Screenwriter Victor Miller, best known for writing the classic slasher Friday the 13th, has died.
Born on May 14th 1940, Miller was a native of New Orleans, Louisianna. He was educated first at Milton Academy in Massachusetts, before attending Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
Despite always having a passion for writing, Miller began his career in television programming and advertising in New York City.
Miller’s first professional writing engagement came in 1974, when he began a series of nine spin-off books based on the television series Kojak. This would continue through 1975, before Miller would begin releasing original novels.
Between 1976 and 1993, Miller would release twelve novels for various publishing houses, including Hide the Children and Angel’s Blood. His first foray into screenwriting would be 1977’s The Black Pearl, an adaption of the 1967 novel of the same name.
Miller would first collaborate with filmmaker Sean S. Cunningham in 1978, penning the family film Manny’s Orphans, which Cunningham directed. The following year, they’d re-team for Here Come the Tigers, another feel-good family tale.
Despite never having seen a horror film, Cunningham asked Miller to pen a genre movie next. Halloween was making a killing at the box-office, and both believed this would put them on the map.
The resultant movie was 1980’s Friday the 13th, an instant hit that would spawn an incredible eleven sequels and birth a huge multi-media conglomerate. However, Miller ultimately saw little of the rewards, receiving a token salary and scant royalty payments for the use of his characters.
This would eventually lead to a long and protracted copyright lawsuit that would stall the franchise. Miller sued for the rights to his original screenplay, whilst Cunningham countersued, claiming Miller was a “writer for hire,” and had received payment.
Miller ultimately won the suit, winning the domestic rights to Friday the 13th, and the copyrights over Camp Crystal Lake, Pamela Voorhees, and Child Jason Voorhees. Consequently, Miller was retroactively compensated as an independent contractor, not a writer for hire.
Following Friday, Miller would pen Cunningham’s follow-up film, the hostage thriller A Stranger is Watching. Elsewhere on the big-screen, Miller remain periodically active, scripting six further features between 1994 and 2022.
Miller was also prolific in the world of daytime soap opera, working as Associate Head Writer on Guiding Light, One Life to Live, All My Children, General Hospital, and Another World. Together, these stints lasted 25 years, and spanned over thousands of episodes. Miller’s soap opera writing credits would ultimately win him a Daytime Emmy and a Writer’s Guild Award.
Victor Miller passed away on August 31st 2026 at his home in Alameda, California. He is survived by his wife of 64 years Elizabeth Thurston. Victor Miller was 86 years old.
May he rest in peace.
