Summer camps became a new scare location after the slasher franchise of Friday the 13th changed them forever. Born from tragedy, the slashing Jason Vorhees took out his revenge on the camp counselors who wronged him. Inspired by his mother, the masked man brutalizes any visitors to his grounds of dark lakes and creaky cabins.
Jason has a long history as a slasher villain. He’s taken his machete-wielding murders from the woods of Camp Crystal Lake to the streets of Manhattan to outer space. With 12 movies in the franchise, and Spooky Season in full (machete) swing, it’s worth noting which ones are the best for your next scary movie marathon, or celebrating the 13th day of the month that falls on a Friday. Celebrate the slasher icon of summer camp with his ranked best movies.
12
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)
Despite the fourth film boasting the title of The Final Chapter, another book was opened in the saga for A New Beginning. Continuing the story, a grown Tommy Jarvis (now played by John Shepherd), having killed Jason, tries to recover from his trauma at a halfway house. Jason haunts his nightmares, and when mysterious murders start happening among the residing patients, Tommy fears he may be the one responsible.
A New Beginning has a decent revival idea, but fails due to an inconsistent script and laughably bad acting. The method of reviving Jason happens without much thought, and the slasher staging feels far too standard, making this entry appear more like a wannabe Friday the 13th. This is the weakest of the franchise, given that the film that followed was so much better with the return of Jason and turning Tommy into more of a badass instead of the new Jason (but not really).
11
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
The ninth Friday the 13th film followed the bow of Freddy Krueger’s “last picture” with Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday. The film begins where most of these sequels end, but this time, Jason is obliterated by law enforcement. But the only true way to make sure Jason stays dead, according to this film, is for one of his own bloodline to deliver the final blow. This leads to another series of slashings where magic and demons enter the equation in the quest to cast out Jason from the mortal realm.
Jason Goes to Hell is just a mess of a movie that twists itself into a pretzel while trying to find a way to bring the franchise to its second close. There’s still plenty of gore to be had, but there’s an intentional and unintentional absurdness, revealing just how unfocused and indecisive this entry was. The only part of this film that was thrilling was the final shot of Freddy dragging Jason’s mask into the ground, but all that did was make me immediately want to watch Freddy vs. Jason. Imagine watching that scene in 1993, when you wouldn’t get that teased film for another decade. Brutal.
10
Friday the 13th (2009)
It was only a matter of time before Jason got a reboot, which arrived with Friday the 13th in 2009. As the 12th film in the franchise, this reboot presents Jason as a leaner, meaner killing machine who kidnaps Whitney, a woman who reminds him of his mom. Seeking out Whitney is her brother, Clay, snooping around Camp Crystal Lake despite the locals’ warning. The deeper he investigates with the help of some vacationing friends, the wrath of Jason threatens to end them all.
Although this reboot from the dormant franchise was made with a love of the saga, it sticks a little too close to the slasher routine ever to be more of its own thing. Although not as massive a misfire as the Nightmare on Elm Street reboot that followed a year later, there wasn’t much of anything new, coming off rather rote with its lackluster acting and standard slasher stagings.
9
Friday the 13th Part II (1981)
Taking over where his mother left off, Jason takes the helm as the prime slasher in Part II. Angered by the death of his mother, Jason conceals his face with a burlap sack and takes his revenge, per the request of his mother’s spirit. Driven by her decapitated head and left-behind sweater, a new group of teens must figure out a way to survive Jason’s first rampage across Crystal Lake.
Despite some gruesome kills involving machetes to the face and spears in the middle of sex, Part II was a rocky introduction for Jason. Aside from being framed in an outfit resembling a deranged farmer that never really stuck, Jason’s kills were not as unique as those of other sequels. There was a foundation laid for future films, but considering the ho-hum slaughter and forgettable teen targets, Jason just didn’t feel like Jason in this one, despite the intimidating presence of his mother’s severed head.
8
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
In the accurately titled Jason Takes Manhattan, Jason takes a trip to the Big Apple. Having hitched a ride on a boat, a revived Jason targets a new batch of high school graduates to fulfill his bloodlust for the youthful, bound for New York City. Even when the boat arrives in the city, the teens are not safe as Jason continues to pursue them through the streets.
Although not as much of the film takes place in New York City, or even makes all the wild story ideas a reality, this eighth entry still has its charms. There’s a great culture clash as Jason intimidates some street punks and there are some amusing kills, as when Jason gets into a boxing match in which his one punch sends his opponent’s head flying. It’s not a great sequel, but the boundless potential makes one wonder how much more carnage the hockey-masked antagonist could wreak on Times Square.
7
Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
Jason fights for the title of the supreme teen slasher villain in the showdown Freddy vs. Jason. Freddy Krueger, the dream-invading killer who needs the souls of dead teens to continue his rampage, brings Jason back to life. While Jason gets the job done by being manipulated by Freddy, Jason’s massacre grows so large that jealousy breeds, forcing the two slasher icons into a fiery battle for the best at chopping up teens.
Freddy vs. Jason was a crossover that had been in the works for years, failing with the seventh Friday the 13th and teased at the end of Jason Goes To Hell. The long-awaited battle was worth the wait, as the meeting of silent and mouthy killers was intense with its brutality and clever with its staging, where the two figures use both their powers in targeting teens and each other. The crossover event had its charms and made me long for the proposed sequel that would’ve roped in Evil Dead (a story that would be told in comic book form).
6
Jason X (2002)
After nine movies, Jason jumped from killing in modern campgrounds to the future corridors in space. Far into the future, Jason’s cryogenically frozen body is picked up by scientists studying relics of a polluted Earth. Now aboard a spaceship, Jason awakens for a new type of slaughter among the stars.
Jason X was a refreshing change of pace, putting a sci-fi twist on the slasher franchise and leaning into the fun that can be had with such a premise. In addition to Jason getting a high-tech makeover, he also gets in some great kills, as with the unforgettable scene of Jason freezing a face in liquid nitrogen and then shattering it. This was such a delightful divergence, especially for the absurd holographic simulation of Camp Crystal Lake that plays like a silly parody, complete with Jason smacking around some dumb teens in sleeping bags. If you want the funniest Friday the 13th movie, look no further.
5
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
Jason finally has a worthy opponent in The New Blood. That opposition is Tina Shepard (Lar Park Lincoln), armed with psychic powers so dangerous that they killed her father at camp. Although her powers bring Jason back from the grave, they’re also the key to sending him back, as she uses her psychic abilities to battle with the serial killer of Crystal Lake.
For introducing psychic powers into the mix, The New Blood was an exciting battle between a psychic teen and an unkillable monster. The inclusion has an off-beat nature that makes it satisfying to watch Jason get tossed around and brutalized, with a clever way of sending the unhappy camper back to the lake. The film also served as a solid prototype for the future Freddy vs. Jason, considering the original idea for this film was to crossover with A Nightmare on Elm Street.
4
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
Tommy Jarvis (Thom Mathews) takes the fight back to Jason in the sixth entry, Jason Lives. Still haunted by the undead killer, Tommy returns to Crystal Lake to ensure that Jason is finally dead by digging up his body and cremating it. Unfortunately, this action revives the masked menace, forcing Tommy to slaughter the campground murderer once again.
Six films in, Jason Lives was a smart enough sequel that knew how to play the convention while still delivering a capable slasher. Fans of the franchise might be dismayed that this entry features no nudity and less gore than before. But for daring to blend some action and humor into this sequel, along with a slick performance by Thom Mathews, this is a pretty entertaining addition to the slasher franchise.
3
Friday the 13th Part III (1982)
Jason finally gained his iconic hockey mask in Part III. After returning from the dead, Jason discovers that bikers are on the menu at Crystal Lake. In addition to some visiting teens at a lake house, Jason’s teen killing continues with a new look, having swiped the hockey mask from one of his victims.
Aside from the origins of Jason’s key attire, Part III has some solid kills to make it a worthy slasher. Notable deaths include a speargun through the eye, hacked while performing a handstand, and impaled via a hot poker. Jason didn’t just find his mask in this film, but also his groove from gruesome kills. It’s a film that succeeds well enough without the 3D gimmick it came branded with for theaters.
