There’s one thing that all the best slasher franchises do without fail, and that’s create iconic characters. Friday the 13th is full of endlessly quotable folk, and it is with great sadness we report that one has passed away. Carol Locatell, instantly iconic for her role as Ethel Hubbard in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, passed away on April 11th 2023 at the age of 82.
Locatell began her acting career in 1967 under the name Carol Lawson, and would remain a regular fixture on television for the next five decades. Appearing in shows such as The Flying Nun, Shameless, Bonanza, M*A*S*H, Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, Locatell was prolific in her guest spot work.
Although sparse on the big screen, Locatell has the distinction of appearing opposite Burt Reynolds in three consecutive films, most notably 1981’s Sharky’s Machine wherein she played a prostitute. She also appeared with Reynold’s in 1981’s Paternity and 1982’s Best Friends.
However, it is for her role as Ethel “Ma” Hubbard in 1985’s Friday the 13th: A New Beginning that Locatell is best remembered. As the gun-toting, foul-mouthed country woman that is constantly berating her bumbling son, Locatell remembers the part fondly as one of the best she’s played and so unlike herself.
Throughout the intervening decades, Locatell has lent her voice to the various books and documentaries surrounding the Friday the 13th franchise, always a staunch defender of the divisive fifth entry. She was also a regular on the horror convention circuit and amassed a legion of admirers for her willingness to quote her foul-mouthed character.
Locatell passed away at her Sherman Oaks home after a battle with cancer. Her husband, musician and actor Gregory Perstopino was her only survivor.
Rest easy, Carol, from all of us here as Scream Magazine.
