The genre T-shirt company Fright Rags has been producing unique pop culture apparel since 2003. Their horror-themed tees, with dynamic illustrations often punctuated with iconic catch phrases, have become essential accessories in the horror community.
If you’ve attended a major genre convention in the past few years, you’ve seen their products worn proudly by fans and film royalty alike. From iconic movie favorites (like A Nightmare on Elm Street) to the more wonderfully obscure (such as the '70s TV movie Killdozer), Fright Rags caters to a wide range of fandom flavors. More recently, they have ventured into the collectible poster arena, the next logical step for a company that often celebrates the distinctive artwork of classic one-sheets.
Fright Rags’ newest project, the limited edition collector’s screenprint Survive, is a perfect example of their clever approach to the ongoing horror dialogue. What is so often overlooked in fear fandom is the intrepid female protagonist, who, in many films over the decades, is often the triumphant sole survivor. Also known as the “final girl,” this iconic character is usually overshadowed by her more scene- (and life-) stealing antagonists. But true horror fans know that a sack-headed Jason would be nothing without a gutsy Ginny sparring with him, machete to pitchfork, right to the bitter, ambiguous end. Fright Rags founder Ben Scrivens recently spoke with Planet Fury about this anticipated and long-in-development project. (Read more below the poster art.)
“It was just about two years ago when I had the idea that would eventually become the Survive poster,” Scrivens shared. “At first, all I had was a thought about doing something that focused on the "final girls" from horror as opposed to the killers. My mind naturally went to the Friday the 13th franchise because every film has a different girl at the end.” After thinking it over for several months, Scrivens eventually came up with an idea he felt both Friday and Fright Rag fans would embrace.
“[I] thought it would be cool to use the women from the first four Friday films. Those films always seemed like a 'complete set' to me, as Part 5 was the imposter of course, and the others dealt with the more zombified Jason. The first four seemed tied together more since they always showed the ending of the previous one in the beginning and, well, if you think about it, they all took place over the same long weekend (not including the first film).”
Scrivens wanted to tie in all four characters together, but he wasn’t sure exactly how they would be represented. He also wasn’t certain whether or not the appropriate vehicle would be a T-shirt. “I reached out to Amy Steel (Ginny from Friday the 13th Part 2) who I had become friendly with over the years and asked if she would be up for participating in it, and possibly sign something,” he said. 
“She was all for it, so then I arranged to fly to Baltimore for the Monster Mania convention in June of 2011 to meet with the rest of the women. I had known Kimberly Beck (Trish from Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter) for a while, so I re-introduced myself and she was interested as well. Adrienne King (Alice in the original film) and Dana Kimmel (Chris from Friday the 13th Part 3) also sounded interested, so we agreed to talk more about it after the show.
“The more I thought about it, the more I really wanted to do something big,” Scrivens remembers. “Then the thought of donating to a domestic violence charity came up and it seemed to be the perfect way to capture the 'survive' theme we were going for. It just felt right. As much as I wanted to do a shirt, it made more sense to limit it to a poster and have them sign it to have a really unique collectible. I then decided to tap Gary Pullin for the artwork as I knew he was a huge Friday fan and would do an amazing job.”
Last August, Scrivens shipped the posters to a Chicago convention where all four of the final girls were appearing. He flew down and reserved a spot at a restaurant close to the convention, where they spent the day signing. It was during this “final function” that the rest of the pieces fell into place.
“We then decided,” he said, “between the ladies and I, that it would be cool if they each chose a domestic violence charity and split the proceeds among four different ones. They are so excited about this project and how the horror community is rallying behind the cause. It's humbling to know how many people care about this project, and I'm blessed to have this kind of opportunity to give something back.” 
The Survive limited edition poster is an 18" x 24" 8-color screenprint (with a creepy glow in the dark accent). It features the likenesses of all four Friday heroines — Alice, Ginny, Chris and Trish — gathered in an iconic survivor collage. Each poster is signed by the corresponding actress: Adrienne King, Amy Steel, Dana Kimmel and Kimberly Beck; 60% of the proceeds go directly to four different charities that raise awareness for domestic violence. The posters, limited to only 175 prints, will be released on Friday, September 21, at midnight EST, and retail for $89.95. So grab the nearest sharp implement and click here to survive!
Awesome idea, love it!