Screenwriter Victor Miller, best known for writing the original Friday the 13th movie that spawned one of horror’s most popular franchises, has passed away. He was 86 years old.
Miller’s son, Ian, confirmed that his father passed to Variety. No additional details were shared about his death. Survivors include his wife, Tina Rhurston Miller, and his two sons, Ian and Josh.
Directed by Sean Cunningham, Friday the 13th was the film that introduced Jason Voorhees, one of the world’s best-known horror villains. However, his mother Pamela (Betsy Palmer) was revealed to be the killer in the film, taking revenge after Camp Crystal Lake’s counselors let Jason drown by not paying attention to the children. A child version of Jason (Ari Lehman) emerges from the lake in a twist at the end of the movie, and he took over as the primary killer for the franchise in Friday the 13th Part II.
“When Sean and I went to see [Palmer] for casting, she said she loved my screenplay…’grand guignol’ she called it,” Miller previously told HGL about casting Palmer as Mrs. Voorhees. “Of course, I laughed my ass off when she was on a panel with me and said she thought the screenplay was a piece of crap, but she needed the money for a new car.”
Though Jason has become the face of the franchise, many Friday the 13th fans still hold the original installment of the franchise in high regard. It inspired the upcoming Peacock series Crystal Lake, which serves as a prequel to the original Friday the 13th story. It stars Linda Cardellini as a younger version of Pamela Voorhees in the time leading up to the events of the first movie. Other characters created by Miller who appeared in the film will also be featured in Crystal Lake.
Outside of Friday the 13th, Miller also won three Daytime Emmy Awards for his work on All My Children. His other TV writing credits include Another World and One Life to Live, which also earned him additional nominations. Additionally, Miller wrote the 1982 feature film adaptation of Mary Higgins Clark’s A Stranger Is Watching as well as the 1977 film The Black Pearl, based on Scott O’Dell’s novel. More recently, he co-wrote the 2018 horror movie Rock Paper Dead.
“Writing for TV was more fun,” Miller also told HGL about his TV work. “Plus the work was regular—every week a paycheck for 25 years. Most fun, however, was the writing in a team. Writing alone sucks.”
Rest in peace, Victor Miller.
