This was Betsy Palmer's initial reaction to Friday the 13th (1980)
The actor called the original script "junk."
Even if you adore horror films, you have to admit that some scary movies are definite duds. Conversely, some of the highest quality horror movies were once diamonds in the rough, plucked from obscurity to accumulate a fanbase.
No one, not even those who worked on the film, understood that Friday the 13th (1980) would become an institution in the horror genre. Betsy Palmer, who appeared in the film as Pamela Vorhees, actually believed the movie wouldn’t amount to anything.
“I read the script and said, ‘What a piece of junk,’” Palmer said during an interview with the Ventura County Star. “I hadn’t done a film since the ‘60s.” Though Palmer’s role was small, it was crucial to the plot. “I used to think I couldn’t admit to being in it. I was only in the last 15 minutes.”
In fact, Palmer didn’t even stick around long enough to catch her own character’s grisly end. “They [the crew] said, ‘Hey, don’t you want to see your head get chopped off?’” said Palmer. “I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding. I couldn’t care less.’”
Of course, the film became a wild success and developed a cult following, with audiences continuing to express appreciation for the original film to this day. In fact, despite multiple sequels and attempts to reboot the franchise, Palmer still admitted that the first Friday the 13th film was her favorite. “It left so much to your imagination,” said the actor.
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