Did You Know? New Jersey is the Home of Friday the 13th!

Today is FRIDAY the 13th! What better way to spend Friday the 13th than in New Jersey!

Did you know? The original Friday the 13th was filmed in Blairstown, NJ, Hope, NJ, and Camp NoBeBoSco in Hardwick Township, NJ.

Blairstown embraces the fact that the famous film was shot in town. Every Friday the 13th Roy’s Hall on Main Street screens the film for horror buffs to enjoy (unfortunately they had to cancel this year due to COVID-19). I went a few years ago and had an AMAZING time. Be on the lookout for their next screening. To read about it, click HERE.

In case you’re unfamiliar, the original Friday the 13th movie from 1980 is a slasher film that tells the story of a group of teenagers who are murdered one by one while attempting to re-open an abandoned campground, Camp Crystal Lake. It also starred a young Kevin Bacon. It sets up a massive film franchise of psycho murdered and mask wearer, Jason Voorhees (although his mother is the murderer), scaring teenagers from having sex otherwise they’ll be murdered.

Located in Warren County, Blairstown, NJ is a historic district with a great downtown area. The small-town setting was the perfect location for the events in the film to unfold. The first shot of the movie shows the main character, Annie crossing, a small bridge as she walks into town.

Although locations in town (including the bridge) have been updated in the last 36 years, Blairstown will look very recognizable to fans of the film.

If you’re looking for food, be sure to visit the Blairstown Diner! Located on Route 94, this is the diner that Steve spends the evening while his friends are being murdered. For my review of the diner, click HERE

Camp NoBeBoSco aka Camp Crystal Lake was the main filming location, and many of the structures are still the same. The camp hosted its first official Friday the 13th tour on Friday, May 13th, 2011 to great success.

The camp has operated continuously since the summer of 1927. For tours of the camp, information can be found HERE , but they sell out way in advance. Tour experiences vary with every season.

Past examples include:

• Full-length walking tours that visit all of the filming locations in the camp and shorter lakefront tours that take you directly to the center of the movie set.
• Morning, afternoon, evening, and flashlight tour sessions.
• Special activities such as canoeing, archery, Q&A sessions, etc.
• Exclusive gift souvenirs and apparel.
• Meals in the historic dining hall.
• Celebrity guests and movie artifact appearances.
• …and other extraordinary experiences that you won’t find anywhere else!

Be sure to sign up on their mailing list since generally, tours sell out very quickly, and if you can’t make the tour they also sell souvenirs on their website.

I for one am proud to have this movie as part of New Jersey’s pop culture history.

Enjoy your Friday the 13th, New Jersey! If you’re a fan of the original movie, then a trip to Blairstown, NJ should definitely be on your bucket list!