Debating The Year Of Mrs. Voorhees' Death In The Franchise

One topic relating to the Friday the 13th films that still divides fans to this day is the year that Mrs. Voorhees was killed by Alice Hardy in Friday The 13th. The debate stems from the headstone seen in Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter which clearly shows the date of Pamela Voorhees’ demise as 1979. As decades past, the fans have wondered what is the correct date that Mrs. Voorhees was beheaded?

The first Friday the 13th film opened on May 9th, 1980 and the subsequent scene after the opening deaths of the counselors has Annie walking through town with the titles saying Friday June 13, The Present. The "Present Day" title would normally lead people to believe that the events unfolding in front of them would be present day, 1980. However, it is conceivable that "Present Day" was actually when the film was originally filmed in 1979.

This difference in dates has always thrown a wrench into people’s timeline of events for the franchise, but each fan has their own justification for why they have Pamela’s deceased date set in their own stone. A lot of people are aware that consistency in the franchise has not always been strong, but for a series of films that has spanned eight movies in ten years and twelve in almost thirty five years, filmmakers have done the best they can to try and keep things together.

The questions here is, what really is the correct year that Mrs. Voorhees died and what was the original intention by the filmmakers for Present Day?