Although Righetti would steal the ‘final girl’ role from her at the last moment, Panabaker’s turn as the sweet heroine Jenna was one of the more appealing aspects of a movie that was often unnecessarily sleazy.

Having previously appeared as Kevin Costner’s daughter in the 2007 psychological thriller Mr. Brooks, Friday the 13th marked her breakthrough role and on the strength of that performance is appears that Panabaker is about to become a regular fixture of the horror genre; with not one but two highly anticipated movies on the way.

Her wholesome and sincere image has allowed her to avoid the bimbo or eye-candy roles (she was one of the few female leads of Friday the 13th who did not show her breasts) and has instead landed parts in which she is able to be strong and independent.

THE CRAZIES
Following on from Friday the 13th, Panabaker’s next horror remake is an update of George A. Romero’s cult 1973 thriller The Crazies, which saw a quiet American town under siege from random acts of violence, forcing the military to issue a quarantine. Co-starring Timothy Olyphant (Scream 2), Radha Mitchell (Pitch Black) and British actor Joe Anderson (The Ruins), The Crazies was adapted from Romero’s original story by Scott Kosar (who had previously written the remakes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Amityville Horror) and Ray Wright (Pulse) and is directed by Breck Eisner, who is also set to update Creature from the Black Lagoon and Flash Gordon. With special effects from Almost Human (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), The Crazies promises to be a tense and violent experience. Whilst I can’t help but be skeptical about yet another remake, it will be interesting to see Panabaker tackle another horror role.

THE WARD
It has been eight years since cult filmmaker John Carpenter last directed a movie, with 2001’s science fiction action flick Ghosts of Mars (a loose update of his 1976 classic Assault on Precinct 13) failing to impress both fans and critics. In the years that have followed, his only notable efforts were two episodes of the acclaimed show Masters of Horror, and each of his rumoured projects (L.A. Gothic and Scared Straight) have yet to surface. But one that fans are eager for is The Ward, which will see Panabaker appear alongside Amber Heard (previously seen in All the Boys Love Mandy Lane and The Stepfather) and Lyndsy Fonseca (Desperate Housewives), with a script from Michael and Shawn Rasmussen. The Ward sees Kristen (Heard) admitted to a psychiatric ward where she meets troublemaker Sarah (Panabaker) and, when the sun goes down, the ghost of a strange girl that wanders the institution at night.

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