Victor Miller, ‘Friday the 13th’ Screenwriter, Dies at 86
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Victor Miller, the screenwriter who created the horror classic "Friday the 13th," has died aged 86 on Monday in Alameda, California, with his death confirmed to Variety by his son, Ian. New coverage adds Miller's own account, given in a recent interview with a "Friday the 13th" fan site, of how the 1980 film came together, including his description of Mrs Voorhees as "the world's most protective mother." Released in 1980, the film became a cornerstone of the slasher genre, popularising the summer camp setting and teenage-debauchery tropes that remain staples of horror cinema, and it spawned one of the genre's most enduring franchises, though Miller had no involvement in the many sequels.
Miller explained that the project began as an attempt to emulate John Carpenter's "Halloween," with the summer camp devised to cut young characters off from adult help and the notion of Jason having died before the story begins mirroring the "prior evil" concept from Carpenter's film; the title itself was only settled on after at least one script draft. Beyond "Friday the 13th," Miller wrote for American soap operas including "All My Children," "One Life to Live," "Another World," "Guiding Light" and "General Hospital," with his "All My Children" work helping the show win three Daytime Emmy Awards. He was born in New Orleans in 1940 and is survived by his wife, Tina Thurston Miller, and sons Ian and Josh.
- "Friday the 13th" writer Victor Miller has died aged 86.
- New interview reveals film was modelled on "Halloween."
- He also wrote for major US soap operas for decades.
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Victor Miller was the screenwriter behind "Friday the 13th," the 1980 slasher film that became one of horror's most influential titles. He wrote the original screenplay, drawing inspiration from John Carpenter's "Halloween," and set the story at a summer camp where a killer targets a group of teenagers. Although the film launched a huge and long-running franchise, Miller was not involved in writing any of its many sequels.
Beyond horror, Miller had a lengthy career writing for American daytime television, contributing to soap operas such as "All My Children," "One Life to Live," "Another World," "Guiding Light" and "General Hospital." His work on "All My Children" was recognised with multiple Daytime Emmy Awards. Born in New Orleans in 1940, he later settled in California.
The story matters because "Friday the 13th" helped establish many of the conventions now associated with slasher films, including its camp setting and focus on young characters cut off from adult help. Miller's death brings attention both to his role in shaping that genre and to his separate, decades-long career in television writing.
Full account
Victor Miller, the American screenwriter who wrote the original 1980 slasher film Friday the 13th, has died at the age of 86. His son, Ian, confirmed the death, which reports place on Monday 30 August in Alameda, California, though no cause has been made public. Miller was born in New Orleans in 1940 and went on to build a career spanning both horror cinema and long-running American soap operas.
Friday the 13th, directed by Sean S. Cunningham, is regarded as one of the defining works of the slasher genre, credited with cementing the summer-camp setting and the theme of misbehaving teenagers being picked off one by one as staples of the format. Miller had previously spoken of writing the film as an attempt to follow the template set by John Carpenter's Halloween two years earlier, saying the idea of isolating young people from adult help, and of a killer motivated by a prior tragedy, were both drawn from that film; the concept of Jason Voorhees having died before the story begins, and of the killer turning out to be his vengeful mother, developed from there. Despite the franchise's enormous and lasting success across numerous sequels, Miller had no further creative involvement in the series after the first film. He did, however, continue to work with Cunningham on other projects, including the comedies Manny's Orphans and Here Come the Tigers (the latter under the pseudonym Arch McCoy) before Friday the 13th, and the thriller A Stranger Is Watching afterwards, alongside later film credits such as Getting In, Jury Duty, Rock, Paper, Scissors and The Once and Future Smash.
Beyond horror, Miller had a substantial career in American daytime television, serving as a writer and Associate Head Writer on soap operas including One Life to Live, All My Children, Guiding Light, Another World and General Hospital. His work on All My Children was particularly recognised, contributing to the show's wins for outstanding drama series writing team at the Daytime Emmy Awards. He is survived by his wife, Tina Thurston Miller, his two sons, and a grandson.
Tributes following his death noted his influence not only as a writer but as someone who encouraged a love of storytelling, photography and music in those around him; his family has said a celebration of his life will be held in November, fittingly on a Friday the 13th. Miller's legacy is also set to continue on screen, with the A24-produced series Crystal Lake, a prequel to the original film, due to premiere on Peacock in October.
Where outlets differ
Source 1 (Variety) centres its account on Miller's own recollections of writing Friday the 13th, quoting him at length on how the film was conceived as a response to Halloween, and gives less personal detail about his death, omitting a grandson and any planned memorial event.
Source 2 (Deadline) is more precise about the date of death (Monday 30 August) and draws on a family Instagram tribute, including mention of a grandson and a planned November celebration of life on a Friday the 13th.
Deadline provides a much fuller filmography, listing specific pre- and post-Friday the 13th collaborations with Sean S. Cunningham and later film and TV credits, plus detail on the upcoming A24/Peacock series Crystal Lake, while Variety focuses more narrowly on the original film's legacy and Miller's soap opera writing achievements, including the All My Children Daytime Emmy wins.
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