Flashback Fridays: Friday the 13th

Paraskevidekatriaphobia. For the scarce few individuals that suffer from this phobia, 2015 is not a good year for you. Paraskevidekatriaphobia is the fear of Friday the 13th. Friday the 13th, has now occurred for the second straight month. The bad luck doesn't even end there this year. There will actually be a third occurrence of the day that stirs up images of black cats and horror movies in November. The very phenomenon of having three Friday the 13th's in the same year won't happen again until 2026.

The legend of Friday the 13th dates all the way back to Jesus himself. It is believed that Jesus was betrayed by Judas on a Friday the day of his Last Supper with 13 individuals. However, this is simply a legend, the stories behind the origins of Friday the 13th have never been confirmed and its first mentions were in the 19th century.

Nowadays, people associate Friday the 13th with none other than the "Hockey Mask Slasher" or "Camp Crystal Lake Killer" commonly referred to as Jason Voorhees.

In 1978, after the release of the movie "Halloween," Paramount Pictures wanted to be able to cash in on a horror movie franchise of their own. The "Friday the 13th" movies have never been popular with critics; however, the entire franchise has created a gigantic cult following. A total of 12 films have been released as a part of the "Friday the 13th" franchise.

The common antagonist of the entire franchise has been Jason Voorhees. Jason has even starred in a movie alongside fellow horror icon Freddy Kreuger from "A Nightmare on Elm Street." Jason has been tracked by the FBI, been taken into space in a futuristic horror movie "Jason X" and has been killed several times, but he seems to be resurrected each time to come back and haunt the place he died, Camp Crystal Lake.

Other than "Jason X," which did not make a lot of money, but still has a recorded profit, the "Friday the 13th" franchise has been extremely successful. In total, the 12 movies have cost roughly 80 million dollars to make, yet have brought in over $460 million worldwide. When adjusted to inflation, the total gross is actually in excess of $680 million which makes it the highest grossing horror franchise.

After the latest release in the franchise being 2009, there has been much speculation that the entirety of the franchise is dead; however, anyone who knows Jason, knows that he will always find a way to come back to life. The newest addition to the franchise, is aimed to be released May 13th, 2016.

Wait... is that day what I think it is?

Yes it is. May 13th, 2016 will be the release of a new "Friday the 13th," on a Friday the 13th.

Enjoy a bad luck filled Friday the 13th, stay away from black cats and broken mirrors, and if you happen to go camping by a lake...actually don't do that, that's just creepy.