Does violence in movies promote violence in real life? In the case of the new Friday the 13th movie the answer to that question would appear to be a resounding “Yes”. Actor Warrington Gillette, who played Jason in Friday the 13th Part II, was in full costume (complete with hockey mask and axe) for a party honoring the new film at M2 Lounge in NY when a female fan jumped up on stage and attempted to wrestle the axe out of Warrington’s hands. Although the fan was unsuccessful in retrieving the weapon from the actor, she did succeed in turning the appearance into a real bloodbath that left Gillette running from the stage with a badly sliced hand.
According to the New York Post, one witness said the incident was “[S]traight out of a horror movie.” Another bystander described the scene: “Lingerie-clad models were running and screaming, as a blood-soaked Jason ran off the runway to get to a hospital.”
I suppose you could argue that no one would ever expect a horror movie fan to attempt to wrest a weapon away from a costumed actor, but it does seem a bit odd to me that Gillette was carrying a sharpened axe. If he had a blunt axe, would his faithful admirers really be able to tell?
I guess it’s true what they say about life imitating art…
