All 12 Friday the 13th Movies, Ranked

12. Jason X

Jason goes to space, fights a cyborg, and smashes someone’s frozen face – this movie is ridiculous, but that’s kind of the point. It’s far from good, but it’s creative, self-aware, and way more fun than it has any right to be. | © New Line Cinema

11. Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday

This one swings big with body-swapping, demonic lore, and barely any actual Jason, and it's not what fans expected. It’s weird, messy, and ambitious, but the low box office showed the gamble didn’t quite land. | © New Line Cinema

10. Friday The 13th Part 2

Jason steps into the spotlight for the first time, and Ginny Field steals the show as one of the franchise’s strongest leads. It’s a fun sequel, but compared to later entries, it doesn’t stand out as much as it once did. | © Paramount Pictures

9. Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan

Jason on a boat... then briefly in New York, it’s a wild idea that didn’t quite live up to its promise, mostly thanks to budget cuts. Still, it’s so over-the-top that it’s gained a cult following, and the rooftop boxing scene is unforgettable. | © Paramount Pictures

8. Friday The 13th Part III

This is where Jason truly becomes Jason, with hockey mask and all, and he’s colder, meaner, and more violent than ever. It’s one of the darkest entries, packed with brutal kills and a killer third act, even if it doesn’t get as much love as the first two. | © Paramount Pictures

7. Friday The 13th: A New Beginning

This is the one where Jason isn’t really Jason, just a guy in a mask pretending to be him. Fans weren’t thrilled, but the kills are brutal, and it still feels more like the early movies than some of the later ones. | © Paramount Pictures

6. Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood

This one gave Jason a new kind of enemy, a telekinetic teen named Tina, and a seriously cool, decayed look. It’s far from a critical darling, but fans showed up, and the idea of Carrie vs. Jason turned out to be more fun than it sounds. | © Paramount Pictures

5. Friday The 13th (2009

The opening 15 minutes feel like a perfect mini–Friday the 13th movie: fast, brutal, and effective. Unfortunately, the rest just rehashes the same beats with less urgency, making this glossy reboot more forgettable than it should’ve been. | © Warner Bros. Pictures

4. Freddy Vs. Jason

Freddy vs. Jason delivered exactly what fans wanted: a bloody, chaotic showdown between two horror icons. Ronny Yu’s flashy direction helped turn it into the highest-grossing film in the franchise, even if the plot was pure chaos. | © New Line Cinema

3. Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives

Self-aware without being obnoxious, Jason Lives brought humor, energy, and undead Jason to the franchise in the best way. Tom McLoughlin’s sharp direction helped turn what could’ve been a throwaway sequel into one of the standout entries in the series. | © Paramount Pictures

2. Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter

By shifting focus to the Jarvis family, especially young Tommy, played by Corey Feldman, this movie brought fresh energy to the formula. It’s brutal, fast-paced, and genuinely feels like it could have ended the series on a high note. | © Paramount Pictures

1. Friday The 13th

The original Friday the 13th barely resembles what the franchise would become. There is no hockey mask, and Jason isn’t even the killer. Still, it laid the foundation and remains one of the strongest entries in the series, thanks to its atmosphere and clever final twist. | © Warner Bros. Pictures