The Real New Jersey History Behind ‘Friday the 13th’s Camp Crystal Lake

The 1970s and 1980s proved to be something of a golden era for “slasher” films—murder-filled horror movies built around growing tension and brutal violence. At their best, these films offered a visceral thrill ride, with plenty of shocking turns and adrenaline-filled moments. 

The psychology behind their popularity has kept theorists busy for decades, with most agreeing that slasher movies act as a form of catharsis—a way of letting out stress and anxiety in a controlled and safe manner. Of all the numerous such films from that first slasher era, 1980's Friday the 13th stands as one of the most influential, popular, and longest-lasting, with no less than twelve entries in the franchise to date.

The origins of Friday the 13th

Director Sean S. Cunningham helmed the original movie, having previously worked with another horror maestro, Wes Craven (creator of Nightmare on Elm Street), as producer for the latter's The Last House on the Left.

Victor Brooke Miller provided the script for the first Friday the 13th (he did not work on any of the sequels), and the plot concerned a group of teenage camp counselors who reopen a former summer camp, unaware of its tragic past, and are subsequently stalked by a mysterious and murderous assailant. The film provided an early screen role for none other than Kevin Bacon, alongside Betsy Palmer, Harry Crosby, and Laurie Bartram.

Camp Crystal Lake’s New Jersey roots

The movie's fictional setting, Camp Crystal Lake, has since entered film folklore, but many people don't know that Friday the 13th was filmed at a real working camp that is still open to this day. This camp is called Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco, which stands for North Bergen Boy Scouts, and it is located in Hardwick, New Jersey. This location was apparently a lucky find for Friday the 13th’s producers, who stumbled upon it whilst scouting for locations. 

Established in 1927, Camp No-Be-So-Sco sits on 380 acres in the Kittatinny Mountains and has played temporary home to thousands of scouts over the decades (with not a single unhinged serial killer in sight). As the camp's official website describes it: “No-Be-Bo-Sco's idyllic landscape offers troops an opportunity to experience Scouting in a way that has changed very little since the early days of scout camp. We take pride in offering a top-quality program true to Scouting's roots.” Today, the camp hosts regular Friday the 13th-themed tours, with special props brought in to delight horror movie aficionados.