| Alice Hardy | |
|---|---|
| Friday the 13th character | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Adrienne_King_as_Alice_Hardy.jpg) Adrienne King in Friday the 13th (1980) | |
| First appearance | Friday the 13th (1980) |
| Created by | Victor Miller |
| Portrayed by |
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| In-universe information | |
| Occupation | |
| Status | Deceased (original continuity) Unknown (remake) |
Alice Hardy is a fictional character in the Friday the 13th franchise. Alice first appears in Friday the 13th (1980) as an artist working as a camp counselor. She is portrayed by Adrienne King—who reprises the role in the sequel Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) and the fan film Jason Rising (2021). Alice's creator, Victor Miller, scripted her as a flawed character, envisioning her in an affair. Once production began on the original film, budgetary constraints limited the deeper exposition intended for Alice's character.
Director Sean S. Cunningham and casting director Barry Moss wanted an established actress for the part but realized they could not afford one. An open casting call was made for the part of Alice, and King secured the role over a hundred actresses who had auditioned. King was asked by director Steve Miner if she would be willing to return for the sequel, and she agreed. Alice is prominently featured in literary works of the franchise, appearing in three novelizations adapted from films and two original novels. Additionally, Alice cameos in the Friday the 13th comics published by WildStorm, and she has been featured in merchandise and works of fan labor.
Alice's confrontation with the villain Pamela Voorhees (Betsy Palmer) and her nightmare sequence of Jason (Ari Lehman) acts as the catalyst for the rest of the events of the series. Film scholar Carol J. Clover cited Alice among the original examples of the "final girl" theory developed in her non-fiction book Men, Women, and Chainsaws (1992). The depiction of Alice's death in Friday the 13th Part 2 helped spark a new slasher film trope, in which the primary surviving character from the first film is unexpectedly killed off in the subsequent sequel.