Friday the 13th Ranking

Over the summer, I decided to watch all of the Friday the 13th movies. Out of all of the big horror franchises (Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream), Friday the 13th is probably my least favorite as it is the most generic. This franchise takes a bit of a decline as the movies go on, starting off as a somewhat grounded horror film. However, in the later movies it becomes more and more over the top and goofier so that by the end, it doesn't feel much like a horror film. Even though it does have its faults, I still have some level of enjoyment with this franchise and can find some entertainment value in all of the films. With that being said, here are my thoughts and ranking of all 12 Friday the 13th films.

12. Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood

This film is definitely the weakest of the Friday the 13th films and the one that they were really stretching to find an idea on. The idea of the film is essentially about Jason vs Carrie felt like the writers just pulled an idea out of a jar and just went with it. The story is clunky at best, none of the characters are likable and the whole idea of a telepathic girl fighting Jason is just so absurd with just the whole ending being completely devoid of any sort of logical storytelling. Overall, this movie is just not good and would be one I wouldn't find myself re-watching very often.

Score: 4/10 Grade: D

11. Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday

This film is another that has just a bad idea for a story with an even poorer execution. The whole idea of Jason being this bug creature that can possess other people's bodies is absolutely stupid along with the whole start to this being because someone literally ate his heart. The movie goes on to include other stupid ideas such as making it so that Jason can only be destroyed by another Vorhees with some special dagger, just completely devoid of any sort of consistency or good storytelling. Finally, the story introduces several characters that are completely pointless to the story, namely the bounty hunter character. The movie sets him up to be a major character in the movie but gives him nothing to do for 90% of the run time. Overall, this is just a bad movie that like the last one isn't all that fun to watch.

Score: 4.5 /10 Grade: C-

10 . Friday the 13th: A New Beginning

A New Beginning is also one of the weaker films in the franchise. While it is still better than the previous films on this list, it is by no means a good film. One of the things I have issues with is the setting. I wasn't a huge fan of it taking place at a farm for mentally disturbed people. I also thought the catalyst that started the string of killings was really stupid. The handling of the Tommy character was also not really well done as he is in a completely different place than he was in the last film and his character is completely absent for a good chunk of the film. Finally, the ending was just really stupid in terms of the big "Scooby Doo reveal". In the end, while this one was at least someone entertaining it is still not good.

Score: 5/10 Grade: C

9. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter

Friday the 13th Part 4 starts the movies on this list that I actually enjoy watching. Part 4 is where this franchise really finds its groove in its traditional era of films. The plot is fairly straight forward and the characters are all pretty likable. This film also gives the introduction of Tommy who would become the standout for the next 3 films. Asides from that, the film is pretty forgettable. It sticks to the same formula as the previous 3 films and doesn't really stray much from that. While it doesn't do anything particularly bad like the previous films on this list, it doesn't do anything to really stand out either. It really doesn't have anything notable in it aside from Tommy that makes me remember this film.

Score: 5.5/10 Grade: C

8. Friday the 13th Part 2

Friday the 13th Part 2 is another one of those core 4 films that stuck to the original formula. The story is very simple and unlike the first film, this film actually has Jason as the killer and begins his reign for the rest of the franchise. However, aside from that this movie is essentially a rehash of the original film with yet another group of counselors setting up at Camp Crystal Lake that do drugs and each other while slowly getting picked off one by one. It doesn't add anything new to the story and just goes through the exact same plot as the original except with new characters. The film itself is also pretty uneventful with Jason not starting his kills until two-thirds of the way through the movie. Overall, this movie is entertaining enough but really doesn't do anything to differentiate it from the original.

Score: 5.6/10 Grade: C

7. Friday the 13th (2009)

Right in the middle of the pack is the Friday the 13th reboot from 2009. This movie was a good enough edition to the franchise. It has a stronger story than the other films and actually has a focused plot of Clay trying to find his sister that went missing. It allows the story to move at a solid pace and actually has an end goal in mind. The main issues in this film are that the characters are so poorly written. The main example is the Trent character. The movie can't decide whether they want him to be an uptight character that needs to learn to let loose or a selfish jerk that does whatever he wants. The character seems to flip on a whim and is just not consistent. The same is true for the rest of the characters. I also didn't like the film's portrayal of Jason. He is treated as more of an animal instead of a killer and just really lost what I enjoyed about him in the other films. In the end, this film has a better plot and story but some really poor characters.

Score: 5.7/10 Grade: C

6. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan

I had a lot of fun with this film but I can absolutely acknowledge that it is not good and really stupid.

This and the next film on this list are what I call Junk Food movies. They are very entertaining but incredibly stupid and not good at the same time. This film kind of steers away from the more scary tone and somewhat dives into the goofy and campy territory which makes for a very entertaining. The kills in this film also tie into that. They are entertaining but some of them are pretty ridiculous such as the one where Jason literally punches a guy's head off. The cons of this film are also what make it so goofy in that the story is incredibly stupid, with Jason following a bunch of teenagers on a boat and then chasing them around New York City, as well as all the characters being incredibly stupid such as the girl that randomly sees Jason in hallucinations for "reasons". Overall, this is an incredibly stupid but very entertaining movie.

Score: 5.8/10 Grade: C

5. Jason X

Just like the last film, this movie makes the complete circle of being so bad that it is good. It is an incredibly fun movie but also incredibly stupid at the same time. This movie felt like the writers were trying to come up with the stupidest ideas possible but what makes them work is that the movie goes all in and way over the top. It decides to take Jason into space which is a dumb idea and goes over the top with it so that it is very entertaining. The film also throws other crazy ideas in such as the martial arts fighting robot and Uber Jason but goes all in with the ideas that it is fun to watch. There is campy action and cheesy one-liners as well that just make me laugh so much. While the horror aspect of the film is completely lost, it is still a fun campy space movie that is so bad that it is fun.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

4. Friday the 13th Part III

Friday the 13th Part III is the peak of iconic Friday the 13th films. It gives Jason the iconic hockey mask, really finds its groove with how to do the kills, and has enough kills that it is spread out throughout the film and not just in the final third. The film also has some fun likable characters that somewhat make you feel bad when they die. However, not unlike the other beginning films in this franchise, the plot is pretty weak. Just like parts 1 and 2, the story is basically about a bunch of kids getting killed by Jason around Crystal Lake. No goal or story, just let's watch some kids get killed. The other issue with this film is that they try to get on the whole 3D bandwagon so the film is full of shots where characters are just sticking random things into the camera to get the 3D effect without much of any reason why other than look at the 3D. All in all, this is a solid addition to the franchise that finds its groove in terms of pacing and kills even if it is still not great on a plot level.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

3. Friday the 13th

The original Friday the 13th is still one of the stronger ones. Since it is the first film, it doesn't fall victim to being just a rehash since it introduced the formula. This is the film that started this entire franchise and paved the way for many other slasher films and spoofs. I also like that this film has more of a mystery too since Jason is not yet the killer of the franchise. It has a good deal of intrigue behind it as the killer is hidden until the last section of the movie. The film also has better pacing than some of the others in that the counselors are slowly picked off one by one throughout the film as compared to the kills not happening until the last third of the movie. However, like the other films, this movie does have the issue of not being very plot-driven. It is centered around a bunch of people getting killed until someone finally notices. There isn't much of a goal or purpose driving the story aside from that. Overall, this is an entertaining film and a good start to the franchise.

Score: 6. 7/10 Grade: B-

2. Freddy Vs. Jason

Freddy Vs. Jason is just a lot of fun to watch. It has a really enjoyable premise of pitting two famous horror icons against each other with the movie really being able to pull it off. Both Freddy and Jason get their individual time to shine by getting some good action in but the movie really delivers on the titular fight between the two characters. It allows the two to fight for a good chunk of the movie instead of just a 5-minute fight and really gets some good fight scenes. All of this factors in to make the movie super entertaining delivering exactly what the audience wants. The only holdup on this film is that the human characters are all very forgettable and just seem like they are there as "background noise" or as a plot device to move Jason from point A to point B. In the end, this is just a fun movie that absolutely delivers on the Freddy Vs Jason action that one would expect.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

1. Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives

Friday the 13th Part VI is definitely the best film in this franchise. What differentiates it from the other films is that this one actually has a solid plot that makes sense. The whole premise here is that Jason has returned from the dead and Tommy needs to rush back to the camp to stop him from killing a bunch of people. It has a driving story throughout the entire film, an end goal in mind that needs to be accomplished, and a sense of urgency. It delivers all of the excitement that one should get from a Friday the 13th film while still being able to actually provide a good film. The characters in this film are also pretty likable. Tommy being the standout in the film, you really want him to be able to succeed and stop Jason from finishing his goal. Overall, this is a great addition to the franchise, provides a solid plot and excitement, and is just an entertaining time.

Score: 7.2/10 Grade: B