Scenes That Were Never Filmed: The Boathouse Chase In 1980

There are a number of scenes that have been famously edited or altogether cut from the Friday The 13th films, but what about the scenes that made it into final script drafts, but were never filmed? Today we take a look at one such scene from 1980's Friday The 13th that could have drastically changed the way fans viewed the killer in the film.

The original opening for Director Sean Cunningham’s film would have been a more dramatic and action packed scene than the one used for the theatrical release. After leaving the other counselors singing around the fireplace, young lovers Barry and Claudette set off to be alone and take a walk around the lake as the unseen killer stalks them out-of-sight. In the original script for the opening, a chase would have then ensued around a boathouse, instead of them simply being killed in the loft of the barn. The killer was to have their thumb cut off as well in the skirmish with the couple and this thumbless hand was to be a clue throughout the film that the killer lurked near by.

The re-write of the opening was necessary, however, as on the first night of filming for the opening sequence, snow caused numerous technical problems and an indoor death scene was required. The original opening would have been even more tense and exhilerating than the one fans know now, but the deaths of Barry and Claudette in the loft of the barn still stands as one of the classic openings of the Horror genre.