Today would have been the 99th birthday of actress Betsy Palmer.

Though Palmer started her acting career in 1951 and was a regular on television, she will always be best known for playing Mrs. Voorhees in 1980’s Friday the 13th.  It’s a role that she took, in her own words, because she needed $10,000 to buy a new car.  At the time that the film was first released, Palmer did not particularly care for the film but she also definitely also gave the best performance.  It’s impossible to imagine that the film would have been as much of a success without her.  The scene where she speaks in the voice of Jason inspired Harry Manfredini’s iconic score.  Palmer eventually came to embrace her status of being a horror icon.

Today’s scene of the day comes from Friday the 13th.  Here is Betsy Palmer as Mrs. Voorhees, an old friend of the Christys.