One Specific Godzilla vs. Kong Kill Was Actually Inspired By Friday The 13th

Kong swinging the monsters around.

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The past year has been a wild one, with various industries adjusting to new standards. The film world was no exception; sets were given new safety protocols while studios brought projects straight to homes. That was certainly the case with Godzilla Vs. Kong, which was available both in theaters and HBO Max. And director Adam Wingard recently revealed one sequence that was directly inspired by beloved horror franchise Friday the 13th.

Godzilla Vs. Kong is the latest installment in the MonsterVerse, and features a ton of thrilling action sequences. One of these sequences sees Kong fight a pair of winged titans, swinging them around as living weapons. It turns out that moment was actually inspired by 2001’s Jason X. As Adam Wingard explained,

The big reference that I haven’t seen anyone pick up on is when Kong folds up and kills Nozuki (aka warbat) that was inspired by the holo deck murder scene in Jason X when Jason picks up the camper in their sleeping bag and smashes them around.

Mind blown. While Jason X is one of the less successful installments of the Friday the 13th franchise, it still has managed to make an impact. So much so that Godzilla Vs. Kong was influenced by the futuristic slasher.

Adam Wingard’s comments come from his recent Reddit AMA, where he fielded questions from the public about Godzilla Vs. Kong and other projects from his career. While discussing his recently kaiju blockbuster, he revealed how the crossover event actually was informed by one particular sight gag in Jason X.

Godzilla Vs. Kong is available for a limited time on HBO Max. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

Jason X puts the titular Friday the 13th killer in space, and is a campy science fiction take on the property. Toward the end of the movie, Jason is put in a holographic simulation of the infamous Camp Crystal Lake, where he murders two counselors by smashing them around from within their sleeping bags. You can check it out below, although the nudity makes it NSFW.

It should be interesting to see if the MonsterVerse continues to get new life. Godzilla: King of the Monsters was a box office disappointment, so the pressure was on for Godzilla Vs. Kong. But since that movie ended up releasing in homes as well as in theaters, it’s unclear how the movie’s success will be judged.

Godzilla Vs. Kong is in theaters now. Be sure to check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.