Jason’s first victim: Adrienne King from Friday the 13th!

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Happy Friday the 13th! This is the day that horror fans, like myself, don’t bother worrying ourselves over black cats and broken mirrors. Instead we fret over which of the numerous FRIDAY THE 13th slasher movies we’ll be watching that night. For more committed fans, you can even turn it into a marathon event. On one of last year’s Friday the 13th’s, I celebrated the occasion with an old friend….appropriately named Jason.

This year, however, there is even more cause to celebrate. 2010 marks the 30th Anniversary of the original, and without question, finest of the FRIDAY THE 13th movies. Throughout the 80’s it was often imitated (and recently remade) but has never been in any danger of losing its status as one of the best films from that golden age of slashers.

Not surprisingly, it has been deemed worthy of closer examination and analysis, most recently in the latest issue of Horrorhound Magazine, as well as last year’s 2009 documentary – HIS NAME WAS JASON. Since there is little I can add to that discussion, I’m going to focus solely on one of the film’s key players instead.  Adrienne King played the character “Alice” in the first FRIDAY THE 13TH installment, and briefly in Part II as well.

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I had the opportunity to meet Ms. King this past June at the Cyphan convention in Wheeling, Illinois. She was slated to appear with fellow cast members, Betsy Palmer (Mrs. Vorhees) and Ari Lehman (young Jason Vorhees). Unfortunately, Betsy Palmer canceled her appearance due to health concerns. I arrived at the convention just in time to catch a FRIDAY THE 13th Q&A session with King and Lehman.
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Celebrity guest Q&A sessions can be a mixed blessing. Some guests give great insights and behind the scene stories, while others stare at the audience like a deer in highlights. These are the celebrities that usually respond to questions with, “Gee, it was a long time ago and I really don’t remember” or worse still, “It was just a job.” If you are a celebrity reading this post, take heed; Genre fans don’t want to hear that it’s “just a job” (even if that probably was the truth) especially when they’re prepared to stand in line and drop $20+ to meet you. And don’t think your celebrity status will protect you from us “fan boys,” either.  As anyone who has ever participated on a fan “forum” can tell you, they can be some of the meanest places on-line!
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I am happy to say that Adrienne King scores a perfect “10” on the celebrity guest rating scale (which I just came up with). Not only did she actually remember her role in the film, she shared great stories and was receptive to her fans. She’s even developed her own wine label called “Camp Crystal Lake Wines.” This comforts her fan base even further as it proves she has embraced, rather than hid, from her role in the film (Kevin Bacon, anyone?). After the Q&A, I went to meet her in the convention hall. I noticed right away that she took a lot of  time to talk with her fans while showing genuine appreciation for the attention she was given.  When I came up to her she immediately said, “Hi! I remember seeing you during my talk.” I was very flattered that she noticed me, especially since I was joined in the audience by such colorful characters as a man holding a severed head and a full-figured gal wearing a “Wonder Woman” costume.
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Adrienne King and Dave Fuentes–

She also gets credited for selling some great stuff at her table. Aside from being able to order her special wines – in which she promises to personally call you on the phone and “thank you,” she was also selling her hand-painted “Crystal Lake” art pieces. If that wasn’t enough of a personal touch, she also had some GREAT pictures to sign that I can safely say, wasn’t ordered from a “Hollywood” stills catalog.  I was drawn to a photo that was created from a shot she, herself, took with her Polaroid during the filming of FRIDAY THE 13TH. The shot was taken  in Tom Savini’s studio and shows her and the gore master holding his prop of Mrs. Vorhee’s head! This was one of her newest pictures and she admitted while signing, “I’m still not sure where to write on this one!”

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Adrienne King & Tom Savini

If you should discover that Adrienne King is attending a convention near you, I strongly urge you to meet her.  Whether it’s Friday the 13th or not, it’s guaranteed to be your lucky day!

Order “Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th” HERE! Also available, the complete Friday the 13th Blu-ray collection HERE!

Dave Fuentes~

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