Kevin Bacon has had a long and illustrious career. While many know him from such popular films like Footloose, Tremors, Apollo 13 or Mystic River, he actually got his start in the industry in a pair of teen movies.
It was sort of a rite of passage for every young actor in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s to begin their career in either a raunchy teen comedy or a horror film. For Bacon, he got both. First there was National Lampoon’s Animal House and then Friday the 13th. In the slasher movie, he played Jack, a young heartthrob whose untimely demise comes at the hands of Jason Voorhees’ mother.
For such a thankless role, you’d think fans wouldn’t remember it considering Bacon’s long acting resume. A resume that’s so long, a game was even created connecting his career to everyone else’s. But according to the man himself, it’s a part he can’t seem to escape and it comes with a major downside.
“I’m always horrified by the fact that, when it comes to autograph hounds, that’s probably the number one picture that I’m asked to sign. Me, with blood coming out of my mouth and an arrow through my neck. You know, I’m a pretty easy going guy. After a while, it just gets to you. You’re like, really, do I have to sign another picture of me dead?”
Bacon has appeared in a number of dark and disturbing movies in his career, including Sleepers, The Woodsman and Stir of Echoes. The latter of which is written and directed by David Koepp, who he’s reuniting with in his newest film, You Should Have Left.
It’ll follow Bacon and Amanda Seyfried’s characters as a couple who move into a secluded countryside home with their young daughter. But of course, there’s something very wrong with the house. Despite the film looking like a conventional haunted house movie, Stir of Echoes, as well as another Koepp pic, Secret Window, are very underrated entries in the genre, so the director’s involvement and Blumhouse’s backing gives it a better chance of succeeding.
No matter how hard he tries though, it seems Kevin Bacon will always be associated with Friday the 13th.