Victor Miller, the screenwriter who helped establish Friday the 13th as one of horror’s most enduring franchises, has died at the age of 86. His son Ian Miller confirmed his death to Variety, with the writer passing away in Alameda, California.
Miller wrote the original 1980 Friday the 13th, a low-budget slasher that became a major influence on the genre. While he did not write the subsequent sequels, his screenplay established the Camp Crystal Lake setting and the formula that would eventually turn Jason Voorhees into one of horror’s most recognizable figures.
Victor Miller’s Legacy Goes Beyond Friday the 13th
According to Variety Miller’s family plans to hold memorial services in November. His son said the timing will carry an unmistakable connection to his father’s most famous work, with services scheduled for “Friday the 13th, of course.”
Ian also remembered his father as someone who combined humor, intelligence and creativity.
“He inspired in me, and many others, a love of photography, music and storytelling,”
he wrote, adding that his father
“had a helluva run.”
Miller previously explained that Friday the 13th was conceived partly in response to the success of John Carpenter’s Halloween. He said the decision to use a summer camp came from the need to isolate young characters from adult assistance, recalling that the setting was designed around
“a location where young adults would be cut off from all adult help.”
Although Jason became the franchise’s defining figure, Miller’s original screenplay focused on creating the circumstances and mythology surrounding the killings at Camp Crystal Lake. His work ultimately helped establish one of horror cinema’s most influential slasher formulas.
Miller’s career also extended well beyond horror. He wrote for several long-running daytime dramas, including All My Children, One Life to Live, and General Hospital, earning three Daytime Emmy Awards during his television career. He is survived by his wife, Tina, and sons Ian and Josh.
