Top 10 original titles for popular horror movies
By Jeremy Dick
Credit: Paramount Pictures
1. A Long Night at Camp Blood (Friday the 13th)
Friday the 13th is another example of making a horror franchise synonymous with a certain day. Every actual Friday the 13th on our calendar year, you’re bound to see Jason movies playing somewhere on TV. Many horror fans ensure to watch at least one of the movies for the occasion, if not binge watching several of them. Its name as made just as much of an impact on pop culture as the iconic hockey mask.
But there was a chance Friday the 13th would have been called something entirely different. While writing the film, screenwriter Victor Miller was calling it A Long Night at Camp Blood. It makes sense because of the “Camp Blood” references in the film, but it just doesn’t quite flow off the tongue the same way. A Long Night at Camp Blood Part 4: The Final Night at Camp Blood just doesn’t seem like something I’d see on a movie poster.
At the time, however, producer Sean S. Cunningham was really wanting to call a horror film Friday the 13th. He didn’t even know what it would be about — he just knew there needed to be a horror film with that name. Before even having a story, Cunningham even paid for an advertisement in Variety, hyping Friday the 13th as “The most terrifying film ever made!”
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Cunningham suggested Miller use the Friday the 13th name for the story, and Miller agreed. The story was then set to take place on Friday the 13th (Jason’s birthday), giving the film its iconic name and helping turn it into a monster franchise.