Sean S. Cunningham

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Lore & Background

Cunningham met Wes Craven while editing his second film, and the two collaborated on Craven's exploitation horror film *The Last House on the Left* (1972), which Cunningham produced. Of the 12 films in the *Friday the 13th* franchise, the ones that had Cunningham's involvement were the original, *Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday*, *Jason X*, *Freddy vs. Jason*, and the 2009 reboot. He also produced the *House* series. Cunningham was set to produce the CW series adaptation of *Friday the 13th* before that project fell through, and served as a producer of *Friday the 13th: The Game*. As of 2015, he is a member of the board of advisers for the Hollywood Horror Museum.

In Their Own Story

Raised in Connecticut, Cunningham graduated from Franklin & Marshall College before earning an MFA from Stanford University. After completing his education, he worked as a manager for various theater companies, including New York City's Lincoln Center and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. While working for a documentary company in New York, he made his feature film directorial debut with *The Art of Marriage* (1970). He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Directors Guild of America.

Reader's Guide

Cunningham's first jobs after graduating from Stanford included managing theater companies such as New York's Lincoln Center, the Mineola Theater on Long Island, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where he briefly studied. While working for a documentary company in New York City in the late 1960s, he made his directorial debut with *The Art of Marriage* (1970). While editing *Together*, he met Wes Craven, who was working as an editor at the time. The two collaborated on Craven's directorial debut, the exploitation film *The Last House on the Left* (1972), which Cunningham produced. Cunningham is best known for his involvement in multiple films of the *Friday the 13th* franchise, which introduced the fictional mass murderer Jason Voorhees. He is the founder and CEO of Crystal Lake Entertainment. In 2025, Cunningham was honored at the 58th Sitges Film Festival with the Time Machine Award.

Did You Know?

• Sean S. Cunningham was born on December 31, 1941 in New York City and raised in Connecticut.
• He earned an MFA from Stanford University after graduating from Franklin & Marshall College.
• Cunningham met Wes Craven while editing his second film, and produced Craven's directorial debut *The Last House on the Left* (1972).
• He co-created and directed *Friday the 13th* (1980), which was a major box-office success.
• In 2025, Cunningham received the Time Machine Award at the 58th Sitges Film Festival.