Imagine walking through the woods beside a quiet lake when your phone rings. You answer, and the voice on the other end says, “Hello, Chester? This is Betsy Palmer.”
That’s exactly what happened to Dark Outdoors host Chester Moore when the actress who portrayed Pamela Voorhees in the original Friday the 13th called him unexpectedly.
In this special installment of Dark Outdoors Week, Moore shares the remarkable story of how the woman who terrified generations of horror fans became a collaborator with his heavy metal band Freak13® and eventually a treasured personal friend.
Listen to the episode:
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/when-the-real-pamela-voorhees-called-me/id1630809603?i=1000798307108
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6VznTNk3sIXISB2esHeahO
When Horror Movies Made the Woods Scary
For an entire generation of young moviegoers, summer camps, isolated lakes and dark forests became frightening places thanks to movies like Friday the 13th, The Burning, Madman and Sleepaway Camp.
Moore revisits those films and explores how their fictional horrors intersected with disturbing real-world events, including the Oklahoma Girl Scout murders and the chilling Cropsey legend.
But at the heart of this episode is a very different story about Betsy Palmer.
Moore recalls how Palmer generously recorded a narration for a Freak13® song, how their friendship developed and how he, his wife Lisa and fellow band member Ravenica Rose came to know the woman behind one of horror cinema’s most recognizable characters.
It’s a journey through childhood fears, horror history, real-world tragedy and an unforgettable friendship with an actress whose kindness stood in remarkable contrast to the terrifying character she portrayed.
Sometimes the most unforgettable stories from the dark outdoors aren’t fiction.
Dark Outdoors Week continues the countdown to the podcast’s landmark 100th episode on Halloween.
Chester Moore
Follow Chester Moore and Higher Calling Wildlife® on the following social media platforms
@gulfgreatwhitesharksociety on Instagram
@thechestermoore on Instagram
Higher Calling Wildlife on Facebook
Email Chester at chester@chestermoore.com.
Subscribe to the Dark Outdoors podcast on all major podcasting platforms.