Ranking The Friday the 13th Series

As a horror aficionado I often get asked my opinion on certain franchises. Friday the 13thbeing one of them. I have been asked on many occasions to rank the films. That’s a hard one for me as for being the same they all have a different look and feel. Sure the plot has never changed, except for part 9 but as we have revolving actors, different writers, and directors, heck even various actors under the Jason mask each film is a bit of its own entity. However after receiving he amazing Scream Factory box set I decided to sit back and watch the 10 films. Sorry I am not going to rank Freddy vs Jason (which stinks) or the remake (which I enjoyed). No I am going to do the original 10. No please keep in mind this is my opinion its not based on any rankings or polls or any of that nonsense. This is, in my opinion the Friday the 13thFranchise ranked by me, and also remember. I like all of them.

10) Friday the 13th V: A New Beginning: No Jason, just nonsense. Only redeeming quality is some of the kills. Years after Tommy Jarvis (John Shepherd) murdered hockey-masked serial killer Jason Voorhees, he resides in a mental hospital and struggles with the trauma of the experience. When Tommy moves to an isolated halfway house, he has nightmares about Jason's return, and soon one of the patients (Dominick Brascia) is killed. As the body count grows, Tommy begins to question his sanity and wonder if Jason has risen from the dead. But, to determine the killer's identity, Tommy will need to survive.

9) Friday the 13th II: I have no problem that Jason wears a sack on his head with only one eye hole cut out, the bottom line is this film isn’t that great. The second entry in the long-running horror series focuses on a group of teenage would-be counselors converging on Camp Crystal Lake for training under the tutelage of head counselor Paul (John Furey). Inevitably, Paul relates the story of Jason Voorhees (Warrington Gillette), a boy who ostensibly drowned at the camp and whose mother murdered a group of counselors in revenge. No one takes the tale seriously until a very much alive Jason begins gruesomely eliminating people.

8) Jason X: Not as bad as some people make it out, its still a bit to goofy for me. The year is 2455. The Place is Old Earth. Once the shimmering blue jewel of the galaxy, Old Earth is now a contaminated planet abandoned for centuries. Yet humans have returned to the deadly place that they once fled. Not to live, but to research the ancient rusting artifacts of the bygone civilizations that caused this environmental disaster. And little does the most recent landing party of intrepid young explorers realize the fate that awaits them.

7) Friday the 13th III 3-D: The first one I saw in the theater, and in 3-D. Sure its red and blue 3-D but still cool. Its also the first one where Jason gets his iconic Hockey mask. The third installment in the "Friday the 13th" series picks up on the day after the carnage with homicidal maniac Jason Voorhees (Richard Brooker) stealing some clothes and killing a local store owner. Meanwhile, Chris (Dana Kimmell) and her sometimes boyfriend, Rick (Paul Kratka), are hosting a group of teenage friends at Chris' lake house. Despite a run-in with a local biker gang, they enjoy an amiable weekend together -- that is, until Jason begins knocking off kids and bikers alike.

6) Friday the 13th: Yes the original is not number one on my list. And yes, it’s the first, and blah blah blah. It’s a great film, a classic even. Doesn’t even matter Jason is not the killer. I just like some of the other entries better. Crystal Lake's history of murder doesn't deter counselors from setting up a summer camp in the woodsy area. Superstitious locals warn against it, but the fresh-faced young people -- Jack (Kevin Bacon), Alice (Adrienne King), Bill (Harry Crosby), Marcie (Jeannine Taylor) and Ned (Mark Nelson) -- pay little heed to the old-timers. Then they find themselves stalked by a brutal killer. As they're slashed, shot and stabbed, the counselors struggle to stay alive against a merciless opponent.

5) Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday: Body jumping, fist fighting, a crazy bounty hunter. I love this one. Some people do not. I am not one of those people. After being blown away by a team of FBI agents, Jason Voorhees (Kane Hodder) needs to find a way to overcome certain death. When his bloodied remains are sent to the morgue, his heart, still intact, is able to hypnotize a coroner and take over his body. After brutally dispatching a couple of FBI agents, he heads back to his favorite stomping grounds: Crystal Lake. Jason commences another teen massacre while a bounty hunter (Steven Williams) discovers the only way to kill him.

4) Friday the 13th VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan: Even though Jason is only in Canada, I mean Manhattan for about 20min and spend the majority on a boat this is a fantastic entry. I saw it opening night in a packed theater and I will always have found memories of this one. Mass murderer Jason Voorhees (Kane Hodder) is resurrected from the bottom of Crystal Lake. After he kills a passing boat's occupants, he stows away on a cruise ship filled with a high-school graduating class bound for New York City. Biology teacher Charles McCulloch (Peter Mark Richman) is on board with his niece, Rennie (Jensen Daggett), who has visions of Jason drowning as a child. They escape his bloody shipboard rampage, but, when Rennie and Charles reach Manhattan, Jason is close by.

3) Friday the 13th VII: The New Blood: A more supernatural style entry in the franchise. Think of it as Jason meets Carrie. Years after the strange drowning death of her father, Tina Shepard (Lar Park Lincoln) returns to the site of his demise, Crystal Lake. Her developing psychic powers were responsible for ending his life, leaving Tina riddled with guilt as an adult. While deceitful Dr. Crews (Terry Kiser) tries to manipulate her abilities for his own ends, both physician and patient are in for a shock when Tina's powers unwittingly free camper-killer Jason Voorhees from his watery slumber.

2) Friday the 13th VI: Jason Lives: This is the film that brought Jason back from the dead. Not only in the film, but to audiences as well. Mixing humor, a heavy metal soundtrack and bringing back Tommy Jarvis as the hero this film is definitely the most fun of the series. Years ago, Tommy Jarvis (Thom Mathews) killed infamous hockey-masked murderer Jason Voorhees (C.J. Graham), and the intensity of the experience has landed him in a mental institution. To end his torment and achieve a level of closure, Tommy escapes from the hospital and heads to the graveyard where Jason is buried, intending to dig up the body and cremate it. But, before this total annihilation can occur, a freak electrical accident resurrects Jason from the dead, and the terror begins anew.

1) Friday the 13: The Final Chapter: The best of the series in my opinion. A great story, amazing special effects, and a great cast. This was meant to be the final entry of the series. I personally am glad is was not. But it sure is the best one out there. A carefree lakeside vacation is interrupted by the re-emergence of killer Jason Voorhees (Ted White). After he escapes from a morgue, leaving bodies in his wake, Jason travels to Camp Crystal Lake where a group of friends is staying. The teens meet some locals: Tommy (Corey Feldman) and Trish (Kimberly Beck), as well as secretive hiker Rob (Erich Anderson). As the group of teenagers engages in drunken debauchery, their numbers begin to dwindle, and pieces of the past resurface.