The original Friday the 13th (the 1980 horror movie, not the superstition) was made by producer‑director Sean S. Cunningham and writer Victor Miller.

Quick Scoop

  • The first Friday the 13th film came out in 1980 and kicked off the whole Camp Crystal Lake / Jason Voorhees franchise.
  • It was produced and directed by Sean S. Cunningham , an independent filmmaker who had worked with Wes Craven before.
  • The screenplay was written by Victor Miller , who crafted the original story, characters, and the Camp Crystal Lake setting.
  • Cunningham was heavily inspired by John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) and wanted a low‑budget but shocking slasher that would make audiences jump.
  • Special makeup effects (all those gory kills the series is known for) were done by Tom Savini , which helped the film stand out in the early slasher boom.

Who “made” it, in different senses?

If you’re asking “who made Friday the 13th,” there are a few key angles:

  1. Creator / Director
    • Sean S. Cunningham came up with the project, secured financing, directed the movie, and helped shape the overall tone and style.
  1. Writer / Story
    • Victor Miller wrote the script, including the concept of the doomed camp and the killer’s backstory.
  1. Franchise & Legacy
    • After the first film’s surprise success, Paramount Pictures released multiple sequels through the 1980s, with other directors like Steve Miner taking over.
 * Over time, the character **Jason Voorhees** became the iconic face of the franchise, even though he isn’t the main killer in the first movie.

Tiny timeline snapshot

  • Late 1970s: Cunningham, seeing the success of Halloween , decides to make his own slasher focused on a cursed summer camp.
  • 1979: Victor Miller writes the Friday the 13th script; the movie is shot on a modest budget.
  • 1980: The film releases, becomes a box‑office hit, and quickly grows into a long‑running horror franchise with sequels, TV, games, and merch.

TL;DR: Friday the 13th (1980) was mainly “made” by director‑producer Sean S. Cunningham and writer Victor Miller; they’re the two core names behind the original movie that started the franchise.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.