Elias Voorhees
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Elias Voorhees is the father of the infamous mass murderer Jason Voorhees in the Friday the 13th films whom he fathered with Pamela Voorhees sometime in 1945.
Virtually nothing is known about the character, making him one of few mysteries surrounding Jason in the series. The nature of Elias is much debated among fans largely due to what little information is given in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, which is the first installment to touch upon the character in anyway. Though the scenes involving Elias were edited out of the theatric cut (but preserved in the novelisation), it nevertheless is, to date, the most information given on the character.
According to Tom McLoughlin's treatment, the red haired Elias is depicted as being silent, but quite intimidating. The caretaker of Jason's grave makes sure not to touch Elias' hand when taking his payment and is careful not to look into his eyes. There is a general belief that Elias is quite aware of what Jason is. This evidence stems from the fact that Elias paid for Jason's burial rather than a cremation, which would have prevented Jason's resurrection. Additionally, at the end of the film and novel, Elias is seemingly aware of the fact that Jason's body is no longer in his grave (in the deleted scene, he peers into the camera; in novel, he looks in the direction of the lake where he was left defeated in the film). To further indicate Elias' motives is that in the original film, Mrs. Voorhees is said to have only a single child: Jason. However, Jason Goes to Hell introduces his sister. To tie this seeming error into the series continuity, many assume that she was conceived by Elias through another woman[1] [2]. The reasons for this remain unknown, though the existence of a sister is another link in the series that keeps Jason alive.
The reason for abandoning his family also remains unknown and left up to fan speculation, but the closest thing to an answer is given in an interview with the writer of the first film, Victor Miller. When he was asked about the background on the father, Miller says that there was no time allowed for a proper back-story when they made the film, including that of Jason's father. The only idea Miller had was that Mr. Voorhees simply ran off at least in part because he couldn't handle Mrs. Voorhees' slightly unbalanced obsession with their child. Miller's wording does not make it clear if it was due to how Jason came out, though it is of note that Miller didn't envision Jason with deformities. However, as this is only Miller's admitted assumption, the issue of discrepancies is moot.
Because the information regarding Elias does not derive from what made it to film, its canonicity is unknown. However, the ninth film Jason Goes to Hell does briefly mention Elias as the father of Jason, securing the name, at least, as canon. However in the comic book Jason Vs. Letherface Elias is described as being Abusive and Pamela's name is Dorris. Dorris/Pamela then cuts Elias's head open with a butcher knife.
