My ranking of the Friday the 13th series

Topic started by Ghost_of_GhostDad on Aug. 7, 2012. Last post by Ghost_of_GhostDad 9 months, 2 weeks ago.
Post by Ghost_of_GhostDad (817 posts) See mini bio

I love watching entire horror franchises the more sequels the better. So I decided to create list ranking the movies from various horror franchises. I figured I would start with my favorite Friday the 13th and go from there. So let me know what you think of my list or if you just want to talk Jason Vorhees.

List of the Friday the 13th films from best to worst.

1. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter

To me this is the quintessential Friday the 13th experience. You have a fairly high body count, lots of nudity including a weird scene involving vintage porn, Corey Feldman, Jason is not yet an undead monster, and you have the infamous Crispin Glover dance scene. Note: this is part 1 of the Tommy Jarvis trilogy and was also my first Friday the 13th film.

2. Friday the 13th Part 2

The first appearance of Jason Vorhees. I find this to be one of the few films is the series that is actually scary. The final showdown/chase between the virginal camp councilor and Jason is one of the best finales in the series. I am in the minority but I find Jason is scarier wearing the potato sack instead of his trademark hockey mask.

3. Friday the 13th

The original may not hold up too well but redeems itself with it's twist ending and the appearance of a young Kevin Bacon.

4. Freddy vs. Jason

Just a straight up fun movie. It really captures the spirit of both franchises and throws in references only die hard fans of both series will get. Plus the actual fight between Freddy and Jason feels epic while giving both characters their time to shine.

5. Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood

Essentially Jean Grey vs. Jason. Other then the whole psychic angle it is your typical Friday the 13th film.

6. Friday the 13th: A New Beginning

I originally hated the movie but have warmed up to it. My only real complaint was that the killer wasn't Jason Vorhees. Now I realize that it kinda makes sense having a different killer using Jason's M.O. to get revenge especially since the last film was entitled The Final Chapter and Jason was killed in a seemingly gruesome and finite manner. This is part 2 of the Tommy Jarvis trilogy.

7. Jason X

Honestly this one is a guilty pleasure of mine. I know full well this is a bad movie and deserves all the hate it gets. To me I imagine the writers just went "Fuck it, let's just put Jason in space" The whole premise is just silly and really feels like everyone involved knows it and just went with it.

8. Friday the 13th Part III

The movie is really hampered by its playing to the 3-D gimmick (it literally features the paddle ball trick) and its failed attempts at trying mix comedy and horror.

9. Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI

The final chapter in the Tommy Jarvis trilogy and the first appearance of undead Jason. Honestly this movie is just kinda bland. The body count is fairly low and the kills aren't up to the series standard.

10. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan

For some reason the first 3/4s of the film features tame bloodless kills on a cruise ship. The movie then redeems itself when Jason is roaming the streets of Manhattan.

11. Friday the 13th

It feels less like a reboot then a mediocre remake of Friday the 13th Part 2. It's not terrible like the Nightmare on Elm Street reboot but it doesn't add its own spin to differentiate itself from the original like the remakes to The Hills Have Eyes and Texas Chainsaw Massacre did.

12. Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday

You know why Jason is an unstoppable killing machine? It is because he is inhabited by a hell worm and can only be stopped by being stabbed by the Evil Dead dagger from someone who is part of the Vorhees bloodline. This movie is just boring and stupid. The only highlight is Jason being dragged to hell by Freddy Krueger.

Post by BjornTheUnicorn (204 posts) See mini bio

nice list. really the only movie I've seen all the way through was Freddy Vs. Jason, and now that they are all on Netflix, I was considering doing some sort of a marathon. I guess now I know which one to pay more attention to

Post by GreatestEver99 (183 posts) See mini bio
Great list but I would switch your one and two and switch part VII with the first one.
Post by rem25 (628 posts) See mini bio

@BjornTheUnicorn: I see part 5, Freddy vs. Jason and Jason X are not on instant yet. Everything else is.

Post by Ghost_of_GhostDad (817 posts) See mini bio

@GreatestEver99 said:

Great list but I would switch your one and two and switch part VII with the first one.

A lot of people tend to say Part 7 is their favorite. I do agree that it is a really good sequel to the franchise but Part 4 was my first Friday the 13th movie so it is somewhat special to me. It really captures everything I love about 80's slasher films with a decent mix of camp and horror. Plus I am a huge Crispin Glover fan and that dance scene is so memorable.

General Information Edit
Name Jason Voorhees
Gender Male
Credited In 16 movies
Credited In 0 shows
1st Movie Credit Friday the 13th
1st Show Credit n/a
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