Friday the 13th has been one of the best slashers in the history of movies. Whenever there is talk about horror and slashers, the iconic hockey mask and the machete is a must.
This long-running franchise with Jason is the most beloved series. When it comes to jump-scares, brutality, and whatnot, Friday the 13th is the way to go.
Each of the movies is full of suspense, thrill, and filled with brutality which could be very entertaining and also, very scary.
Friday the 13th centers around Jason Voorhees, a hockey-masked killer. Most of the movies revolve around Camp Crystal Lake. Jason, a momma’s boy goes around murdering teenagers around the Crystal Lake area. This franchise consists of 12 movies to date, along with various games and comics.
While the curiosity to watch all these movies could be quite high, the alarming amount of movies that exist is very high. Because of this, the article here today will guide you toward the correct way to watch it.
How many Friday the 13th Movies are there?
This franchise has been in the game for a very long. With the first movie released all the way back in 1980, it has twelve movies to date.
Here is the list of every Friday the 13th movie to date according to its release date.
- Friday the 13th (1980)
- Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
- Friday the 13th Part III (1982)
- Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
- Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)
- Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
- Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
- Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
- Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
- Jason X (2002)
- Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
- Friday the 13th (2009)
This is the list of every Friday the 13th movie that has been released to date. All these 12 movies are totally intimidating. On top of that, all these movies are inter-connected with each other with very few exceptions which make it harder for people who just started out in this franchise.
What is the best way to watch Friday the 13th movies?
The very best way to watch all Friday the 13th movies is in chronological order. This franchise consists of very entertaining movies, so if you guys haven’t given them a try, it’s your time.
Friday the 13th is one of the most re-watched horror series, so be sure to get your snacks and be sure to break a sweat cause these movies will have you in many scary situations.
Here are all the Friday the 13th Movies in chronological order
Friday the 13th (1980)
This is the first Friday the 13th movie in the franchise which was released all the way back in 1980. The movie follows as an origin story in the franchise which gives rise to the most vicious killer in the history of cinemas.
The movie follows a group of teenagers who have started working at Camp Crystal Lake. What follows is the death of people you don’t really want in some grueling way. This movie didn’t star Jason Voorhees but was a great starting point for introducing such a legendary character.
The original Friday the 13th has indeed uplifted the way horror movies are seen in today’s world. This movie tries to convey the evil portion of a mother’s love. With the cinema featuring such brutal deaths, it indeed was a gem when it comes to horrors.
This movie had a great starting point and a great plot. The massacre and the way this movie helped pave the path for a killer’s way, it made a great way for all the sequels the franchise had to offer.
Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
This movie is the direct sequel to the first movie and was released in 1981, only after a year. After the successful first movie, the development of the second one was done very soon and it was surely delivered.
Directed by Steve Miner, this movie introduces Jason as the killer. The movie takes place five years after the events of the first film. We learn about the truth of what happened to Jason as a kid, and why he is on such a killing rampage.
This movie is the first movie to introduce Jason as the main antagonist. Jason’s bloodlust is deadly in the movie and shows how his mother played a part in what he has become today. Also, the movie brought Jason’s mother back with Amy Steel and John Furey from the original movie.
Friday the 13th Part III (1982)
The iconic hockey mask, yes this movie is the first movie to introduce Jason’s iconic hockey mask. This movie takes place the night after the events of Part II. The movie shows Jason going after a group of teenagers who are visiting a friend’s home on Crystal Lake.
This movie showcased Jason terrorizing a group of friends who visit Crystal Lake. Friday the 13th Part III introduces Jason as a very strong character. His strength is truly shown here, as he can even crush a human skull with his bare hands.
Seems like the original Part III had a different story, but as Amy Steel didn’t want to replay her character, the movie had to take a different road. The revenge plot which was supposed to be the original story could have been a very different spice to the story.
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
Imagine being announced dead, and casually reviving just to go on a killing spree again. Well, that’s Jason in the Final Chapter. The Final Chapter starts with Jason reviving and returning to Crystal Lake just to kill more teenagers.
The movie also introduces one of many important characters who appear in multiple movies. While Jason goes on to Crystal Lake to find another group of teenagers, staying next door is a family with a teenage daughter, Trish Jarvis, and her younger brother Tommy.
While the movie goes on around with the killing of teenagers, the movie ends up at the point where it’s up to Trish and Tommy to fight off Jason. Tommy does appear in other multiple Friday the 13th movies too.
The name of the movie could be quite intimidating but no, it was not the final movie in the Friday the 13th franchise. This movie was supposed to be the final entry in this franchise but following the success it had at the box office, it went on to have seven more movies.
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)
Well, for sure The Final Chapter was supposed to be the last one in the franchise, but then, with the commercial success it had the sequel was made for the fans. Directed by Joseph Zito, it is set the next day after the third film.
The movie takes place after five years after Jason was hacked by a machete. Tommy Jarvis returns in the new installment of the movie and is shown trying to recover from his encounter with Jason the killer.
This movie establishes Tommy as the main protagonist. This movie is more brutal and gruesome than the previous installment of the movie. Later on, we get to see that Jason in this movie is a fake.
But still, the movie is very entertaining and still holds the roots of the original movies. Friday the 13th: A New Beginning gives a new feel to the franchise with a newer approach.
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
Jason Lives is a serious twist in Friday the 13th franchise. While we’ve seen Jason go through all the movies with serious injuries we surely thought Jason was invincible. But seems like that’s not always the case.
The plot follows Tommy being released from the mental institution even though he still has hallucinations of the killer Jason whom he killed a long time ago. Right here, is the moment we realize that Jason was truly dead as Tommy goes back to Crystal Lake to burn his remains.
To his surprise, while Tommy stabs Jason’s body with a metal fence, the fence is struck by lightning which brings Jason back to life. Well, this brings Jason back as a killer with other superhuman strength.
We believe this incident was the one that made Jason an immortal being in the franchise.
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
This movie takes place years after Jason Lives. The New Blood shows that Jason is still chained down at the bottom of Crystal Lake. The movie introduces a bunch of new characters in the story.
Tina, a struggling teenager with telekinetic abilities who is still remorseful about his father’s death accidentally awakens Jason from the bottom of Crystal Lake due to her psychic powers. This enables Jason to emerge and go on his vengeful killing rampage.
The New Blood features totally new characters and the new appearance of Jason as he had been decomposing at the bottom of the lake. This also tells us that Jason is now an immortal evil being who goes on a killing spree.
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
This movie is regarded as one of the worst Friday the 13th movie to date. Jason Takes Manhattan is more of an overstatement in the movie as he doesn’t really spend that much time in New York.
The movie failed to deliver what the usual Jason had always delivered in every other Friday the 13th movie. Again, the plot follows Jason coming back to life as his body is electrically shocked by a boat.
Then, Jason takes a boat to Manhattan and starts to go on a big rampage. Jason had very less time in Manhattan and due to that reason, this movie was not really a great one that appealed to fans.
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
Jason Goes to Hell is just a movie to show how Jason is a twisted being and can go to any extent to kill. It’s like Jason is some kind of serial killer who loves to kill. Jason is literally blown up in little pieces but yeah be sure to watch it cause he sure has his way to come back to kill people.
Jason is shown in a different way in this movie. Still, he ends up in the town and kills a lot of people. The events of the movie are truly gruesome and the kill in this movie is a total mess.
Also, the writers of the movie had surely given thought about the next sequel and due to this Jason is dragged to hell at the end of the movie. Also, another character from the same cinematic universe Freddy Krueger is shown at the very end.
Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
Freddy and Jason have shared the same cinematic universe and due to it, the cross between them was made. The movie starts with Freddy being unable to invade children’s dreams and because he revives Jason to use him as a tool.
While Freddy surely manipulates Jason into killing teens in Springwood, Freddy’s strength returns. Of course, these two killers are the total opposite as Jason kills anyone in sight.
Jason ends up killing Freddy’s potential victims and also the teens in the movie devise the ultimate plan to pull Freddy from the dream world into reality and make him fight Jason.
These events lead to a brawl between two supervillains. It’s non-stop cruel and bloody action. Well, we will not spoil who the winner is so that you guys can have a great time thinking about who could have killed whom.
Friday the 13th (2009)
Friday the 13th (2009) is the reboot and is the twelfth installment of the franchise. This movie totally changed the way this franchise has always been looked at. Also, regarding the debate on whether this movie comes before Jason X or not, believe us, this is the best way to take a part in this franchise.
Yes, this movie is a movie of its own, as it is a reboot of the franchise. While this movie was supposed to be a stepping stone for other Friday the 13th movies to come in the future but the criticism of the movie surely spoiled the fun.
The movie sure has the element of Friday the 13th movie, as it was mostly inspired by the first four movies of the franchise. It also went on to make a lot of money at the box office and had talks about sequels. But the sequel was canceled.
While this movie was the last one in the franchise, it is still very entertaining in its own world.
Jason X (2002)
Jason X takes a whole different approach to the whole franchise. The movie takes place in 2455 and is also in a different place. Jason X is perceived as more scientific in nature as even Jason’s ability to heal himself is seen in a scientific way.
The plot of the movie starts with the capture of mass murderer Jason Voorhees in 2008 by the US government. Seeing that they cannot kill him, they decide to put him in a cryogenic state.
Due to this, he is in a deep slumber for 455 years. The movie makes Jason a cyborg going on a killing spree with no purpose of his own. This is one hell of an entertaining movie to watch. Lots of new elements can also be seen in the movie.
Aurora Teagarden Movies in Order
Is there a need to watch Friday the 13th movies in order?
Well, it totally comes to personal preferences. But, we recommend you guys watch it in order. The above-mentioned order is also the best way to experience the whole franchise.
Some of the movies in the franchise are connected and the story elements could be messed up if you guys don’t watch them in the correct way. If you guys are not into the story and are just looking for a fun way to spend your time, any movie can be watched.
But if you are here, wanting to binge-watch the whole franchise, we recommend you guys watch it in chronological order as we’ve mentioned above.
Is there a potential for a new Friday the 13th Movie?
Friday the 13th franchise has a total of 12 movies with a history of more than 30 years. The first movie in the franchise was released way back in 1980 which is more than 20 years, and the last movie was released in 2009.
While the talks of sequels were there, the sequel to 2009’s Friday the 13th was supposedly canceled. It has been 13 years since then, but we believe the potential of a new Friday the 13th Movie is still there.
On top of that, we all know that Jason is a true menace and will always find a way to kill more people. The cancel culture and all the criticism about the movie sure was a thing but we think it is times for a new Friday the 13th movie.
Many things were there to make the sequel complicated, but we believe there will always be potential for this much-loved slasher movie.
Where to watch the movies?
Well, you guys can watch all the movies on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, or Google Play Movies. Be sure to have a great time watching it.
Make sure you’re ready before watching any of it cause the movies will have you screaming out your throat.
