New Delhi: Somewhere in a misty cemetery, a low wind blows over the dusty graves. The moon, as if threatened by the power of the beyond, hides its face behind the dark clouds. Then the sound of stone grating against the earth, a breath, rotten flesh hanging from a bony hand springs out of the grave. And then you have had enough and switch off the television. Friday the 13th scares you, and you are certainly not going to watch a scary movie on that day.

What is the big deal with Friday the 13th? Why is the paranormal so inexplicably attached to this day and date?

Why is Friday the 13th considered to be a horror day?

The number thirteen comes from Judas, the thirteenth at the table at the last Supper of Jesus, which was on a Thursday. The next day was Friday when Jesus was crucified. It was also the day when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. Ergo, when you combine the 13th and Friday, it’s a double whammy.

Legend has it that the failed Apollo 13 mission to the moon only added as a proof to the jinx of the number. On my travels to various parts of the world, I have seen the number omitted from high-rise buildings and seat numbers.

And then some clever Hollywood honcho thought of making a horror film in the 1980s by this name, and the connection of Friday the 13th to the horror genre was complete. So iconic were the Friday the 13th scare fares that, like the Halloween festival, it all became about the paranormal when it actually started with Biblical references.

That, to my mind, is the power of cinema. It takes a belief brought to bear by the writings in the Bible, for over a thousand years to be varnished by a modern film about forty odd years ago and Voila! No one remembers the old beliefs. Cinema has acquired the belief and made its own.

Such a profound impact a horror film can have on our beliefs and superstitions, and then people ask me, why do I make horror films? Please refer to this article for an answer to that question.

(Curated by – Vikram Bhatt)