The Friday the 13th film franchise has been celebrated by horror lovers for decades. The gory kills and the always-brutal Jason Voorhees have given fans a lot to be scared by, cheer for, and discuss. There have been a lot of installments in the series, so it’s worth taking a look at which ones stand above the rest. Here are how the Friday the 13th movies rank from worst to best.

Autor’s Note: I do genuinely like all of the movies on this list.

12) Friday the 13th (2009)

2009’s Friday the 13th is not only an unnecessary remake, but it’s also so dark throughout most of it that it’s hard to see a lot of it. The beginning scenes are solid, but after the initial group of characters is dead and gone, it becomes rather bland. The characters are insufferable and the killings aren’t super imaginative. The cast is pretty decent, and it’s not the worst remake out there, but it’s not very good either.

11) Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)

This installment offers more dark fantasy elements than slasher horror, and they don’t always work. When Jason’s body dies, he’s able to possess other people, so why didn’t he do that previously in the series when his body died? Some of the fantasy elements are cool, even going as far to canonize it with the Evil Dead franchise in a way, but it’s all convoluted. Also, there are killings without blood or gore somehow, which takes away from the point of a slasher movie.

10) Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)

The New Blood is an intriguing movie. It takes some bold chances and attempts something new with the formula, but it ultimately falls flat. The story has a ripoff of Carrie battle against Jason, and it isn’t scary or at least so cheesy it’s entertaining. There are some cool effects involved, and the overall idea is fun, but it’s overall a weak entry.

9) Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)

A New Beginning is infamous for the lame decision of the killer just being a Jason copycat. It’s the only film in the franchise in which a Voorhees isn’t involved whatsoever. That being said, there are some fun moments and characters, as well as a couple of gruesome kills. There’s also a bit of a mystery/whodunnit feel to it, but where you think the killer is Jason, it’s sort of pointless until it’s all revealed to be a let-down.

8) Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)

Jason Takes Manhattan gets a bad rap for Jason barely being in Manhattan, leading to the title being extremely misleading. That’s understandable and is a bit deserved, but it’s still a pretty fun watch. The boat the movie takes place on proves to be a refreshing change of scenery for the franchise. It also allows for a claustrophobic atmosphere, something that hadn’t been tackled in previous installments and can be great for horror. The overall story and characters are also interesting for what is ultimately “just another slasher.” It is, though, another movie in the series with minimal bloodshed despite all the killing, even if there are some creative kills throughout. It’s also worth noting that the pacing of this one is a bit all over the place.

7) Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)

Jason Lives is the last of the Tommy Jarvis trilogy, and is a solid ending for Jason’s temporary nemesis. There’s plenty of good drama between the characters that’s enjoyable to watch, and there are a couple of silly moments that are surprisingly entertaining. That being said, it’s also a frustrating movie at times. It’s completely Tommy’s fault that Jason returns, and the other characters around him are such a hindrance to stopping the killer. Why not believe him that Jason’s back? It’s Jason Voorhhes; he always comes back somehow. The budget feels higher, though, which is nice as it allows for exciting vehicle crashes and the like. It’s overall a mixed bag.

6) Freddy vs. Jason (2003)

Two of horror’s biggest icons duke it out and slaughter as many folks as possible on their quest for victory. It’s delightfully corny, many of the kills are creative, and the action between the two villains is epic. There’s also a return to embracing blood and gore, which was missing from the couple of movies before this one. The traditional effects are great, but the CGI isn’t. The plot is also a bit too convoluted and takes on perhaps a bit too much at times. It’s still a fun watch and does a great job celebrating both franchises.

5) Jason X (2002)

Jason X gets a lot of hate, and I’m here to defend it. Sure, the spaceship environment is far from the most visually striking environment to set the movie in, but it’s Jason Voorhhes in space! As he slaughters his victims, they react with one-liners and puns like “this sucks” as they’re sucked into the vacuum of space or “he’s screwed” when someone gets impaled by a giant screw. It’s an entertainingly silly movie and it never tries to hide it. The action is incredible as Jason dukes it out with an android. His transformation into Uber Jason is one of the coolest things in the franchise. The kills, like the liquid nitrogen scene, are a lot of fun. Yes, it’s all a bit ridiculous and is more of a sci-fi action movie than a horror movie, but it’s super enjoyable to watch.

4) Friday the 13th (1980)

The classic movie that started it all still holds up all these years later. It’s one of the scariest films in the franchise, and the performances are all fantastic. The kills are bloody without feeling too over-the-top. The story proves to be a successful whodunnit tale, and the air of mystery is enough to send chills down one’s spine. When it’s discovered who the killer really is, the fear element does dissipate a bit though. It plays with the idea of “anyone could be out there ready to kill you,” and is rather successful with it, but Halloween does handle that element much better. That being said, the last shot is so bonkers that no one watching for the first time would see it coming.

3) Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)

Part 2 is Jason’s first outing as the killer, but he’s still not the fully-realized character that has become the pop culture staple. He’s brutal and ruthless throughout, and feels like a threat more than in some other entries. He may not have his hockey mask, but it’s still rather scary to see a hulking stranger with a burlap sack over his face charging toward you. The kills aren’t very creative, but the groundedness to them adds to how scary it all is. It overall feels like the start of a series that will be incredible, just not the meat and potatoes of it.

2) Friday the 13th Part III (1982)

Part III finally has Jason don the iconic hockey mask and become the character that horror fans have come to know and love. This film also perfectly blends together elements of being entertainingly silly and actually scary. What really allows this one to stand above most of the others is how creative the killings are. It’s not just machete slashes or stabbings. There’s a wide variety of weapons used and in different environments. This movie has some of the coolest kills of the franchise. That being said, it was filmed to be in 3D, so there are shots that are meant to be “in your face” that are just plain distracting.

1) Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

The fourth film in the franchise, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, is scary and has plenty of great killings. It’s also the start of the Tommy Jarvis trilogy, introducing an actual nemesis to Jason. The drama between the characters is entertaining, and each of the characters feels real as opposed to the dumb teenage stereotypes typically seen in these films. The story’s protagonists being a family as opposed to camp counselors is a nice change as well. The characters, killings, fear factor, and pacing all work together to make the best Friday the 13th movie out there.

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