Friday The 13th Ranked

To celebrate the end of the Friday the 13th legal battle, let’s run through the franchise and rank the films from worst to best!

12. At number 12, and by far the worst Friday, Jason goes to hell. Part 9 attempts to add a bunch of other lore to the character of Jason. Throughout the whole movie, after having his body blown up by the military, Jason’s spirit travels from body to body, possessing and using people as hosts. Until eventually, a parasitic demon crawls into the dead body of his half-sister, and the Jason we all know and love is reborn, just to be killed again 6 minutes later. 

11. At number eleven, we have Friday the 13th part V: A New Beginning. The only reason I’m putting it this low on the list is that (SPOILER ALERT) Jason Voorhees isn’t in the film!!! Who’s idea was it to make a Friday the 13th movie without Jason as the killer!?

10.  At number ten, we have part 8, Jason Takes Manhattan. This movie, despite having one of my favorite costume designs for the J man, is very poorly done. I wish I could say Jason in New York, what more could we want, but this film is so unbearably slow and poorly edited, it will make you mad. There are things in this movie that will make you want to turn off your TV. BUT, on the other hand, it SLIGHTLY makes up for it with super awesome scenes in the Big Apple.

9. At number nine, we have… part 10, Jason X. The movie is cheesy and stupid, but in the most fun way possible and is a surprisingly enjoyable watch. It’s Jason in space. What more could we want!?

8. At number 8, we saw the remake. This film is a mixture of parts 2 and 3, while still feeling original. Jason has never felt more terrifying and more of a killing machine, and was a much-needed breath of fresh air for the franchise, being one of the best.

7. At number seven, we have the original Friday the 13th. The one that started it all, was surprisingly outshone by its sequels, but the original Friday is still such a staple in horror pop culture and will forever be a classic.

6. At number 6, we have Friday the 13th 3D. Filming the movie in 3D was pretty much a way to get audiences to come rewatch the same exact film, because part three uses the SAME formula as its 2 predecessors. But part 3 will always have a special place in fans’ hearts because its the first film Jason got his classic hockey mask.

5. At number five, we have part 2, the first ever appearance of Jason himself as the killer. Baghead Jason is somehow one of the scariest Jason appearances we have seen. It also gives us the classic scene where final girl Ginny tricks the J man by pretending to be his mother, which would later be implemented into the video game. And fun fact, it’s the only film in the franchise where NOBODY says the name Jason.

4. At number four, we have… part 4, The Final Friday. The Final Friday is the best installment of the first 4 films. The addition of Tommy Jarvis and his family gives more depth to the story, not just being more bodies for the kill count. Jason in this film gets some of the best kills of the first 4 films, and is eventually killed himself by the hands of Tommy Jarvis, and yes, ACTUALLY killed.

3. At number three, we have part 7, The New Blood. The New Blood adds a new aspect to the franchise as this film is often referred to as Jason vs. Carie, due to the fact that final girl Tina has telekinetic powers that she uses to accidentally resurrect Jason, and eventually to take him down once again. This film also has my absolute favorite designs for Jason, making him the most dead, and the most ghostly he’s ever been. 

2. At number two, we have the BEST showdown in film history, Freddy vs Jason. This movie is the perfect blend of Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th, and has a LONG awesome fight between the 2 horror legends.

1. And finally, at number one, the best Friday film, Jason Lives. Part 6 is the most character and story-driven film, following a grown-up Tommy Jarvis trying to convince Forest Green police that Jason Voorhees is back from the dead and out for blood. This movie also has the addicting song “He’s Back (The Man Behind The Mask)” by Alice Cooper, who wrote the song for the release of the film. And fun fact, interestingly enough, this is the first and only Friday film without any nudity.