Credit: Warner Bros. / New Line CinemaThe machete-wielding, hockey mask-wearing serial killer Jason Voorhees has enjoyed numerous appearances over the years. Though nowhere to be seen in the original Friday the 13th, he quickly became the face of the franchise (one best kept hidden behind that mask, of course), slashing his way through nine sequels, a crossover movie, and a reboot.
Now, with a brand-new cinematic universe dubbed the “Jason Universe” underway and with Halloween just around the corner, there’s no better time to return to Crystal Lake and take a seat around the campfire as we rank all 12 Friday the 13th movies from worst to best.
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) is an awful movie. But it’s difficult to say whether it’s an awful Friday the 13th movie, because not only does it feel like a far cry from any of its predecessors, the iconic banner is as mysteriously absent as Jason Voorhees himself (after being blown to bits by the army in the opening scene, he becomes a parasitical hell-slug that controls human hosts).
The only good thing about Jason Goes to Hell is that it marks the end of this overrated campy slasher series. And the fact that Freddy Krueger takes the Camp Crystal Lake killer to hell at the end ready for their eventual crossover flick.
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
If you’re after one of the more pedestrian Friday the 13th entries, you can’t go too wrong with Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984). Unlike most the other installments in this franchise, the fourth actually has some big names attached, such as Crispin Glover (Back to the Future) and Corey Feldman (The Lost Boys).
There are some fairly decent kills to enjoy here, too, but ultimately, the only memorable scene is the end when Tommy Jarvis (Feldman) pretends to be a mini-Jason so he can distract the real thing and take him out with his own machete. He actually shaves his own head and goes crazy. It’s pretty wild.
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning
Many fans assume that the only Friday the 13th film Jason Voorhees doesn’t appear in is the original — but this simply isn’t true. Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985), just as the title suggests, doesn’t feature the machete-wielding maniac whatsoever (although he does appear in flashback sequences and a completely pointless recap).
This sequel is actually about a copycat who goes to great lengths to look like Jason, even donning a bald-cap underneath his hockey mask. Why? Reasons, no doubt. Copy cat, huh? More like copout.
Friday the 13th (1980)
What a truly overrated slasher flick Sean Cunningham’s original 1980 film really is. Of course, it’s hardly surprising that it became a huge success considering it followed up John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978), but it’s hardly a classic (cult classic, sure).
Does it have iconic elements, though? Absolutely. Everything from the title to Camp Crystal Lake, and the twist that reveals it’s Jason’s mother Pamela Voorhees doing the killing, and the creepy old “cha-cha-cha” sound effect. But is it any good? It’s a must-watch slasher, but only for the aforementioned reasons and nothing else.
Friday the 13th Part 2
At least the equally-dated Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) introduces the adult version of Jason Voorhees (although it makes absolutely no sense when you think about it).
Yes, he’s wearing a potato sack on his head (he hasn’t quite gotten to the iconic hockey mask just yet), and yes, there are some great kills just like in the first film, but this isn’t 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street or 1978’s Halloween. This is bare-bones in terms of creativity and execution, and though you’re likely to get plenty of thrills, this isn’t one for the horror history books.
Related: All the ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ Movies Ranked From Worst to Best
Friday the 13th Part III
If you can’t wait for Jason Voorhees to finally don the infamous hockey mask — literally the only reason he became immortalized as a slasher icon — then jump straight to Friday the 13th Part III (1982).
Again, there are some solid kills here, but there still isn’t much to write home about. Just be grateful that this is one of the last few films in the series before things start to take a truly wild turn. Telekinetic teens, space, Freddy Krueger — you’ve been warned.
The New Blood
Friday the 13th: The New Blood (1988) is the sixth entry in the series, and revolves around a teen who accidentally brings Jason Voorhees back from his watery grave with her telekinetic powers (although she’s still not quite the imbecile Thom Mathews’ Tommy Jarvis is in our next entry).
The New Blood is a mildly serviceable affair. It’s interesting to see Jason go toe to toe with a super-powered teen for once (it’s about time someone leveled the playing field), but none of it amounts to much.
Jason Lives
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) is a bad and bonkers movie, but at least it knows what it is.
This is to its predecessors what Austin Powers is to James Bond — a send-up of everything that has made the franchise popular to far (speaking of Bond, there’s also a hilarious opening sequence involving Jason and his machete). But is it any good? Well, no. It’s fun and it’s dumb and it’s ridiculous, and Tommy Jarvis is a complete tool (he brings Jason back from what seemed like certain death so that he could kill him…). That’s about it.
Jason X
It says a lot about the rest of the franchise when the one that’s actually set in space ranks a lot higher on the list than most the others. Continuing with the spoofy trend of Jason Lives, Jason X (2001) is mostly a comedy slasher.
There are some pretty gnarly kills here, but ultimately, this is as deliberately silly as the premise itself. Should it have gone for a slightly darker tone? Who knows — at least the campiness makes it slightly more memorable than the rest. And “Uber Jason” (as the tagline promises, “evil gets an upgrade”) looks pretty cool.
Jason Takes Manhattan
Just because we’ve ranked Friday the 13th: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) above Jason X, it’s only a marginal improvement. And only in terms of entertainment — not quality. Jason Takes Manhattan is actually one big fat lie — the film is only bookended by the Big Apple as the majority of the film takes place on a ship that’s seemingly making its way from New Jersey to Manhattan… Figure that one out.
The purpose of this absurdly long voyage? Erm, some sort of school graduation outing — even though there are only two teachers, some 10 or so kids, and absolutely no crew whatsoever save for the two captains. This movie is hilarious for all the wrong reasons. The kills, while creative, are also very neutered.
Freddy vs. Jason
Finally, we arrive at some semblance of quality in this long-running series. After watching Freddy Krueger’s glove drag Jason’s hockey mask to hell at the end of Jason Goes to Hell, fans cried out for a crossover movie featuring the two slasher villains for years. Finally, in 2003, their nightmares came true with the long-awaited Freddy vs. Jason.
To positively describe the flick as anything other than “solid entertainment”, though, is a bit of a stretch. This is a ton of fun — especially if you’re a bigger fan of A Nightmare on Elm Street than you are Friday the 13th (it very much acts like a sequel of sorts to the beloved Elm Street threequel Dream Warriors). But it’s also schlocky, horribly acted, and just, well, completely stupid.
Related: Every ‘Child’s Play’ Movie Ranked From Worst to Best
Friday the 13th (2009)
The 2009 Platinum Dunes remake is quite interesting in that it isn’t actually a remake of the original 1980 film — it rounds up all three first entries for its opening montage only, and then tells a pretty formulaic, back-to-basics, Camp Crystal Lake kill-by-numbers story. The result? It’s actually surprisingly decent. Not great, perhaps not even all that good, but it’s a solid effort, and Jason has never looked better and more terrifying.
He’s no longer a vague, deformed hillbilly, swamp thing-inspired zombie — he’s just a man who’s very protective of his land in the woods. He also still very much likes hockey masks and machetes.
Do you agree with this ranking of the Friday the 13th movies? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!