Who directed Friday the 13th, the 1980 film that began the Friday the 13th franchise?

Sean S. Cunningham directed Friday the 13th, the 1980 film that began the franchise.

Cunningham was already known for producing Wes Craven’s 1972 film The Last House on the Left. For Friday the 13th, he served as director and producer, while Victor Miller wrote the screenplay. The film was designed as a summer-camp slasher set at Camp Crystal Lake.

A common mix-up is crediting Wes Craven because he directed A Nightmare on Elm Street, another major horror franchise. John Carpenter directed the original Halloween, while Tobe Hooper directed The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Jason Voorhees also was not the killer in the first film; his mother, Pamela Voorhees, is revealed as the murderer.