And talk DVD and Blu-Ray re-release
The first three chapters of Friday the 13th arrive on DVD this week in all-new special edition presentations. To promote these re-issues, ShockTillYouDrop.com had a chance to talk to stars Betsy Palmer (Mrs. Voorhees) and Adrienne King (Alice) briefly about the overall Friday experience.
ShockTillYouDrop.com: Have you two seen the new spruced up editions of Friday the 13th yet?
Betsy Palmer: They sent me this DVD but I haven’t seen it yet. Maybe I’ll look at it this afternoon and see what it’s all about.
Adrienne King: The Blu-Ray is amazing. It blew me out of the water, so to speak. Just when you thought Paramount could do all they could possibly do with Friday the 13th the find something else.
ShockTillYouDrop.com: Have you had your fill of talking about Friday the 13th?
Palmer: I don’t get a chance to talk about it all that much. I’m not interested, ever, in looking at myself in anything which is the reason I haven’t watched the DVD. I get very uptight about it, as many actors do. But the whole idea of [this film’s following] makes me laugh and smile. It has taken off and has gotten a big life unto itself. Every now and then I’ll do an interview, but I refused to act in any of the other ones. It hasn’t been a huge fan of my life. What I have to say to the universe is thanks for keeping me alive as far as the public is concerned. I’m 82 years old, I still look good and move around. I’m not an old and decrepit poor soul, but I don’t work as an actress as I used to in the older days. I was never a big movie actress, I did, I think, six films.
Shock: One of the things hinted at on the DVD is your stalking incident, Adrienne. This came between parts one and two. Even though your part is minimal in the sequel, would you say some of what you endured personally informed how you approached Alice again?
King: It might have. I didn’t know, when I got to the set, it was their last day, so they were wrapping. That scene was unscripted, I never got a script. Steve [Miner] said, “You’re on the phone with your mother – go.” They put me in something that made me look like I was pregnant. I was thinner than I was in the first film. You could tell, for some reason, I was not wanted. I felt unloved [laughs] and thrown to the wolves. It was a bizarre thing. But I went on Wikipedia years later and found out why, I think they thought I was jerking them around [with salary] which wasn’t the case.
Shock: One of the special features on the DVD I enjoyed was the convention panel and seeing the turnout you both had for that…
Palmer: When people line up and I sign the autographs for them and they want to take the pictures with me, or if they have babies, they have me hold the babies. I find it sweet. It’s very dear, the love they express towards Mrs. Voorhees – for all of the naughty things she did, which I think are justified so all the little children wouldn’t die at that damn camp. Close it down. Get rid of those people. I’ve done many things and have done a lot of shows on Broadway, but Friday the 13th is the one I get recognized for. I approached Mrs. Voorhees with the same sincerity I would approach any role and I guess it paid off, didn’t it?
King: Look at where all of this went. We were not being clever, I think we were all plugged into the story, making it as real as possible. Betsy, being the consummate actress that she is, brought me to a higher level in terms of acting and reacting. She taught me that you don’t hold back and you give it all you can. [Betsy and I] definitely drive off each other’s energy. On this Blu-Ray DVD you notice details you never noticed before. Right down to the jewelry I was wearing. But when Betsy and I do that fight scene, she told me not to hold back. You can really feel my head banging in the sand.
Shock: Well, the film’s longevity is a reward for that authenticity you each put into your roles.
Palmer: Yes, and I didn’t think anyone would see it. I didn’t think it was that grand of script and I’m only in, what, the last ten minutes? Who would have thought? You don’t even see me in the beginning. That’s one of the secrets about the film, I think. At one point we were shooting, I said, “You really should have me somewhere in the film because it’s unfair to the audience. They don’t have a clue.” They told me there was a sequence where people were having lunch, I thought they could at least give a glimpse of me at this restaurant. [Sean Cunningham] said, “No.” And I told him it wasn’t fair, he said, “I don’t care if it’s fair or not.” [laughs] They were not going to show me until the end, and of course, he was absolutely right to do that.
Shock: Revisiting the film on Blu-Ray, I love how the film still holds up and the camaraderie of the counselors.
King: I agree with you. I’m not embarrassed to watch it with my nieces and nephews. I saw it on the big screen last year and I was amazed at how it held up and how the scares still work. The audience still jumps at the right places. I felt like I was part of the audience that night and there’s something to say about the fact it still holds up years later. Three generations of fans can enjoy it. It’s a family outing now. [laughs] I got to the conventions and there literally are three generations of different families and this movie is still their favorite. The ten-year-olds will say, “I like it ’cause it’s real, it’s not CGI.”
Shock: And those ten-year-olds also have the Jason hockey mask tattooed on their arm.
King: [laughs] Exactly. The weirdest fan I had to do – Kane, myself and Betsy had to sign this pregnant woman’s stomach last year in Seattle. Scary, but true.
Shock: Betsy, on the DVD, you talk about your car breaking down just prior to landing the Mrs. Voorhees role. Did you ever replace that car? Does some fan now own it?
Palmer: [laughs] My daughter recommended I get a Volkswagen, it’s got a little hind-end in the air. So, at the time, I went to a Volkswagen dealership in Connecticut and I asked how much it was, they said $9,999 – so when the agent told me they’d give me $10 thousand [for the role], I said, “Great, that will pay for the car.” That’s why I did it. I gave the old car to my daughter…
Be sure to visit OfficialFridaythe13th.com and AdrienneKing.com for more Friday goodies.
Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
