Death Announced by Family
Victor Miller, the screenwriter behind the 1980 horror classicFriday the 13th, has died at the age of 86. His son Ian confirmed the death, though the cause was not revealed. In an Instagram post, Ian wrote, "Yesterday my father, Victor Miller, went to his final reward." He described Miller as "almost always the smartest, funniest person in whatever room he was in," adding that his father "inspired in me, and many others, a love of photography, music, and storytelling."
The post continued, "He is survived by his wife, two sons, and his grandson. He had a helluva run and will be missed dearly." Ian also announced that a celebration of Miller's life will be held in November, "on Friday the 13th, of course."
Reports differ on the exact date of death: one account, citing Ian's confirmation, gives Monday, August 30, while another, relaying confirmation from Miller's son to Variety, gives Monday, August 31.
A Career in Film and Television
Miller wrote the screenplay forFriday the 13th, the 1980 film directed by Sean S. Cunningham that spawned a long-running franchise. Before that, he co-wrote the family comedyManny's Orphans (1978) with Steve Miner, also directed by Cunningham, and in 1978 he wrote the sports comedyHere Come the Tigers under the pseudonym Arch McCoy. He later reunited with Cunningham on the thrillerA Stranger Is Watching (1982).
His other film credits includeGetting In (1994),Jury Duty (1995),Rock, Paper, Scissors (2017),The Once and Future Smash (2022), and the short filmSweet Revenge (2025).
Miller also had a significant television career, serving as Associate Head Writer on the daytime dramaOne Life to Live from 1982 to 1984. He later joinedAll My Children in the same role and won several Daytime Emmys for his work on that show in 1985, 1988, and 1998.
Legacy and the Franchise
Miller was involved only with the firstFriday the 13th film, which was released in 1980. In a 2015 interview with Vice, he expressed reservations about the franchise's direction, saying he would have preferred that Jason not become its "stalwart killer." He explained, "Only because it completely destroys the motivation for Mrs. Voorhees! Which was the only thing I had going for me in that movie, which was that she was avenging her son and then it turns out that he isn't dead anyway."
Miller also told Vice he would have jumped at the opportunity to write the second film.
The franchise was the subject of a legal dispute beginning in 2016, when Miller filed a notice to reclaim the rights to theFriday the 13th screenplay from production company Horror Inc. In December 2021, a judge ruled in Miller's favor, determining that the screenplay was not a work made for hire, meaning Miller held the rights to the screenplay and that directors and other parties could use Jason Voorhees as a character only with Miller's express permission.
In 2024, Horror Inc. launched a Jason Universe initiative with plans for new games, merchandise, and television shows, including the upcoming A24 seriesCrystal Lake, a prequel to the film Miller wrote. The series is set to premiere on Peacock on October 15.