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Victor Miller Prevails in First Ruling of the ‘Friday the 13th’ Lawsuit

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Friday the 13th lawsuit

It certainly has been an eventful month for the seemingly cursed franchise Friday the 13th. With a Jason Vorhees statue being removed from the bottom of an Arizona Lake, and Friday the 13th: The Game making it onto PS Plus as a free download, Jason has been plastered on headlines across the internet. However, one of the most important news bulletins for our famed hockey mask murderer has finally surfaced after roughly 2 years of anticipation.

In 2016, a lawsuit between the franchises’ original screenplay writer Victor Miller and director/writer Sean Cunningham (along with Horror Inc.) surfaced on whether or not Miller was entitled to payment from the prosperous franchise after its first film: Friday the 13th. The legal bloodbath grew ugly with suspicion of Cunningham perjuring himself before his deposition testimony. As a result,  plans for a sequel to the 2009 Friday the 13th have been suspended, and any additional content for Friday the 13th: The Game has been cancelled.

Friday the 13th lawsuit

Image via IMDB

Recently, THR reported that a ruling was issued which could have us see an end to the legal dispute.

As we’ve covered, the case revolved around Miller wanting to claim what he is financially owed from the Friday the 13th franchise–having written the first film’s script–and is credited as a character writer for the sequel films. Cunningham and Co. felt that since Miller wrote the first script as work-for-hire under the WGA (Writers Guild of America), then the creative properties of the entire Friday the 13th franchise belong to the company/Cunningham (Horror Inc.).

Friday the 13th Jason

Image via IMDB

While both sides wanted the judge to motion for a summary in October of 2017, this particular section of copyright law is relatively new in courts; consequently, U.S. District Court Judge Stefan Underhill did not have much to go off of when issuing a summary of the ruling for the rights over Friday the 13th.

Ultimately, the judge’s summary came down to the amount of evidence that proved Cunningham’s influence and control over Miller’s creative work with Friday the 13th. Cunningham is accredited as a writer, worked with Miller on the film, and both were under the WGA; however, when Miller drafted the characters and script, there’s no tangible/concrete proof outside of allegation that Cunningham possessed greater influence over the initial creation and creative direction of Friday the 13th. Miller was paid to work with Cunningham and to submit the script for the company, but as it stands the first Friday the 13th film is creatively and legally his work.

[The full unabridged legal document and statement]

The summary determines victory to Miller over entitlement to the script and rights of Friday the 13th in the United States. In contrast, Cunningham and Horror Inc. have legal control outside of the states, where the copyright law does not have any legal domain.

A settlement can be arranged at this point, or Cunningham can look to put forth an appeal. Underhill’s summary may pressure Cunningham to settle, but the judge did mention an aspect of the dispute which Cunningham and the producers will want to continue on with the case and make an appeal.

While Miller did in fact write the first franchise installment Friday the 13th, it is not certain if he directly influenced the characters in the sequels or not, specifically Jason Vorhees. To clarify, I don’t mean the deformed child who snags Adrienne King from the canoe at the end of the first film, but Jason Vorhees as we know him today. Jason the icon, as far as surface level and legal evaluations go, is the hockey mask wearing murderer we see in a plethora of films after the first one. Whether Miller directly influenced or intended to create the adult Jason prior to the first script is a question the court is not equipped to answer at this time. Cunningham and Horror Inc. may have enough legal ground to go for an appeal and contest that they are the sole creative owners of the everything after Friday the 13th.

Friday the 13th 2 Jason

Image via IMDB

This is to say, while the first round of the legal battles is settled in favor of Miller, and may set a precedent for the rest of the case, the franchise is not exactly out of the woods yet.  Still, we can hope that Cunningham and Horror Inc. choose to not drag out the battle any longer and settle. I would think it’d be worth inquiring if the “Jason” from Part 5 would count as one of the sequel Jasons?

Do you think that Cunningham should have the sole rights to the entire franchise, or is Miller entitled to payment for writing the script that started it all? Comment below and tell us what you think! Regardless, we’ll most likely be waiting a while for an update, but we’ll keep you posted as this story develops!

In the mean time, if you’re curious about whether the previously mentioned Friday the 13th game is worth downloading or not, you can read our review on it! If you’d rather check out some bad-ass Friday the 13th art, take a look at a phenomenal bloodbath of an art piece made by JJ Harrison!

Friday the 13th lawsuit

Image via IMDB (The current state of the Friday the 13th franchise)

 

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Mike Flanagan Comes Aboard To Assist in Completion of ‘Shelby Oaks’

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If you have been following Chris Stuckmann on YouTube you are aware of the struggles he has had getting his horror movie Shelby Oaks finished. But there’s good news about the project today. Director Mike Flanagan (Ouija: Origin Of Evil, Doctor Sleep and The Haunting) is backing the film as a co-executive producer which might bring it much closer to being released. Flanagan is a part of the collective Intrepid Pictures which also includes Trevor Macy and Melinda Nishioka.

Shelby Oaks
Shelby Oaks

Stuckmann is a YouTube movie critic who’s been on the platform for over a decade. He came under some scrutiny for announcing on his channel two years ago that he would no longer be reviewing films negatively. However contrary to that statement, he did a non-review essay of the panned Madame Web recently saying, that studios strong-arm directors to make films just for the sake of keeping failing franchises alive. It seemed like a critique disguised as a discussion video.

But Stuckmann has his own movie to worry about. In one of Kickstarter’s most successful campaigns, he managed to raise over $1 million for his debut feature film Shelby Oaks which now sits in post-production. 

Hopefully, with Flanagan and Intrepid’s help, the road to Shelby Oak’s completion is reaching its end. 

“It’s been inspiring to watch Chris working toward his dreams over the past few years, and the tenacity and DIY spirit he displayed while bringing Shelby Oaks to life reminded me so much of my own journey over a decade ago,” Flanagan told Deadline. “It’s been an honor to walk a few steps with him on his path, and to offer support for Chris’ vision for his ambitious, unique movie. I can’t wait to see where he goes from here.”

Stuckmann says Intrepid Pictures has inspired him for years and, “it’s a dream come true to work with Mike and Trevor on my first feature.”

Producer Aaron B. Koontz of Paper Street Pictures has been working with Stuckmann since the beginning is also excited about the collaboration.

“For a film that had such a hard time getting going, it’s remarkable the doors that then opened to us,” said Koontz. “The success of our Kickstarter followed by the on-going leadership and guidance from Mike, Trevor, and Melinda is beyond anything I could have hoped for.”

Deadline describes the plot of Shelby Oaks as follows:

“A combination of documentary, found footage, and traditional film footage styles, Shelby Oaks centers on Mia’s (Camille Sullivan) frantic search for her sister, Riley, (Sarah Durn) who ominously disappeared in the last tape of her “Paranormal Paranoids” investigative series. As Mia’s obsession grows, she begins to suspect that the imaginary demon from Riley’s childhood may have been real.”

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New ‘MaXXXine’ Image is Pure 80s Costume Core

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A24 has unveiled a captivating new image of Mia Goth in her role as the titular character in “MaXXXine”. This release comes approximately a year and a half after the previous installment in Ti West’s expansive horror saga, which covers more than seven decades.

MaXXXine Official Trailer

His latest continues the story arc of freckle-faced aspiring starlet Maxine Minx from the first film X which took place in Texas in 1979. With stars in her eyes and blood on her hands, Maxine moves into a new decade and a new city, Hollywood, in pursuit of an acting career, “But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past.”

The photo below is the latest snapshot released from the film and shows Maxine in full Thunderdome drag amid a crowd of teased hair and rebellious 80s fashion.

MaXXXine is set to open in theaters on July 5.

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Netflix Releases First BTS ‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’ Footage

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It’s been three long years since Netflix unleashed the bloody, but enjoyable Fear Street on its platform. Released in a tryptic fashion, the streamer broke up the story into three episodes, each taking place in a different decade which by the finale were all tied together.

Now, the streamer is in production for its sequel Fear Street: Prom Queen which brings the story into the 80s. Netflix gives a synopsis of what to expect from Prom Queen on their blog site Tudum:

“Welcome back to Shadyside. In this next installment of the blood-soaked Fear Street franchise, prom season at Shadyside High is underway and the school’s wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown. But when a gutsy outsider is unexpectedly nominated to the court, and the other girls start mysteriously disappearing, the class of ’88 is suddenly in for one hell of a prom night.” 

Based on R.L. Stine’s massive series of Fear Street novels and spin-offs, this chapter is number 15 in the series and was published in 1992.

Fear Street: Prom Queen features a killer ensemble cast, including India Fowler (The Nevers, Insomnia), Suzanna Son (Red Rocket, The Idol), Fina Strazza (Paper Girls, Above the Shadows), David Iacono (The Summer I Turned Pretty, Cinnamon), Ella Rubin (The Idea of You), Chris Klein (Sweet Magnolias, American Pie), Lili Taylor (Outer Range, Manhunt) and Katherine Waterston (The End We Start From, Perry Mason).

No word on when Netflix will drop the series into its catalog.

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