Although he's a boogeyman, Jason [Voorhees] was a nerd who was abused and left behind. He suffered this horrible tragedy, and when he came back to life he couldn't be stopped. There's a wish fulfillment there for a lot of kids. By killing off the cool kids, he speaks to people who feel alienated. Not that you wish people dead, but it's a way for some people to live out their strangest fantasies. He's an antihero. I think he's transcended horror movies. He made his way into comics. He won an MTV lifetime achievement award. He was on
Arsenio Hall's show and
The Simpsons (1989).
Hugh Jackman said he wanted to play Jason, and that's why he became an actor.