Elias Voorhees is the husband of Pamela Voorhees, and the father of infamous undead killer, Jason Voorhees, as well as Diana Kimble.
Background
He was described as a stoic, burly, and physically intimidating man with short, scrubby hair. There were some implications that Jason's supernatural features were inherited from him. The reason for leaving his family also remains unknown and left to the speculation of fans, but the closest thing to an answer is given in and with the writer of the first film, Victor Miller. When asked about the father's background, Miller says there was no time for a proper background story when they made the film, including Jason's father's. The only idea Miller had was that Mr. Voorhees simply ran away at least in part because he could not handle Ms. Voorhees' slightly unbalanced obsession with her son. The writing of Miller does not make clear if it was due to how Jason came out, although it is noteworthy that Miller did not imagine Jason with deformities. However, as this is only an assumption admitted by Miller, the issue of discrepancies is debatable. There was little background story in the character, but from what we knew about Elias, he was certainly a scary man without the supernatural.
Jason vs. Leatherface
One version of Elias appeared in Jason vs. Leatherface, in several flashbacks that Jason had from his childhood.
A large and abusive man, Elias proved to have hated his disabled son, whom he beat and called a monster, among other names. During a beating of Jason, Elias was killed by his wife (whom he referred to as "Doris"), who opened his head with a machete.
Friday the 13th: Pamela's Tale
The comic of "The Tale of Pamela" provided much more information about Elías and his life. A bauxite miner who lives in Cádiz, Ohio during the 1940s, Elías at some point, married Pamela Voorhees. It was not known if the marriage had been arranged by Pamela's parents or Elias' parents, but she married young, since she was a teenager, although she was on the cusp of her twentieth year. Elias was considered by his friends and neighbors as not very intelligent, since he dropped out of high school, although many of his fellow miners had a similar background. Elias's salary from the bauxite mine was barely enough to make ends meet, and he bought a miserable trailer. Inside his trailer's small residence, the rough Elias regularly abused Pamela verbally and physically for any perceived crime, whether real or imagined.
In 1947, after a particularly exhausting day at the mine, Elias returned home and began his usual Pamela battery, not realizing that she was pregnant with his son, named Jason. He became Increasingly annoyed by Pamela's murmurs (Pamela believed that her unborn child could talk to her) Elias then brutally beat her and possibly raped her after dinner. After this event, Elias went to bed and Pamela woke her soon after. The deranged woman cut him to pieces with an ax and the voice in her head told her that it was the only way to protect herself and Jason. After murdering her husband in cold blood, Pamela blew up her trailer and placed Elias' body parts in several garbage bags, which she threw into Crystal Lake. If Elias was aware of his son, it was unknown. In the 21st century, rumors were still circulating about Elias' lineage, and common rumor said that it descended from a powerful witch named Jebediah Voorhees, who owned a replica of the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis. It is said that the dark tome was transmitted from Jebediah and eventually ended up in the hands of Elias, and the man unknowingly used the book to summon a demon, who possessed his born child. If there is any truth in this story, it is a matter of debate. Pamela reveals that Elias is actually Jason's stepfather in the continuity of the game. Under the apparent impulse of Jason, Pamela then killed Elijah. who possessed his born child.
Friday the 13th: The Game
It is revealed by Pamela that Elias is actually Jason's stepfather in the game's continuity. Jason's biological father is unknown and had beaten Pamela up before raping her, impregnating her with Jason. She had married Elias in hope that he would be able to protect her and Jason, but the man ended up being horribly abusive. Under apparent urging from Jason, Pamela later murdered Elias.
Behind the Scenes
Elias was to appear in some of the Friday the 13th movies, such as Jason Lives. Kane Hodder was set to play Elias in two movies, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday and Freddy vs. Jason. These never materialized, however, he did appear in the novelization of Jason Lives and some other comic stories that expand his universe.
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives Alternate Ending
Elias was intended to appear in the original ending of Jason Lives, but the film studio did not want the responsibility of having to introduce Elias' backstory in the next installment in the franchise; additionally, the added murder of Martin made the scene an impossibility to shoot. This ending would have tied up a continuity error from A New Beginning, when it is mentioned that Jason was cremated; a deleted scene from Jason Lives had Tommy asking Sheriff Garris why Jason wasn't cremated, as had been planned, at which point Garris informs him that someone paid the city to bury Jason. Director Tom McLoughlin came up with the idea for Elias to appear at Eternal Peace Cemetery, staring at his son's grave. Caretaker Martin noticed him, and said that he hadn't seen him since Camp Crystal Lake was open. Elias stayed silent but gave Martin a hundred dollar bill (which would have also indicated that he paid for the burials of both Pamela and Jason) so that he could pay his respects. Once the caretaker left, Elias was filled with anger, and clenched his fist. Elias looks toward the direction of the lake (which would be the camera), obviously knowing that his son is not in his grave. The scene ends with Jason emerging from Crystal Lake. This idea was later put in the Part 6 Novelization.
Canceled Reboot
Due to the failed box office performance of the movie "Rings", the Friday the 13th reboot was canceled; however, before the movie was canceled there was a casting call for the role of Elias Voorhees. Elias's character was described as a "powerful looking" man with the age range of 35-50 years old. The call went on to mention that Elias "saw the wickedness in Jason and the effects it had on Pamela." Eventually he leaves them but remains in the area as a Camp Crystal Lake Park Ranger. He eventually ends up as the movie's first killer and claims 5 victims before being killed by Pamela. He would also be a pivotal character after his death as he knew what his son would grow up to be and would try to stop him before it was too late.
Appearances
Films
- Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (alternate ending)
Novels
- Jason Lives (1986)
Comics
- Jason vs. Leatherface (1995)
- Friday the 13th: Pamela's Tale (2007)
Games
- Friday the 13th: The Game (2017) (mentioned)
Trivia
- Elias Voorhees was conceived as a character that was to be featured in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. The scenes however, were never filmed.
- Tom Mcloughlin himself stated Elias was not the actual name for Jason's real father who raped Pamela.
- Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday is the only canonical reference to Elias Voorhees as a father figure. The film identifies him as Jason's father and that Jason was born in the year 1946. Although the movie establishes Diana Kimble as Jason's half-sister, it does not directly identify Elias as the father. However, in the first Friday the 13th, Pamela Voorhees indicates that Jason was her only child, thus making Elias the father of Diana with another woman.
- An unused idea for script of Friday the 13th, Part III was where Elias Voorhees made an appearance. He bought two cemetery plots, one for his wife and the other his son, and gave them proper funerals.
- An early script draft for Jason Goes to Hell was going to introduce Elias Voorhees Jr as Jason's brother, not his father; an individual who was actually more evil than Jason.
- Elias is set to make his first on-screen appearance in the fan film Friday the 13th: Vengeance and will be played by C.J. Graham, who also played Jason in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives.
Gallery
Videos
Jason Lives -- Elias
A father mourns his son's death.