Long before Jason, Camp Crystal Lake and teen horror became part of our film vocabulary, Sean S. Cunningham had already made a series of weird and shocking independent films. Cunningham began his professional career in the skin flick genre, with the Marilyn Chambers starrer “Together” (1971) and “Case of the Full Moon Murders” (1974)which featured notorious porn actor Harry Reems. In 1972, Cunningham produced the seminal horror film “Last House on the Left,” written and directed by his friend and former business partner Wes Craven.
Following these exploitation efforts, Cunningham turned to soft family fare when he directed “Manny’s Orphans” (1978) and the “Bad News Bears” knock off “Here Come the Tigers” (1978) both of which were scripted by Friday the 13th writer Victor Miller. Then came Friday the 13th. Produced for roughly half a million dollars, the film went on to become one of the most successful and profitable independent films of all time. The film ushered in a new genre of film, the low budget geek slasher movie, a formula that began the career of many young filmmakers. It also trapped Cunningham somewhat, in the genre.
Film Threat caught up with Cunningham to discuss 13th, the upcoming Jason X and the future of the horror genre…
Get the interview in part two of THE BLEssING AND CURSE OF “FRIDAY THE 13TH”>>>
