PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Kane Hodder is a name that is synonymous with the horror world. When a genre visionary needs a burly mountain of a man to play their mercenary, Kane is the one they call. Back in 1988, the man breathed new life into the iconic Jason Voorhees character, and now, he is celebrating a new milestone in his own life. As of April 8, 2020, Mr. Hodder turned 65 years young.
Kane Hodder was born on April 8, 1955 out of Auburn, California. He was known to have had a bit of a rough childhood, constantly escaping the torment and ridicule of bullies. He started his industry career in 1974, but it almost didn’t get the chance to blossom. Early in his tenure, he offered to do a fire stunt during an interview, and the stunt went awry. He suffered terrible second and third degree burns which almost took him out of stuntwork and acting for good. But fifteen years later, he got a role that would make him the new face of fear.
In 1988, he got play Jason Voorhees in Friday The 13th VII: The New Blood (read our retro review here). His broad stature and intimidating economy of movement gave Jason a fresh take, and he’s often regarded as creating genre lover’s favorite portrayal of the character. He was the only actor to ever play the hockey-masked maniac more than once, as he kept the role all the way through Jason X (2001).
Kane was initially scouted to play Freddy Kruger in A Nightmare On Elm Street as well, the role that went to Robert Englund. But he did get to don the iconic glove nonetheless, as he got to pull down the Jason mask at the end of Jason Goes To Hell (1993). He’s gone on to act in over 100 roles, popping up in genre favorites like 2001 Maniacs (2005), Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006) and Death House (2017).
Moreover, he’s renowned as one of the premiere stuntmen in the world, doing stunts for over 70 movies in the last 37 years. In 2006, Hodder got to represent a new generation of horror frontmen. He played Victor Crowley (and Crowley’s father) in Adam Green’s Hatchet (2006 – read our review here), a new age love letter to the genre that Kane himself helped make successful. He has also written his own autobiography, Unmasked, (read our review here) in 2011. He eventually returned to the hockey mask for Friday the 13th: The Game in 2017.
Whether it’s stunts, acting, writing, or video games, Kane Hodder has left an indelible mark on the genre. If you were to line up the faces of the most iconic names on the Mount Rushmore of Horror, it would be hard not to picture him there. He continues to actively pursue new ways to make an impact, even though he’s already made a legendary imprint on the hearts of horror fans. Happy 65th birthday, sir! Thank you for all that you’ve inspired.
