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WhenFriday the 13th(1980) was first released into theaters, there was not a lot of hope for a sustained franchise. After all, they knock off most of the characters and the villain out of the gate. Yet in the last days of filming, Jason Voorhees made his first appearance, andFriday the 13thbecame a twelve-film phenomenon. With December 13th falling on a Friday, it’s a perfect time to revisit the fun franchise.
12Friday the13th Part V: A New Beginning(1985)
It’s almost unfair to rank this movie this low. However,Friday the 13th Part Vis a mess from beginning to end. After Corey Feldman’s cameo (so rushed, they shot it in his backyard), it takes more than twenty-five minutes for Jason to return to the screen. Even then, it’s not the Voorhees we’ve come to love. The result was so disastrous, that producers decided to bring Jason back from the dead immediately. With audiences only seeing the hands and feet of Jason for most of the movie (to provide a mystery element that does not pan out), it’s just uninteresting. Cool ending, but you don’t get credit when the next movie ignores it.
11. Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday(1993)
Friday The 13th Actors You Didn’t Know Are No More
When slasher franchises get deep into their lore, they often lose their direction. WhileJason Goes to Hellhas an amazing opening scene – where the military plans a trap to blow up Jason – it quickly devolves into self-parody. The story is downright nonsensical, and the introduction of worm-like demons feels like theatrics for the sake of it. All of the jokes it tries are better executed inJason X, which makes it all the more frustrating when looking over the franchise as a whole.
10Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhatten(1989)
When it’s in New York,Friday the 13th Part VIIIis pretty fun. The problem is, thatJason Takes Manhattenis mostly on a cruise ship in Jersey. We’re promised a lot of Jason in the City, but director Rob Hedden, who also wrote the movie, takes over an hour to get there. Then, he opensJason Takes Manhattanwith the dumbest scene in the entire franchise. By the time we get to the city, the damage is already done and it’s lost the plot.
9Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood(1988)
Honestly, there’s something pretty cool about the premise ofThe New Bloodthat’s hard to shake. What if Carrie fought Jason? It’s not always an easy-to-enjoy film, butThe New Bloodis rather creative but many of its best kills were censored down. The carved-up kill sequences are far less effective. If nothing else,The New Bloodintroduces us toKane Hodder as Jason. The iconic horror actor and stuntman would become known for his physically imposing frame. He became the first actor to reprise the role in future films, and he is still the first name associated with Jason. That’s crazy, especially given the fact that he did not show up until the seventh entry.
8Friday the 13th Part III(1982)
The 3D effects are both a huge positive and negative forFriday the 13th Part III. When you can see the movie in its intended format, it’s a very fun experience. However, being able to do so is increasingly uncommon. Instead, many will have to watch the eye-rolling attempts to maximize its gimmick. Another landmark event to shape the franchise comes into play, and the hockey-masked Jason is born.
7Freddy vs. Jason(2003)
Horror Fans Feel Robbed After Kevin Williamson’s Upsetting Revelation on His Canceled Episode From Friday the 13th Prequel Series
If we were talking pure quality, it’s possible thatFreddy vs. Jasonwould land higher on this ranking. However, half of this movie is a Freddy movie, and the expectations from either franchise are very different. Ronny Yu does a very good job at creating an enjoyable experience, but with much more focus on bringing the Freddy experience to life, it falls a little short as a Friday movie.
6. Friday the 13th Part II(1981)
It’s great to see a franchise step into its own, andFriday the 13 Part IIsolidified the franchise. Not only does Jason put up a higher body count, but he proves physically scary in ways the first movie was not. Your preference ofPart IversusPart IImay ultimately come down to brute force versus creativity. For me, I slightly favor Ms. Voorhees’ kills. One does wonder if this might have swapped if Stan Winston worked on the film (as was intended) but I guess we’ll never know.
5Jason X(2001)
One of the funniest and most uniqueFridaythe 13thentries,Jason Xtakes its monster into outer space after he kills David Cronenberg (seriously). That tells you everything you need to know about the comedy aspects it’s going for, and it becomes the calling card early.Jason Xis absurd in the best ways and pokes fun at the franchise tropes that came to define the character. Unlike other parodies, it owns these moments as sweet callbacks to the larger franchise. Most importantly, the arrival of Uber Jason givesFriday the 13thits most unique version of the monster.
4Friday the 13th(2009) – The Killer Cut
Dismissed on its release, the Platinum DunesFriday the 13threboot has a lot more going for it than one might expect. It undeniably has some of the gross torture porn horror that was prevalent at the time. However, Derek Mears is awesome as Jason, and Marcus Nispel’s blocking creates some pretty iconic moments. The Killer Cut goes a long way toward fixing the issues of the theatrical cut. The gore this cut returns to the movie is very much in the mold of the 1980s films and would have helped find reclamation sooner.
3Friday the 13th(1980)
Friday the 13th: Charlize Theron Almost Played Another Serial Killer in Canceled Series That Was Aiming to Revive the Franchise to its Former Glory
WhereFriday the 13thlikely gets its biggest jump is the work of Tom Savini. He went all out with the gore effects, which not only feel creative but visceral in their realism. Savini would become one of the most important makeup and effects artists in Hollywood history, making his work here iconic for another reason. With Betsy Palmer excelling as the antagonist, and Kevin Bacon blowing away his castmates with his charisma.
2Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives(1986)
While his mortal enemy Freddy Kreuger opted for comedy, the more serious Jason had used his imposing size and frame to make life hell for everyone. Yet whenFriday the 13th Part VIdecided to bring him back from the dead, director Tom McLoughlin decided to imbue the surrounding cast with humor.Jason Livesis the best of the horror comedy slashers of this era, with plenty of scary moments and the best outright comic beats. It also introduces a superhuman strength to Jason that becomes his calling card in the back half of the franchise. The meta-comedy elements are aces, and thanks to its ability to handle very different tones, it stands out in the best ways.
1Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter (1984)
WhenFriday the 13th Part IVis clicking, there’s nothing close in the franchise. It’s got a huge cast of future stars, a poignant conclusion for Jason in his mortal form, and an excellent final girl. It checks off all the boxes and features some of the coolest moments of the series.Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chaptercould easily have been a satisfying baton handoff to Tommy Jarvis, butPart Vfumbled that opportunity. Still,Part IVhas earned its place as one of the very best slasher sequels thanks to its quality in every filmmaking craft.
Friday the 13th began in 1980. What is your favorite Friday the13th movie?
Alan French
Film/TV Critic
Articles Published :280
Alan French began writing about television and film by covering the Emmys and Oscar beats in 2016. Since then, he has written hundreds of reviews on TV and movies. He attends film festivals regularly. He is a Rotten Tomato-approved critic and is on the committee for the Critics Association of Central Florida.
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