How far will I go? How deep will I dig into Camp Crystal Lake when it comes to collecting autographss and photos with the folks who worked in the Friday the 13th series? That’s the real question you should be asking yourself. And furthermore, why? The last part can probably never be answered, other than that it is fun. I started with the Jasons, moved on to the “final girls,” and with Sean Cunningham, I branched into the directors. Cunningham directed the first film, so it’s only natural that next I’d go with the director of the second film Friday the 13 Part 2. So I did.
He appeared at the HorrorHound even in Indianapolis on September 8, 2013. His name is Steve Miner. He had worked at the Associate Producer and Unit Production Manager on the first Friday the 13th, and by the second one he was directing and producing the whole shebang. I won’t have to go too far to get the director of the third film, because that one belonged to Miner too. And should I ever continue with the Halloween directors (started with John Carpenter, and supplemented with Tommy Lee Wallace), well Miner would go on to direct Halloween H20: 20 Years Later.
Miner actually had some other interesting TV director credits as well: The Wonder Years, Felicity, Smallville, Psych, Dawson’s Creek, Diagnosis: Murder, Chicago Hope, as well as the films Lake Placid, Soul Man, and Night of the Creeps – so it’s not like he was necessarily pigeonholed into the horror genre.
I just the photo of Steve Miner with Warrington Gillette, the elusive “Jason,” who took credit for the whole movie once upon a time (even though he only actually appeared in one scene), and was ostracized from the Friday the 13th community. I mentioned that I hoped to see him sometime as to date he is the only “Jason” I have not met. Miner had nothing nice to say about him, claiming that he falsified his credentials as a stunt man – at which point Steve Dash was brought in to play Jason for the duration of the film’s shooting. I’ll set judgement on any party aside, as it really makes no difference to me since the character was played by so darn many people…what’s one more?
In any case, it was fun to meet him, and pick up a cool and rare autograph for $20. He was also nice enough to pose for an additional photo with Carolyn which is always a killer bonus.
Celebrities of the Fall 2013 Indianapolis HorrorHound will continue…
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