New York Actor Playing ‘Friday the 13th’ Slasher: ‘Wear a Mask’

Let's face it: Wearing a mask won't kill us, but the coronavirus might.

That's the message in a new campaign encouraging New Yorkers to keep wearing their protective face shields during the 2020 pandemic. Jason Vorhees, the infamous killer from the Friday the 13th horror movies, is appearing in a new short film to help spread the word (not the virus) as the COVID-19 health crisis drags on.

The public service announcement is the creative brainchild of the advertising pros at Ogilvy, according to newyorkupstate.com. It shows Jason in a series of compelling New York City vignettes--trying and failing to hail a cab, attempting in vain to pet a dog, scaring a jogger, dejectedly riding a subway train all alone. Through it all he maintains in a voiceover that, behind the scary hockey mask, he's just a normal guy trying to fit in.

The big payoff at the end of the spot occurs when Jason receives a proper face mask from a little girl, who convinces him that his goalie mask has too many holes in it to be an effective safeguard.

The actor in the short film, Joshua Graverholt, posted the PSA on his YouTube page, with a full list of credits:

Actor: Joshua Graverholt
Director: Sam O’Hare
Ogilvy Health Executive Creative Director: Toby Trygg
Freelance Creative Director: Ace-Henry McEnroe
Executive Producer: Jake Loonan
Head of Production: Julie Hershan
Head of Post: Nicole Melius
Director of Editorial: Glenn Conte
Colorist: Lez Rudge
Conform: Joel Myers
VFX: Felix Thedeby
Mix/Sound Design: Owen Shearer, Sonic Union
V/O: Michael Corcoran