In the annals of cinema, there are just certain names that we’ve found synonymous with the horror genre such as Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Vincent Price. But as time went on and the idea of sequels and franchises became the norm, one could say that the characters themselves outgrew any one performer, with the likes of Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers being some of the most notable examples.
Still, it’s the ones that have done the dance more than once that are most favored by fans. In the case of the aforementioned Jason Voorhees, many gravitate toward Kane Hodder as he’s played the character in four films, those being the seventh through tenth entries in the Friday the 13th franchise. Most fortunate for him, he’s also found a new home in recent years in the form of the Hatchet series, playing the grotesque Victor Crowley.
But how much do you really know about the man behind the mask? Probably not a lot, but don’t worry, as a new documentary titled To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story is here to change that. Said to tell the harrowing tale of “a stuntman overcoming a dehumanizing childhood filled with torment and bullying in Sparks, Nevada,” the first trailer’s arrived today and you can check it out up above.
Featuring interviews with Hodder himself, along with several other notable names in the genre – Bruce Campbell, Bill Moseley, Cassandra Peterson, Sid Haig and Danielle Harris, among others – the highly anticipated doc has people buzzing and after watching the first trailer, it’s easy to see why.
Admittedly, it doesn’t show us much, but it’s clear that there’s a fascinating story here just waiting to be told and for more, you can check out the official synopsis below:
After surviving a near-death burn accident, Hodder worked his way up through Hollywood, leading to his ultimate rise as Jason Voorhees in the Friday the 13th series and making countless moviegoers forever terrified of hockey masks and summer camp. After decades of watching Kane Hodder on screen, get ready to meet the man behind the mask in To Hell and Back – a uniquely human story about one of cinema’s most vicious monsters.
To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story is still without a release date, but look for it to land later this year.
