Friday the 13th child star Ari Lehman looks unrecognisable 42 years on from iconic horror movie | The Sun

FRIDAY the 13th has plagued screens for the past four decades, with few characters as synonymous with the slasher genre as Jason Voorhees.

The 1980 fan favourite film centred on Jason, who terrorised Camp Crystal Lake, killing anyone who got in his way.

Jason himself only has a minor role in the first film, but it's an unforgettable one, with him rising from the lake as a reanimated corpse.

Ari Lehman, now 56, was the first actor to play Jason in the first film and also appeared as a child in the original.

It was Lehman's only professional acting role, his first being Manny's Orphans in 1978.

Jason's role has become a legendary one in film, with many talented actors donning the hockey mask.

But, only Ari can lay claim to being the originator of the legend of this well-known horror antagonist.

The 56-year-old still holds dear to his heart his roots in the horror genre today.

He most recently appeared in the 2019 horror thriller The Lurker as Doctor Stratton, which paid a lot of attention to vintage slasher movies.

Lehman has also acted in other horror movies, such as the 2017 film Rock Paper Dead, in which he portrays a Jason-themed character.

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