LACEY – It didn’t happen on a Friday and it wasn’t on the 13th of the month but hockey masks, images of Crystal Lake and memories of movie slasher Jason Voorhees were what brought around 75 people to the township.
Fans of the horror film franchise Friday the 13th came out to see actor, performing artist and composer Ari Lehman who visited Father and Son Sports Card Memorabilia store recently. His visit followed his appearance at The Big Event horror convention in Queens N.Y. earlier that day.
Lehman is known best for being the first actor to portray Jason Voorhees as a child in the inaugural movie of the franchise.
The native New Yorker currently performs in a punk rock/heavy metal band, First Jason. He grew up in Westport, Connecticut, and is trained in classical music and jazz piano.
The young performer heard about an audition being held in Westport for the movie, “Manny’s Orphans” about a group of inner-city orphans who play soccer and snuck into the audition and landed the role of “Roger.”
Landing that role led to his getting the call to play young Jason in the first Friday the 13th film. He was asked only one key question, “Can you swim?” That was a crucial question for those who know the scene when he appears.
Bruce Halliday, the owner of the Forked River store, said he and his staff had quite a busy evening. “We did a signing in Patterson, New Jersey last year and I saw Ari was going to be in Queens and we reached out for him to do a signing here.”
The event had fans of various ages lined up outside the store carrying photos, magazines, hockey masks and even machetes to have signed. The occasion also provided for a unique reunion between Lehman and the Fangoria horror magazine writer who wrote the first article about him in 1987. William Mohalley of Stafford said, “I started in 1972 writing for Famous Monsters. I also wrote for Vampi, Eerie, Creepy and Vampirella.”
His daughter Melissa Mohalley, who accompanied him on the line said, “I thought it would be fun to have the 14-year-old Jason meet the guy who did the story on him.
His daughter added, “we’re from the Bronx originally and he worked in Manhattan for 40 plus years and now we’re in Manahawkin. He also does covers and the layout and did a cover with Ari Lehman at 14 years old with Tom Savini the makeup artist.”
“Ari didn’t actually see the movie until two years after it was released. His mom said it was to gory and bloody and his mom covered her eyes when she saw it with him. Wait until Ari looks at the article where it is mentioned that he was going through puberty during the making of the movie,” she added.
Next to the father and daughter duo on line was a father and son pair from Barnegat waiting to get inside to meet and greet Lehman. Michael O’Neill said his young son Michael “has seen the movie but I haven’t though. I don’t like any of it. My brother got him a machete (which they got signed by Lehman).”
Kevin Eckert of Forked River came solo but he brought a photo of the actor as Jason to have signed. “I first saw it when I was 12 or so. I probably shouldn’t have been able to see it but those were the days you could just buy your ticket and walk in.”
“Maybe you could watch it together,” Lehman recommended to O’Neill when the two got to meet him. “I just don’t like any horror,” O’Neill replied. His son however donned a silver hockey mask that he also got signed.
“It is an honor; I recognize your name. I want a picture with you,” Lehman told Mohalley. The writer then gave Lehman a copy of the Fangoria magazine that he was featured in.
“That is fantastic, man. I’ve signed this many times. There are a lot of horror magazines out there but Fangoria is above that level. They are really good. I am blown away that you are here. This is horror history,” Lehman said. “The first convention I ever did was a Fangoria convention. It was at the Meadowlands and (actress) Betsy Palmer (who played Jason’s mother) was there. I was very nervous as there was a lot of people there. I walked over to Betsy and I had never met her because I was in the lake the whole time.”
“So, I go up to her and say ‘momma.’ She just hugs me, puts her hands on my shoulders and looks me in the eye and says now who the (expletive) are you?” Lehman added.
Lehman explained who he was “and we became great friends.”
