It’s long been suggested by fans that theFriday the 13thfranchise shares the same universe as theEvil Deadmovies. Specifically, the explanation for Jason’s inability to be killed and supernatural power come from him being what’s referred to as a Deadite inEvil Dead. This is now more than a theory, asJason Goes to Helldirector Adam Marcus has officially confirmed that Jason’s mom used the Necronomicon, aka the Book of the Dead, to bring back her son. Here’s what he had to say about it in a recent interview.
“(I) wanted to create a mythology for Jason in this movie, because it had driven me nuts as a viewer. She (Pamela Voorhees) makes a deal with the devil by reading from the Necronomicon to bring back her son. This is why Jason isn’t Jason. He’s Jason plus The Evil Dead, and now I can believe that he can go from a little boy that lives in a lake, to a full grown man in a couple of months, to Zombie Jason, to never being able to kill this guy. That, to me, is way more interesting as a mashup, and (Sam) Raimi loved it!”
Not only does the director of what, at the time, was the “final"Friday the 13thmovie sign off on this, but Sam Raimi, the man who directedEvil Dead, also gives it the thumbs up. That’s a huge deal. It explains a lot about themythology of the Friday the 13thuniverse and it also explains why the Necronomicon appears in the Voorhees' basement inJason Goes to Hell. Adam Marcus had to be sneaky about it, but he goes so far as to say that this is “absolutely canon.”
“It’s not like I could tell New Line my plan to include The Evil Dead, because they don’t own The Evil Dead. So it had to be an Easter egg, and I did focus on it…there’s a whole scene that includes the book, and I hoped people would get it and could figure out that’s what I’m up to. So yes, in my opinion,Jason Voorheesis a Deadite. He’s one of The Evil Dead. It absolutely is canon.”
Jason Goes to Hellteased a fight between Jason andFreddy Kreugerthat would eventually happen inFreddy vs. Jason. However, there were plans forFreddy vs. Jason vs. Ashthat never materialized, which now make even more sense. As Bruce Campbell explained last year, they wouldn’t have had enough creative control to justify doing the crossover.
“I’ll be honest with you. I’m not real interested in cross overs. One of the main reasons why Ash vs. Jason vs. Freddy did not come to pass is because we couldn’t control any other character other than Ash. That felt like a creatively bankrupt way to go. Not to mention, you’re splitting the proceeds three ways with partners you might not want.”
Friday the 13this in a precarious place right now. The 2009 reboot didn’t do what the studio wanted and it’s been impossible to get a sequel going ever since. And considering that the last movie was saw was a reboot, the old canon is simply that. Old. But still, this new information from Adam Marcus, viaHorror Geek Life, provides fans with confirmation of something they’ve long believed. So even if the eventual newFriday the 13thcanon ignores thisEvil Deadlink, it definitely exists.
