One movie franchise that provided countless hours of entertainment for me is the Friday the 13th collection of films. I am no doubt a fan of Jason, his mom, and all of their victims throughout the years.

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I've never had an opportunity to visit a place where a movie was filmed. Famous movies, famous places like perhaps the steps Sylvester Stallone as Rocky ran up in front of the Philidelphia Museum of Art, or maybe Nakatomi Plaza (Fox Plaza) where Bruce Willis recently returned to. Indeed, nostalgia is a huge reason people take pilgrimages to places that mean a lot to them.

Crystal Lake Tours/Facebook
Crystal Lake Tours/Facebook
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It was the summer of 1980 and I was already aware of horror movies, given that Halloween had been released two years earlier. Summer camp would never have the same feeling again after that movie came out. What an amazing concept, teenage camp counselors on their own, being chased by a mystery killer in the middle of the woods, helpless...a perfect scenario for a horror film and it worked. It worked so well that the Friday the 13th movie franchise has spawned 11 sequels, and helped sell millions of hockey masks.

YouTube Movies & Shows
YouTube Movies & Shows
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To horror fans, it is known as "Camp Crystal Lake", but in real life, it's known as "Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco." It's only about 2 hours from here in Hardwick, NJ, and is the private property of the Northern New Jersey Council, BSA. "Camp Crystal Lake" just sounds both scary and cool at the same time and could be considered hallowed ground for the true Friday The 13th movie franchise fan. Being private property, it is not open to the public, but for a limited time, they are giving tours of one of the most iconic movie locations in horror history.

You can check out their website for all the stuff you need to know if you would like to take one of the tours which includes a meal, the tour, and a movie. Some are already sold out. This doesn't happen often and the summer tours are only during a single weekend, so get on it because that weekend is Thursday, August 18 through Sunday, August 21. Who doesn't want to visit "Camp Crystal Lake" and see the bunk bed where a young Kevin Bacon smoked a joint just as he **SPOILER ALERT** succumbs to the killer? I know I do!

YouTube/YouTube Movies & Shows
YouTube/YouTube Movies & Shows
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I found a YouTube video of some folks who have been on one of the tours, my thanks to Andrew Wood on YouTube for the video and inspiration.

Friday The 13th- Camp Crystal Lake Tours - Hardwick, NJ

Connecticut General Hospital for the Insane Cemetery

The Connecticut Valley Hospital Cemetery is located in Middletown and the odd, unique thing about it is, that there are no names on the gravestones, only numbers.

MTV's Fear At St. Agnes Hospital for the Chronically Ill - Fairfield State Hospital

Remember MTV's Fear? That horror game show where they take a few wannabe "Real World" reality TV stars, put hoods over their heads, and put them in an alleged haunted location in the middle of the night, alone to complete a series of "dares" during a two night period to win some nice cash. They filmed right up the road in Newtown at Fairfield State Hospital and the episode aired back in October of 2000.

 

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