Growing up in the 90’s with video rental stores and cable TV movie marathons, it was hard to deny the charm and allure of the Friday The 13th franchise. You saw enough and were definitely too young to be watching, but you were entranced. So when I finally got to watch the movies I was hooked. 25 years after first watching a Friday the 13th film, I regularly put them on, show them to others, and enjoy the discourse about them online. It’s a franchise with an amazing fan base and you really do get to appreciate all that it has to offer through communal respect for these movies.
While my ranking change ever so slightly on every rewatch, this is a pretty definitive list. Some may disagree and hey, if you do, leave a comment with your rankings of the series. I’m curious where certain entries land for people.
12) Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday
OK, so bottom of the barrel here but we have Jason Goes To Hell. It’s not a good film, in fact at times it seems to directly fly into the face of good cinema and good taste.
It’s also just bugged me for many years that the director of this film was just sort of flying by the seat of his pants. He’s since tried to go and explain things post-release but it doesn’t make things any easier to understand. In fact it makes even less sense! Go figure right.
There’s also an odd sense of humor in the film, everything feels a bit too much like a wink and a nod. Like when a Best Man delivers a line about his friend but it’s all stuff you don’t get. There’s also the oddest of moments, like when the coroner bites into Jason’s heart like it’s an apple, or when a man is strapped to a table by ‘Jason’ and shaved. It just makes no sense.
There are some upsides here. There are some pretty gruesome kills, benefit of the ‘unrated cut’ of movies that became the thing for horror movies. All in all, this is the least interesting and well-made of any of the Friday The 13th films
11) Jason X
The most underrated film in the franchise.
The reveal that Jason is not the killer never bothered me. You never have any reason to assume it’s not Jason; and before this there wasn’t much of a continuity for Jason. He’s only really the Jason we know for the third act of Part III and the entirety of The Final Chapter.
Sure there are red herrings like the vagrant but why bother? In screenings of this most people assume Roy is Jason.
The reveal of Roy being the killer works better than that of Pamela. I wish they gave Roy a scene where he explains himself more rather than the exposition dump we get from the Sheriff.
There’s solid kills and nudity in this. A better ratio than most films in the franchise.
It’s interesting that Part 2 is essentially more of the same as the first film albeit a much better film.
Kill count is 10. Same as first film but most of the deaths are on-screen except one. Alice dying is more impactful than hitchhiker girl from first. Paul is more engaging than Steve Christy; and dare I say it: Ginny is a better protagonist than Alice.
The film does suffer from continuity issues. For one, Jason’s backstory is completely re-written. Jason is no longer a footnote in the story; he IS the story. It is interesting that the film clearly is playing catch up when it clearly is making most of this up. It is fine if you can look past it but I can’t.
Finally, Paul. SERIOUSLY WHAT THE HAPPENED TO PAUL!? I can’t think of any other film where one of the main characters disappears in last 5 min of film and no explanation is given. Some people think it’s clever. I think the filmmakers honestly forgot he existed.
For what it’s worth, Vickie is the hottest Friday The 13th girl.
Is Part 2 good? Yeah. I dare say you could skip the first film and go to it. Film is overall better. Some story beats are not well done but it’s still a fun film.
2) Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
Frank Mancuso Jr. (Producer on many FT13th movies) came to the conclusion that the franchise needed a definitive “ending point” so they decided that with three successful films to end Jason.
You have to give the filmmakers credit. Knowing that Jason is essentially on his way out they kept elements that worked in previous films (i.e. Jason is a hunter, chilling sound effects, etc) and improved on areas that needed improving. For instance, removing camp counselors and focusing on a recently divorced mother with her two kids and a bunch of horny teens makes for an interesting dynamic.
This film sets up Tommy Jarvis as the killer going forward, which would’ve been a great idea, but they botched the idea in Part 5, and barely made the landing in Part 6 where Tommy is regarded as being crazy but for us as the audience we know he can’t be the killer. Alas, it’s interesting to see the franchise set up this idea that Jason is simply a man made vengeful by the death of his loved ones. Anyone, including Tommy, is capable of becoming Jason.
While this isn’t my favorite Friday film, it’s my favorite depiction of Jason. He kills people in so many unique ways, throwing people out windows, nailing people to doorways and windows. This is clearly Jason who relishes in the mental torment of his victims and that’s displayed so well here.
If I had one complaint it would be the clearly obvious set up for a sequel. When the sister swings at Jason with a machete and knocks his mask off, it’s hilarious how this is an intentional move by the studio to keep Jason alive.
If you’re one who prefers a straight up horror movie, this is the best representation of that in this franchise.
1) Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
It’s rare that within a franchise as long lasting and expansive as Friday The 13th that the 6th film in the franchise ends up being it’s best.
A forced hand due to the backlash to Part V; which is a film I enjoy but I can also see where the backlash comes from. The powers that be had one goal: bring Jason back, and get the franchise back on track.
They did just that. By adding humor, relatable characters, and of course, a Tommy Jarvis you care about (sorry John Shepherd but you’re forgettable in Part V). This makes for a film that I will take over any day over any other Friday The 13th film. It’s pure enjoyment.
I love the Megan-Tommy relationship here. They’re equals. Megan isn’t helpless, and Tommy isn’t flawless. They are both at that perfect place. I’d like to imagine that they got married and had kids. Of course, that’s gonna be awkward when your future Father-In-Law is bent in half like a folding chair.
Some people complain that there’s too much humor and I do agree with that. Though it seems a tad much, it never feels overwhelming and there’s still enough dread permeating enough. It’s as perfectly balanced as the Friday The 13th franchise gets before you get to laughably bad New Line films.
This film walks up to the pitch ready to deliver a fun and enjoyable Friday The 13th film and it does so expertly. It’s not the pure Friday The 13th experience’ you’d get with Parts 2, 3, or 4; but it’s the one I’d choose to rewatch any day of the week.
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