According to Victor Miller, the writer of the original 1980 Friday the 13th slasher film, the sequels entirely missed the point of his original script.
In the FAQ page of his website, Miller addressed his disappointment with the film franchise and its many sequels. "To be honest, I have not seen any of the sequels, but I have a major problem with all of them because they made Jason the villain. I still believe that the best part of my screenplay was the fact that a mother figure was the serial killer -- working from a horribly twisted desire to avenge the senseless death of her son, Jason," Miller said.
"Jason was dead from the very beginning. He was a victim, not a villain," Miller continued. "But I took motherhood and turned it on its head and I think that was great fun. Mrs. Voorhees was the mother I'd always wanted -- a mother who would have killed for her kids."
Originating at Camp Crystal Lake, the silent killer Jason Voorhees did not fully appear on screen the way audiences know him -- ie. with his notorious hockey goalie mask and machete -- until Friday the 13th Part III in 1982. According to Miller, Jason was never intended to be the villain of his franchise; it was always supposed to be Mrs. Voorhees, Jason's mother and the main antagonist of the first 1980 slasher film, seeking revenge on the camp counselors she deemed responsible for her son's death.
The original Friday the 13th starred Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram, Mark Nelson, Jeannine Taylor, Robbi Morgan and Kevin Bacon. Since it first premiered in theaters, the film has sparked a franchise worth almost $400 million worldwide, consisting of 10 sequels, crossovers with Nightmare on Elm Street antagonist Freddy Krueger, a video game and a television series.
Sean Cunningham, producer and director of the 1980 film, recently filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures regarding compensation, claiming the two studios under-reported revenue from the franchise, including merchandise, television income and license agreements. Cunningham has also been involved in a years-long legal battle with Miller himself over rights to continue the franchise, particularly with copyright and labor issues. This disagreement has delayed any forthcoming possibilities of reboots, sequels or other Friday the 13th-related projects.
Source: VictorMiller.com, via MovieWeb