Stuart Gordon

Lore & Background

Gordon's connection to the *Friday the 13th* series comes through his 1988 short *Kid Safe: The Video*. In the film, Jason Voorhees appears as a character who knocks on the door of the protagonist, Kathy Tudor, accompanied by a witch, werewolf, mummy, and an alien. The short was written and directed by Gordon and features Joe Flaherty as Count Floyd, who hosts the video as an installment of *Monster Horror Chiller Theater*. The film was sponsored by Triaminic and distributed via a coupon giveaway on VHS.

In Their Own Story

On a stormy night, Kathy Tudor is left home alone when her parents go out. Frightened by scary movies while channel surfing, she goes to the kitchen to make cinnamon toast. When she puts it in the toaster, she hears a noise in the other room which turns out to be a tree branch scratching against the window. The smoke alarm goes off from the burning toast, and she burns her fingers and gets an electric shock while attempting to remove the toast with a fork. She calls 911 and says to send help fast, then hangs up. A fireman, medic, and police officer arrive, size up the situation, and give her a lecture on safety. Later, Ernie tests her by knocking on the door pretending to deliver a check for the lottery, and she opens the door. They warn her never to let strangers in, then each give her three safety questions. She receives another knock on the door, and a man says he has a flat tire and needs to use the phone. She says he will go somewhere else. The person knocking turns out to be Jason Voorhees, accompanied by a witch, werewolf, mummy, and an alien.

Reader's Guide

To understand Stuart Gordon's connection to the *Friday the 13th* series, look at *Kid Safe: The Video* (1988). This direct-to-video short film was written and directed by Gordon and features Jason Voorhees as a character. The film was sponsored by Triaminic and released on VHS via a coupon giveaway. The cast includes Andrea Martin as Kathy Tudor, Shuko Akune as Tina the Paramedic, Stephen Lee as Ernie the Policeman, Meshach Taylor as Marty the Fireman, Joe Flaherty as Count Floyd, Daniel Wells as Jason, Grenelda Thornberry as Witch, John Vulich as Werewolf, Keith Edmier as Mummy, and Greg Cannom as Alien. The plot follows Kathy Tudor, left home alone on a stormy night, who encounters various safety hazards and is visited by emergency personnel. The film culminates with Jason Voorhees and other monsters knocking on her door, but she refuses to let them in, demonstrating the safety lesson learned.

Did You Know?

• Stuart Gordon wrote and directed the 1988 direct-to-video short film *Kid Safe: The Video*.
• The film features Jason Voorhees of the *Friday the 13th* series, played by Daniel Wells.
• Joe Flaherty hosts the video as Count Floyd, presenting it as an installment of *Monster Horror Chiller Theater*.
• The short was sponsored by Triaminic and released on VHS via a coupon giveaway.
• The cast includes SCTV alumni Andrea Martin and Joe Flaherty.