Kane Hodder Unmasks His Brutal Reign as Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th
Slasher legend Kane Hodder revisits his four-film reign behind the hockey mask, breaking down brutal stunts, fan-favorite kills, and the method that made Jason Voorhees an icon — all in a tight 13-minute interview.
Friday the 13th turns 45 this year, which is wild, and the fans celebrated the right way: a California convention called Crystal Lake Nightmares packed with folks who helped build the franchise. One of the big gets there was Kane Hodder — the guy behind the hockey mask for four films — sitting down for a new chat that runs just under 13 minutes. If you are a Hodder person (and yes, I still think he is the definitive Jason), it is a solid watch.
The setup
JoBlo sent Ryan Cultrera to Crystal Lake Nightmares, where he bounced between dozens of franchise guests and landed a sit-down with Hodder. They have shared bits of this conversation before — including when JoBlo's Andrew Hatfield declared Hodder the best Jason — but this is the longer cut, basically 13 minutes of Hodder talking shop.
Why Kane Hodder still looms large
Hodder did not just play Jason; he defined him for a lot of us. He wore the mask in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, and Jason X. He also suited up in a different way for Friday the 13th: The Game, handling the motion-capture performance there.
His career goes way beyond Crystal Lake, too. He has been doing stunts since the 1970s and racked up close to 150 acting credits along the way, many without a mask or prosthetics. Horror fans also know him as Victor Crowley, the swamp monster he plays across all four Hatchet movies.
One neat full-circle bit: decades after doing Leatherface stunt work on 1990's Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, he returned to the character for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre video game as the motion-capture performer. That is the kind of deep-cut career overlap I live for.
Where to spot him when he is not Jason
If you enjoy scanning the frame for familiar tough guys, Hodder has popped up in a lot of action favorites as a stunt performer or heavy. A few to hunt down:
- American Ninja 2
- Fair Game
- Under Siege
- The Last Boy Scout
- Lethal Weapon 3
- Out for Justice
- Lone Wolf McQuade
- And he turns up in three of the four Best of the Best movies
The takeaway
Whether you came to him through Jason, Victor Crowley, or a random 90s action flick, Hodder has one of those careers that rewards a rewatch. The new convention interview is basically a quick-hit reminder of why he stuck: physicality, presence, and a knack for turning silent brutes into characters you remember.
Are you a Kane Hodder fan? Drop your favorite Hodder role or best blink-and-you-miss-it spot in the comments — bonus points if it is not one of the obvious ones.