Friday the 13th is one of my favorite horror series and probably one of the best, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a few stinkers. Actually you could argue that anything after the 4th installment the series takes a nose dive. While they all have their own feel and approach, some are way better than others so lets rank this shit!
- Jason X (2001)
JAAAASOOON IN SPAAAACE. That’s all you really need to say right there, man is this movie bad. In fact it is the only movie I don’t own of the series. I’ve watched it twice, that’s how little I think of this movie. I actually don’t see it as a sequel to the original series, more of a weird stand alone.
- Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
Jason is now a possessed slug that enters in to people and takes the form of Jason…ok. It was a weird direction to take the series into and you really have to wonder why. Yes it was stale by this point but why change the backstory of Jason so much that you piss off anyone that likes the series.
- Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
While its not completely terrible and actually has some fun scenes the movie as a whole is a let down and has too many idiotic plot holes to overlook. If you want to know more about it, check out my review earlier in this marathon.
- Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)
Ok spoiler time! It isn’t Jason, it’s a guy dressed like Jason avenging his slow son’s murder at a halfway house. It has some decent moments but there are too many flaws to overlook. Jason does appear, but only in visions by Tommy Jarvis. Yeah visions…
- Friday the 13th (2009)
A lot of people hate the remake/reboot but I honestly enjoyed it, its not great, not by a long shot but it was competently done. Much better than the Nightmare remake. Yeah they had some hokey explanations for the things Jason does, the bell system stands out to me. It is a fun movie that should be taken on its own and not part of the series.
- Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
Jason is brought by to life by a iron rod in the chest of his corpse set there by Tommy Jarvis. Yeah its corny, but it plays homage to the classic horror movies, most obviously Frankenstein. The soundtrack is great, Alice Cooper lends a few songs to this and it just reflects the time when it was made.
- Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1987)
The unofficial Jason vs Carrie. A girl with telepathic powers battles Jason at the old camp. Not too much else to be said really, some cool stuff in this and the debut of Kane Hodder as Jason.
- Freddy vs Jason (2003)
This was surprisingly a pretty good movie. While its not Shakespere, the script was elegantly created yet simple and effective. Freddy uses Jason to bring fear to the local teenagers giving him the power to kill again. There is a battle to the death and in the end we are set up to debate who the winner is.
- Friday the 13th Part III (1982)
The 3D one, yeah there are a few shots that were the typical “Wooooo look at this” shove things in the camera shtick, but it is a great installment. The first Friday where Jason wears a hockey mask. Yeah the acting of Dana Kimmell is rather suspect but she’s cute enough to make it bearable.
- Friday the 13th (1980)
The first, the original, the movie that started it all, it lent a big hand in making the slasher genre the craze of the 80s. Yes it’s a classic but there are a few meh things about this movie. It kind of lags in parts and the characters aren’t the best. Mrs. Voorhees is the killer, NOT Jason but she does talk about him as if she is possessed by his soul. The effects are great for the time and the idea was original enough to be respected.
- Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
It was hard choosing between this and the Final Chapter. I really love the second one, it improves on so many of the issues that plagued the first movie. It moves along at a good pace, the kills are ramped up, and the characters all have personality. Somewhat over shadowed by its predecessor, Part 2 deserves more love!
- Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
The original FINAL Friday movie, in hindsight they could’ve stopped and it would have been accepted. Savini returns to do the effects and man are they great! The characters are possibly the strongest in the series and Tommy Jarvis is introduced. Tommy is a young boy obsessed with horror and special effects. Jason gets his assed kicked at the end and it just feels good.
