An old Easter egg is about to hatch, at least if Stephen King's, "best novel idea I never wrote" becomes a reality. Earlier this month, he tweeted that he'd like to write a book from the perspective of Jason Voorhees, Friday the 13th's infamous killer. In King's version, Jason would be stuck in an existential purgatory where he relives his death at Camp Crystal Lake on an endless loop.
Interestingly, the horror franchise already has a link to the celebrated author. In Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, there is a crate in the Voorhees's basement with the cryptic inscription reading, "Arctic Expedition Julia Carpenter Horlicks University." For fans of King's work, this immediately jumps out as a reference to "The Crate," a short story about a dusty and forgotten old crate that holds a terrible surprise. This story was brought to life in the 1982 horror anthology Creepshow. Director Adam Marcus, who's placed other Easter eggs tied horror properties in this film, could've put this in as more than just a wink to King.
Jason Goes to Hell, though panned by audiences, was an unusual take that added extra wrinkles to the Voorhees story. Instead of Jason himself, it's his spirit that wreaks havoc throughout the movie by possessing other people's bodies. In one scene, a fancy dagger and a book with a gnarled cover are shown on screen, which were allusions to the Evil Dead series. According to Marcus, this is relevant to Jason's origin, as he's not a ghost hellbent on revenge but something more sinister. The significance of this detail makes the appearance of the crate even more intriguing because it may also be relevant to Jason's story.
In his follow-up tweet, King mentioned that taking on the project would be a legal and logistical nightmare, and he suggested that Blumhouse turn it into a movie. Whether a writer of King's stature would struggle to get the rights to such a book is up for debate, but he at the least wanted to throw the idea out there because, as he asked, "Shouldn't someone tell Jason's side of the story?" For now, King's idea remains an idea, and whether it will be unleashed upon the world remains to be seen. If so, it would deepen his connection to the Friday the 13th franchise and further cement his place in the pantheon of American horror.