What is the longest possible gap, in months, between two Fridays the 13th?

It runs July to September of the following year, as in 2018–19, or August to October, as in 1999–2000.

What is the shortest possible gap between two Fridays the 13th?

It happens from February to March in a common year starting on Thursday, such as 2026.

On average, how often does a Friday the 13th occur?

That works out to about 1.72 per year, or roughly 3,477 since the year 1 CE.

In a common year that opens on the same weekday as 2026, which three months hold a Friday the 13th?

Leap years starting on Sunday get January, April and July instead.

Which two airlines said they see no noticeable drop in travel on Fridays the 13th?

Continental has since merged into United.

Which organisation coordinates Finland's Friday-the-13th National Accident Day, held since 1995?

The campaign is led by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health to promote road safety.

A 1993 study claimed transport-accident hospital admissions rose by how much on the 13th?

The authors admitted the numbers were too small for meaningful analysis, and later studies found no link.

Dutch insurers found roughly how many traffic accidents on a Friday the 13th versus 7,800 on other Fridays?

The Centre for Insurance Statistics suggested people are more careful or simply stay home.

Which tattoo artist claimed a number-13 tattoo makes bad luck "pass on by"?

Many shops run 24 hours on Friday the 13th offering flash designs featuring 13.

Which Greek god's influence makes Tuesday the unlucky day in Greek culture?

Constantinople fell on Tuesdays in both 1204 and 1453, reinforcing the belief.

Which Latin word, an anagram of XVII, underlies Italy's fear of the 17th?

It means "I have lived", implying that one is now dead.

A month contains a Tuesday the 13th whenever it starts on which day?

A Friday the 17th, Italy's unlucky day, needs a month starting on Wednesday.

Roughly how much have the twelve Friday the 13th films grossed at the box office in total?

Adjusted for inflation, the series is the second-highest-grossing US horror franchise, behind Halloween.

Which horror franchise sits above Friday the 13th in inflation-adjusted domestic grosses?

Halloween's $1.09 billion tops Friday's $908.4 million; Nightmare on Elm Street is third.

Which counselor decapitates Mrs. Voorhees at the end of the 1980 film?

Adrienne King's Alice returns briefly in Part 2, only to be killed with an ice pick.

Which final girl slams a machete into Jason's shoulder in Part 2?

Amy Steel's Ginny finds a shrine built around Mrs. Voorhees's severed head.

In Part III, Chris Higgins seemingly kills Jason with what?

Jason simply removes the axe in the morgue at the start of The Final Chapter.

Who is the copycat killer using Jason's persona in A New Beginning?

Roy's son had been murdered by a patient at the halfway house where Tommy Jarvis lives.

How does Tommy leave Jason at the end of Jason Lives?

Jason is later freed by the telekinetic Tina Shepard.

What resurrects Jason at the start of Jason Takes Manhattan?

A houseboat's anchor damages the cable and shocks him back to life.

How is Jason finally destroyed at the end of Jason Takes Manhattan?

Budget cuts meant Vancouver stood in for most of the New York scenes.

Which relative stabs Jason with a mystical dagger in Jason Goes to Hell?

Only a blood relative can truly kill him, which is why he needs his family to regain his body.

In Jason X, which scientist decides cryonic suspension is the only way to stop Jason?

Jason ruptures the cryo-chamber and freezes them both for over 400 years.

Whom does Freddy Krueger resurrect Jason to terrorise in Freddy vs. Jason?

Freddy needs fear so he can invade their dreams again; Jason refuses to stop killing.

In the 2009 reboot, why does Jason kidnap Whitney Miller instead of killing her?

Her brother Clay comes looking for her six weeks later.

Which Wes Craven film had Sean Cunningham worked on before Friday the 13th?

Cunningham wanted Friday to be a "roller coaster ride" rather than another Last House.

What was Victor Miller's working title while drafting the first film's script?

Cunningham believed in the "Friday the 13th" name and rushed an ad into Variety before checking the rights.

What did Cunningham's Friday the 13th logo show, as designed by a New York ad agency?

An earlier film called Friday the 13th: The Orphan reportedly prompted a threatened lawsuit.

Which producer insisted the sequel feature Jason, whose original appearance was only a joke?

Paramount had first planned discontinuous scary movies under the Friday the 13th title, one per year.

Who directed both Part 2 and Part III after Cunningham declined to return?

Miner had been associate producer on the original.

Producer Barbara Sachs dubbed The New Blood by what nickname?

Screenwriter Daryl Haney gave the final girl telekinetic powers to vary the formula.

Which city substituted for most of the New York scenes in Jason Takes Manhattan?

Jason spends about a third of the film on a boat before ever reaching the city.

Which Wes Craven film delayed the Freddy–Jason crossover by drawing him back to New Line?

The delay let Cunningham make Jason Goes to Hell first.

About how much did New Line spend on unused Freddy vs. Jason drafts before making the film?

Rejected ideas included Freddy drowning Jason as a child and a cult of "Fred Heads".

Which director of the 2003 Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake was hired for the 2009 reboot?

Platinum Dunes producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form wanted to explain how the hockey mask happens.

Which is the only Friday the 13th film to receive generally positive reviews on release?

Its self-aware humour has been credited with prefiguring the Scream films.

Where did IGN rank Friday the 13th in its 2006 list of the top 25 film franchises?

Reviewers called it one of the most influential franchises of the 1980s despite Halloween starting the slasher genre.

Which Christopher Nolan film did Warners gain by handing series rights to Paramount in 2013?

The rights reverted to New Line/Warners again in 2018.

Under what title did Shannon and Swift plan their unmade sequel to the 2009 reboot?

It would have been set in winter, with Whitney's body seen in the frozen lake.

Under what original title was the 1987 antiques-hunting TV series created?

Frank Mancuso Jr. chose the Friday name to help sell the show to networks.

Which two actors starred in Friday the 13th: The Series as the cursed-antique-hunting cousins?

LeMay later starred in Jason Goes to Hell.

In which city was Friday the 13th: The Series filmed?

Its first season placed second among men 18–49, just behind Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Which sitcom joked about "Friday the 13th part 1649" in a 1988 episode?

The gag appears in "Better Than Life", set three million years in the future.

Which studio produced the Peacock prequel series Crystal Lake, announced in 2022?

Linda Cardellini was cast as Pamela Voorhees; Adrienne King was cast in a recurring role.

Which showrunner was fired from Crystal Lake in 2024 before Brad Caleb Kane took over?

A24 elected to take the series in a different direction.

Which actress was cast in 2024 as Pamela Voorhees in the prequel series Crystal Lake?

Nana Visitor played Pamela in the 2009 reboot.

Which 1975 film's unseen-menace motif inspired Manfredini's approach to scoring the 1980 original?

Since Mrs. Voorhees only appears in the final reel, the music had to stand in for the killer.

Which composer's chorus with "striking pronunciations" inspired the "ki ki ki, ma ma ma" sound?

Manfredini spoke the syllables harshly into a mic and ran them through an echo machine.

Where did Harry Manfredini record the original Friday the 13th score?

He finished it in a few weeks; many people mishear the motif as "cha, cha, cha".

Which composer rescored the opening theme with a disco beat for Part III?

Manfredini only scored the first and last reels of Part III because of a Broadway job.

Which composer of Friday the 13th: The Series finished the score for The New Blood?

Mollin fully scored Jason Takes Manhattan and co-wrote a Robert Plant-style opening song.

Which Evil Dead hero was to join a Freddy vs. Jason sequel before creative differences killed it?

Bruce Campbell and New Line could not agree, and the story became a comic instead.

Which network developed a Friday the 13th TV series in 2015 before dropping it as unsustainable?

President Mark Pedowitz called it a very good pilot but not a sustainable series.

Roughly what was the budget of the original 1980 Friday the 13th?

It grossed $59.8 million worldwide and became the first independent slasher picked up by a major studio.

Which studio secured international distribution of the 1980 original after a bidding war?

Paramount took domestic rights.

On what date was the original Friday the 13th released?

It finished the year as Paramount's second-highest grosser and 15th overall.

Which critic called Cunningham "one of the most despicable creatures ever to infest the movie business"?

Siskel even printed the address of Paramount's parent-company chairman and urged readers to complain.

Which characters did Kevin Bacon, Mark Nelson and Jeannine Taylor play in the 1980 film?

The three already knew each other from stage work.

Part 2 was originally intended to be what kind of film?

The surprise ending's popularity persuaded the makers to continue the Crystal Lake story instead.

Which character's severed head does Alice find in her fridge at the start of Part 2?

Alice is then killed with an ice pick, two months after the first film's events.

Which town crank returns in Part 2, played again by Walt Gorney?

Ralph warns everyone that Camp Crystal Lake has a "death curse".

Which blockbuster did Part III knock off the top of the box office in August 1982?

It grossed $36.7 million on a $2.2 million budget despite negative reviews.

Why was Part III's original plan to focus on Part 2's survivor abandoned?

Script supervisor Martin Kitrosser co-wrote the replacement story with Carol Watson.

Unlike its two predecessors, Part III was filmed in which state?

Its 3-D shoot, suggested by Martin Sadoff, took several months in spring 1982.

Who directed The Final Chapter (1984)?

Tom Savini returned to help kill off the character he had helped create.

Which future Back to the Future actor appears in The Final Chapter?

Kimberly Beck, Corey Feldman and Peter Barton also star.

Why did producer Frank Mancuso Jr. want The Final Chapter to end the series?

Paramount agreed, aware that slasher films were fading; the sequel came a year later anyway.

Which book detailed the rampant behind-the-scenes drug use on A New Beginning?

Peter Bracke's history is subtitled The Complete History of Friday the 13th.

Which future Scandal star made his film debut in Jason Lives?

Tom McLoughlin wrote and directed the entry, making Jason explicitly supernatural for the first time.

Which later slasher series is Jason Lives credited with prefiguring through its fourth-wall humour?

Kevin Williamson's franchise arrived a decade later.

Which actor first played Jason under Kane Hodder's predecessor era in Jason Lives?

Kane Hodder took over from Part VII onward.

Which Weekend at Bernie's actor appears in The New Blood?

Kiser plays the manipulative Dr. Crews.

How did Tina Shepard's father die in The New Blood's prologue?

Her guilt over his death drives her to try to raise him, freeing Jason instead.

What did Jason slash through in Jason Takes Manhattan's retracted marketing image?

The New York tourism committee complained and Paramount pulled it.

Which studio released Jason Goes to Hell, the first entry not from Paramount?

It grossed $15.9 million on a $3 million budget, second-lowest in the series.

How is Jason killed at the start of Jason Goes to Hell?

His beating heart is then eaten by a coroner, letting his soul possess him.

What nickname did the crew give the cyborg killer of the tenth film?

Writer Todd Farmer pitched space as the only direction left for the series.

Roughly how much did Jason X gross worldwide, against a budget of up to $14m?

It sat on the shelf for two years after champion Michael De Luca left New Line.

Which Destiny's Child singer stars in Freddy vs. Jason?

Monica Keena and Jason Ritter also lead the cast; it grossed $117 million worldwide.

Freddy vs. Jason is which numbered entry in Freddy Krueger's own film series?

It is the eleventh Friday film and Robert Englund's final turn as Krueger.

Which actor plays Jason in the 2009 reboot?

Jason was redesigned as a lean, quick killer with a sympathetic backstory.

The 2009 reboot's mask was moulded from the original mask of which film?

It grossed $92.7 million on a $19 million budget, second only to Freddy vs. Jason.

In what year did Jason supposedly drown at Camp Crystal Lake, per the original film?

Twenty-two years later a new owner tries to reopen the camp.

Which Star Trek: Deep Space Nine actress played Pamela in the 2009 reboot?

Betsy Palmer turned down a return in Freddy vs. Jason after reading the script.

Who made Jason deformed, when Victor Miller had scripted him as a normal-looking boy?

Miller had written Jason as a mentally disabled child, not a "Black Lagoon" creature.

Which developer made Friday the 13th: The Game (2017)?

Gun Media published it; online play was switched off at the start of 2025.

Which character can a counselor player unlock and control in Friday the 13th: The Game?

Counselors can stun Jason with firecrackers, bear traps and found weapons.

Which two companies made the notorious 1989 NES Friday the 13th game?

Players must defeat Jason three times over three days and nights.

Cabin fights with Jason in the NES game are reminiscent of which other Nintendo title?

The player can also fight Jason's mother in a hidden locked room in a cave.

Which Norse goddess gives "friggatriskaidekaphobia" its name?

Friday itself is named after her in Germanic languages.

Which tarot trump card is numbered 13 in several variants?

Court de Gébelin wrote in 1781 that the number was "always considered as unlucky".

Since at least 1774, what fate awaits one of 13 people who sit at a table, per superstition?

Some link it to the thirteen at the Last Supper.

Which university considers 13 lucky because it was founded by 13 men with $13 and 13 prayers?

Friday the 13th is regarded as the luckiest day on its campus.

Besides labelling it "14", how else do buildings commonly disguise a 13th floor?

M is the thirteenth letter of the alphabet; some simply make it a mechanical floor.

Ireland altered 2013 vehicle plates to read what, to reassure superstitious buyers?

The two codes covered cars registered in the first and second halves of the year.

At exactly what time was Apollo 13 launched on April 11, 1970?

Its oxygen tank exploded on April 13, though that day was not a Friday.

Besides Jason, which horror icon did Kane Hodder physically portray in a 1990 sequel's stunts?

He also played Freddy Krueger's clawed glove hand at the end of Jason Goes to Hell.

Which horror series stars Kane Hodder as Victor Crowley?

Severe burns from a botched fire stunt nearly won him the Freddy Krueger role.

On which game show was Betsy Palmer a long-time panelist?

Born Patricia Betsy Hrunek in East Chicago, Indiana, she did summer stock with Paul Newman.

Why did Adrienne King retreat from acting after Part 2?

She relocated to London, studied at RADA, and later sold Crystal Lake-themed wines.

Which soap opera did Adrienne King work on for seven seasons as an ADR looper?

Looping is re-recording dialogue in post-production.

Which Oregon vineyard partnered with Adrienne King on Crystal Lake Wines?

She also sells her own paintings.

What single question was Ari Lehman asked at his audition to play young Jason?

Lehman had already worked for Cunningham in the soccer film Manny's Orphans.

What is the name of Ari Lehman's punk-metal band aimed at horror fans?

Lehman is a trained jazz pianist who won a scholarship to Berklee.

Which 1990 remake did the effects legend behind the first film's makeup direct?

Savini did the effects on the first and fourth Friday films.

Which classic actor inspired the first film's makeup artist as a boy?

He was moved by the biopic Man of a Thousand Faces.

Which pop superstar has made prominent use of 13 as a lucky number throughout her career?

Athletes such as Dan Marino and Wilt Chamberlain also wore 13 to great success, and both had the number retired.

Which horror novelist is listed among notable sufferers of triskaidekaphobia?

He shares the list with composer Arnold Schoenberg and President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Since which film have filmmakers given Jason Voorhees superhuman strength and regenerative powers?

Before his lightning-bolt resurrection he was merely a very durable man; Tom Savini's original design still underlies most later looks.

The Costa Concordia ran aground on Friday, 13 January 2012 off which Italian island?

The ship carried 3,206 passengers and 1,023 crew on the first leg of a Mediterranean cruise from Civitavecchia.

Thirteen Clubs counted five future US presidents as members, from Chester A. Arthur to whom?

Members walked under ladders and sat among spilled salt to mock superstition, but the clubs faded within about 45 years.

At what time did Captain William Fowler's Thirteen Club sit down to its first dinner on 13 January 1881?

Thirteen diners ate in Room 13, walking under a ladder to get in.

Which stuntman played Jason in Friday the 13th Part III, the film where the hockey mask debuts?

Jason takes the mask from a victim in a barn at Higgins Haven; Ted White took over for The Final Chapter.