Victor Miller, Original 'Friday the 13th' Screenwriter, Dies at 86

Victor Miller, the screenwriter who launched one of cinema's most enduring horror properties with the 1980 slasher landmark *Friday the 13th*, has died at the age of 86.

His son, Ian, shared the news via Instagram, remembering his father as a creative mentor. "He was almost always the smartest, funniest person in whatever room he was in. He inspired in me, and many others, a love of photography, music, and storytelling," his son wrote, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

Miller secured his place in horror history by penning the original independent feature directed by Sean S. Cunningham. The low-budget film introduced Camp Crystal Lake and the tragic maternal vengeance of Pamela Voorhees, grossing nearly $60 million globally and establishing an archetype for the modern slasher genre.

Beyond his genre contributions, Miller enjoyed a prolific, award-winning career in daytime television. He served as a core writer on long-running soap operas such as *All My Children*, *One Life to Live*, *Another World*, and *Guiding Light*, earning three Daytime Emmy Awards for his television writing.

In recent years, Miller became a key figure in entertainment legal battles regarding creator rights under the U.S. Copyright Act. Miller successfully exercised the law's termination provisions, prevailing in federal court against Horror Inc. and Cunningham to reclaim the domestic copyright to his original 1980 screenplay in a landmark 2021 ruling.

For Hollywood, Miller's career highlights both the enduring commercial power of 1980s genre IP and the growing significance of creator copyright reclamation. His successful legal precedent continues to influence how studios and original writers navigate rights management for legacy catalog titles.