Scuba diving is tons of fun, but as hobbies go it’s definitely on the dangerous side. Between equipment malfunctions and underwater creatures, divers already have plenty to worry about. But if you’re going diving near Crosby, Minnesota, you’ll have to add another fear to your list: horror movie icon Jason Voorhees.
That’s because a statue of everyone’s favorite hockey-masked murder enthusiast currently sits on the bottom of Crystal Lake, Minnesota, under 120 feet of water. The statue is located at a popular diving spot in the lake. It’s one thing if you went to this spot knowing the statue was there. Imagine diving into the murky depths with no idea that this is waiting for you:
Spooky!
Having seen all of the Friday the 13th movies, I consider myself more than a casual fan of the franchise, and I’m definitely impressed with the attention to detail here. There’s the machete and the hockey mask, sure, and the fact that Jason drowned in a lake more than once. (If you haven’t seen the movies, that’s not a typo. The dude just refuses to die.)
But there’s also the chains, just like at the ending of Friday the 13th: Part VI, when Megan and Tommy literally chain Jason up underwater. Then there’s the open eyes, just like how we left Jason at the end of that same sequence in part six. And then, of course, there’s the location. The original movie took place in New Jersey, not Minnesota, but the summer camp where Jason ran wild on so many counselors was called, you guessed it, Camp Crystal Lake.
Photo Credit: Bloody Disgusting
Fortunately, we know who’s behind the stunt–think of how much creepier this would be if nobody came forward to take credit! The statue is the handiwork of scuba diver Curtis Lahr, who loves horror movies almost as much as he loves committing to a prank. He originally placed the statue in the lake in 2013. Then, in 2017, he revisited the spot to see if it was still down there. He found Jason a little worse for wear and a lot covered in algae, but still plenty menacing.
Here’s a video of the return, so you can see what four years in a fresh water lake does to a statue!
He even snagged a selfie.
Photo Credit: Curtis Lahr
That’s a lot of wear and tear over four years. Hopefully the statue will stick around a while longer and cause more wetsuits to be soiled.
h/t: Nerdist