Season 3 has begun and the war is on. Sam and Dean Winchester are fighting the forces of unparalleled evil, including the Seven Deadly Sins, small children, a rabbit’s foot, Santa Claus, and Friday the 13^th’s Jason Vorhees. No, really. “We have Jason from Friday the 13^th, the character with the hockey mask,” show creator and executive producer Eric Kripke told Cult Times. “He shows up in episode 10. We have cleared the rights to actually use Jason. We have a twist on it so it is not really Jason out there, but we found an interesting way to bring him in so Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) fight Jason from Friday the 13^th. In our world, that is a pretty cool guest star.” As excited as he is about bringing a horror classic to life on “Supernatural,” he feels especially passionate about killing the holiday spirit in “A Supernatural Christmas.” “So, Sam and Dean are up against a creature that comes down chimneys, stuffs you in a leather bag, takes you up the chimney and eats you,” he gleefully divulged. The Winchesters have already gone up against the Seven Deadly Sins, who it turns out are actual demons, not just human vices, and Changelings who take the form of very creepy, homicidal children. “I just had a baby,” Kripke added. “So you write what you know.” In episode three, the brothers will have to contend with a troublesome rabbit’s foot. However, it’s not the demonic adversaries or cursed objects that have fans riled up this season. Only one topic has the chat rooms buzzing and some fans fuming. What could cause all this fuss? Women. Specifically, two new female characters cooked up to create chaos for the boys. Ruby (Katie Cassidy) is a hunter with her own agenda and a secret: she’s really a demon. And Bela (Lauren Cohan) is a cut-throat business woman making a living in the lucrative world of supernatural objects. Commenting on the backlash, Kripke added: “I do wish they would withhold judgment until they watch. The only part I find a bit frustrating is they make up their minds to hate these characters before they even see them.” One thing Ruby does to move the season along is to introduce a new weapon into the war: a blade that can kill a demon. Reminiscent of the Colt from seasons 1 and 2, this knife kills the demon, as well as the person it possesses. Does this mean the Colt isn’t down for the count? Maybe. Kripke said not to count it out yet. Other highlights for season 3 will include episode 20, directed by Kripke himself. He already has one under his belt from season 2, “What Is and What Should Never Be,” in which a djinn grants Dean his greatest wish. “It was the most fun I have ever had,” Kripke admitted. “You have this crack team of commandos who do nothing but execute your ideas, collaborate, and help make them better. It is playing with the best toy set ever.” In other “Supernatural” news, Keith R.A. DeCandido will be coming out with his second novel set in the universe. Titled “Bone Key,” it should be out next September. His first, “Supernatural: Nevermore” was available August 1, 2007. You can read the rest of Kripke’s interview in Cult Times Special #45. Marx Pyle contributed to this story.