This Jason Voorhees Actor Also Played Another Iconic Horror Villain

Publish date: 2024-04-29

The Big Picture

Jason Voorhees is among the most famous and recognizable villains in the horror genre. With twelve films making up the Friday the 13th franchise, there have been many directors, writers, and producers who have taken the reins. So it’s only natural that multiple actors have donned the iconic hockey mask of Jason Voorhees throughout the series’ run. But none have become as synonymous with the Crystal Lake killer as Kane Hodder. Hodder has played the iconic villain in four consecutive Friday the 13th films, starting with Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, and ending with Jason X. He holds the record for playing Jason Voorhees the most, even reprising the role for Friday the 13th: The Game. But what you may not know is that Kane Hodder also technically played another iconic horror villain once, and the answer may surprise you.

Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday
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Serial killer Jason Voorhees' supernatural origins are revealed. 

Release Date August 13, 1993 Director Adam Marcus Cast Kane Hodder , John D. LeMay , Kari Keegan , Steven Williams , Steven Culp , Erin Gray Runtime 87 Main Genre Horror Tagline Evil has finally found a home. Expand

Kane Hodder’s first turn as Jason Voorhees was in the seventh sequel, titled The New Blood. And though the franchise was seven movies in at that point, Hodder came on set and completely made Jason his own. Throughout the four films he did, he added little mannerisms to the character of Jason that have now become so synonymous with the villains. Things such as Jason’s heavy breathing, the head snaps before stalking after his victims, and the intense rage he embodies, were all Hodder originated. He brought a certain physicality to the role that really added to Jason’s overall scare factor. It also helps that Hodder is a stunt actor, meaning every time Jason was getting pounded on or having a roof fall on him, Hodder was still under the mask, making him quite possibly the most authentic Jason just in dedication alone. Kane Hodder’s stunt work made him a regular on horror sets, and aside from playing Jason, he also did the stunt work for Leatherface in Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III. But there was another time when he played an iconic horror villain, Freddy Krueger, to be exact.

Kane Hodder Technically Played Freddy Krueger

Just like Kane Hodder has become synonymous with the role of Jason Voorhees, Robert Englund is synonymous with the role of Freddy Krueger. He originated the role and stuck with it through every sequel, aside from the 2010 remake. So to hear that anyone else played the role is a bit jarring. After all, no one can play Freddy Krueger quite like Robert Englund. But Hodder did… technically.

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday is the most hated film of the franchise by fans. And not for nothing. It’s the Friday the 13th movie with the least amount of Jason Voorhees, given that he spends the majority of the film body-hopping in an attempt to resurrect himself in his actual body. It’s messy and lame considering it was marketed as “the final Friday,” but it more than made up for it just before the credits rolled. After our protagonists defeat Jason and walk away with their lives, we figure that it’s the end of the movie. But the filmmakers had one final treat in store. We watch as a dog digs in the dirt and unearths Jason’s mask. At first, it seems like a hint that maybe this isn’t the final Friday after all, and Jason lives on. But then we hear an all too familiar laugh as knifed hands shoot out of the dirt, dragging Jason’s mask into hell. It’s none other than Freddy Krueger, teasing the long-awaited and much-anticipated showdown between Jason and Freddy.

We did eventually get Freddy vs. Jason in 2003, where Robert Englund once again took on the role of Freddy Krueger. But as for the Freddy hands in Jason Goes to Hell? Those belong to Kane Hodder, not Robert Englund. Hodder himself confirmed this in an interview with Pop Horror. So technically, Kane Hodder has played Freddy Krueger. And though he may not have portrayed Jason in Freddy vs. Jason, he’ll always be able to say he donned the iconic Freddy glove, which is a win on its own.

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday is available to rent on Amazon

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