25 things you didn’t know about your favorite horror movies

Oct. 25, SCREAM, 9-11:30PM ET/8:30-11PM PT: CBS announces the return of the CBS SUNDAY NIGHT MOVIES on Oct. 4, with six fan-favorite films from the Paramount Pictures library, including three "back to school"-themed comedies, FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF, OLD SCHOOL and CLUELESS; a thriller just in time for Halloween, SCREAM; an out-of-this-world action adventure, STAR TREK BEYOND; and a comedy to enjoy during Thanksgiving weekend, COMING TO AMERICA. The first five movies will air on consecutive Sundays through Nov. 1; COMING TO AMERICA will be broadcast Nov. 29. © 2020 Miramax Films. All rights reserved. /

4 of 26

Friday the 13th. Image Courtesy Paramount Pictures, Shudder /

Friday the 13th (1980) – A misheard clue in the score

It was Friday the 13th last week, so hopefully, you watched this classic to celebrate!

Friday the 13th is about a group of young camp counselors who head out to set up Camp Crystal Lake for the summer. Unbeknownst to them, the camp was the site of a child’s — Jason Voorhees — drowning years earlier, and previous attempts to reopen the site had been thwarted. Even after being warned by an old man in the local town, the counselors head up to Camp Crystal Lake to get to work.

Before they can even open for the season, an unknown psycho starts killing them off one by one. It turns out, Friday the 13th is Jason Voorhees’ birthday, and someone is out to avenge his death.

Anybody who knows anything about horror flicks can tell you the most important aspect of these films is sound. If you took away the eerie music, the loud sound effects, and blood-curdling screams, what’s so scary about it? (With the exception of maybe A Quiet Place, which makes an appearance on this list.)

Friday the 13th’s iconically creepy score has been the subject of some confusion over the years. Whenever the killer is present, viewers hear a distinct noise that’s often copied as “chi, chi, chi, ha, ha, ha.” But the film’s composer Harry Manfredini has said people have it wrong. It’s actually “Ki, ki, ki, ma, ma, ma.”

The sound effect is meant to sound like Jason struggling to say “Kill, kill, kill, mom, mom, mom” in his mother’s head. Mrs. Vorhees, spoiler alert, is the crazed killer on the loose at Camp Crystal Lake. In one scene, she utters “Kill her, mommy! Kill her!” while she’s chasing after Alice, due to her schizophrenia.

Home/Movies