This Day in Horror: Happy Birthday Sean S. Cunningham
Alyse Wax
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Born on this day in 1941: Sean S. Cunningham
Cunningham got his start managing theatrical companies in New York. While working on his second feature, Together, he met Wes Craven, and gave him his first on-screen credit, as an associate producer on Together. When Craven began working on his own directorial debut, The Last House on the Left, Cunningham came on board as a producer.
Most famously, Cunningham directed and produced Friday the 13th. He wanted it to be a “roller coaster ride” that was “visually stunning” and would “make you jump out of your seat.” The original title of the script by Vincent Miller was A Long Night At Camp Blood, but Cunningham believed that, by using the title Friday the 13th, he could create a huge, successful franchise.
Cunningham did not return to direct any of the dozen Friday the 13th sequels; however, he did come back to produce Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, Jason X, Freddy vs. Jason, and the 2009 remake of the original. He didn’t direct any other straight-out horror films, but he produced plenty, including House and two of its sequels; The Horror Show; and My Boyfriend’s Back.
Categorized:News This Day in Horror
