December’s theme for the midnight society is horror origins / creepers of horror. I’m a huge fan of knowing film locations and with this months theme, I wondered where one of my favorite slasher flicks, Friday the 13th might have been filmed.
Friday the 13th and the saga of Jason Vorhees is one of my all time favorites. In fact, I also really love the filming location. It has the beautiful lake, a very camp-y feel, and is surrounded by beautiful trees and wildlife.
I did a little digging and uncovered the fact that Camp Crystal Lake is a real place and not just a movie set. In fact, it’s a camp known as Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco, or Camp Nobe.
Here are the details:
Movie: Friday the 13th (1979)
Location: Hardwick Township, New Jersey
Camp name: Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco (official website)
Owned by: Northern New Jersey Council
Opened in: 1927
More sources for Friday the 13th filming locations: here, here
Open to the public: Nope. It’s actually an active Boy Scouts of America camp and is NOT open to the public.
I actually found a Youtube video of someone driving there. Since I’m nowhere near New Jersey, I thought I’d share. Enjoy the drive!
What scary movie should we visit next? Let me know in the comments below.
ericathedavisgirl
AWESOME info. There’s a rumor that some scenes were filled in my old neck of the woods, (Up-up-state, New York).
Krystal Jane
Awesome! So pretty, too!
Jolene Haley
Krystal JaneGlad you liked it Krystal! I thought it was gorgeous too!
Faith McKay
You should definitely do more location posts! Creepy.
Jolene Haley
Faith McKayI totally think I will. This was fun! Though I am not sure that if I was a boy scout, that I’d want to stay there.
Jude
I attended Crystal Lake Camp. I am from New York. I usually attended a Christian camp high in the Catskill Mountains for one week. I was offered two weeks at Crystal Lake. I believe it was 1985. Three nuns escorted me there. I was put in a room off the infirmary for three days before I was permitted to join the other campers. The room or small house I stayed in was not lit at night and very little light during the daytime. I saw the doctor twice a day for those three days, where she took my pulse and monitored some other things. I was so disappointed I was made to wait and being able to peer through the window at the campers I could hardly pay attention to what was happening with the nurse.
Finally they let me loose at camp, I was told that meatballs was shot there, at it gave me comfort and excitement, with Honor to be there.
There was an island in the middle if the lake they called snake island, where the older kids swam to during the morning of our overnight campout, eating hamburgers, hotdogs, and roasting marshmallows over the camp fire. The younger campers were urged to swim to this island. A few of my freinds went so I did as well. On the way back I felt very heavy and exhausted as if I were being pulled down by an unknown force and couldn’t swim back. A friend swimming ahead watched me go under once or twice and swam back stating he was a junior life gaurd, putting me over his shoulder he brought me back safely.
Into the beginning of the second week we took a hike through the woodsthere, where they showed us the cabin of Jason where they had shot the movie. The cabin looked more like a large dog house than a cabin in a small clearing in the woods. Upon seeing that we were all a little freaked out then we walked toward a thicket in the woods. Here is where we were all terrified by a giant snake body, black with yellow dots went lancing through the high grass about the size of a large tree trunk. Kids ran in every direction due to this strange sighting. The counselor called our nerves by bringing us to some sustic general store to by candy and what not. I bought a giant bag of receese. pieces I ever had and dismissed the snake incident.
Then we had a treasure hunt a few days later at night. Where we were given clues at check points to lead us to the next check point. A counselor was set up at each checkpoint to give the next clue. At the astonishment of all at the second checkpoint I yelled “I know where the treasure is” how I knew I have no idea. I said” it’s in the cafeteria in the fire place” how I knew that so fast I can not to this day tell you. The couselor said well you have to go to at least one more check point seeming baffled on how I knew this fact and a little troubled that the treasure hunt would be cut short by my insight. Sure enough, after the next check point we went to the chow hall and looked in the fire place, where we found a silver trophy filled with snacks and small toys to share.
Other strange things happened during the two weeks at Crystal lake, but why they lied to me about the history there, and why was I brought there by nuns and made to stay in a dark house baffles me to this day.
I just happened to have an urge to find out how crystal lake camp was doing, to learn it was Jason’s home and the camp was never open to campers for years.
Someone please tell me what is going on, I am starting to wonder about what I think is or was reality and it’s baking down fast…..