The Friday the 13thfranchise has an interesting timeline thanks to the fictional history of its main killer, Jason Voorhees, and his apparent immortality. The story of the Friday the 13th movies chronologically stretches from the 1950s to 25th century, with a reboot and a crossover movie making things even more complicated. Watching the Friday the 13th movies in order isn’t a difficult task, though the timeline of events can be confusing as, while all the movies do revolve around the titular day, not all of them give a year for when the events take place.
The chronological order of the Friday the 13th movies starts off simple enough, as most of the first three sequels take place over one continuous stretch of time. However, things start to become more difficult to follow after the first of Jason’s on screen deaths, which prompts a brief hiatus for the character, a resurrection and even more deaths following that. Watching in order of release is still the most recommendable course of action for new fans to the franchise, but certain entries can be skipped as long as they roughly know where each entry picks up and leaves off.
|
Franchise Entry |
Release Year |
|---|---|
|
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 (Reboot) |
2009 |
1 Friday The 13th (1980)
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7/10 7.8/10 Friday the 13th R
Friday the 13th is a horror-slasher film by director Sean S. Cunningham and follows a group of camp counselors who are stalked and murdered by an unknown assailant while trying to reopen a summer known to be the site of a child’s drowning and a grisly double murder. The film began a decades-long franchise that would eventually lead to the creation of Jason Vorhees, one of the most popular horror icons of all time.
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*Availability in US Director Sean S. Cunningham Release Date May 9, 1980 Writers Victor Miller Cast Peter Brouwer , Adrienne King , Betsy Palmer , Jeannine Taylor , Kevin Bacon , Robbi Morgan , Harry Crosby Runtime 95 minutes
The original Friday The 13th movie follows a group of camp counselors setting up for summer at Camp Crystal Lake when a mysterious killer picks them off one by one. The film begins with a sequence depicting murders at the camp in 1958, but the main story is set in June 1979. It kicked off an era of 1980s teen slasher flicks that are considered some of the best.
Camp Crystal Lake becomes the usual location for the movie franchise, but not for every movie in the franchise going forward. Though Jason Voorhees is the villain of the franchise, he is not the killer in the original film. Following the original, he’s become one of the most iconic horror villains, but when it’s revealed that the murders are all committed by Jason’s mother, it’s not what the audience is initially expecting. She is motivated by Jason’s drowning at the lake in 1957.
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2 Friday The 13th Part 2 (1981)
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6/10 8/10 Friday the 13th Part 2 r
Friday the 13th Part 2 was directed by Steve Miner and written by Ron Kurz. It’s a direct sequel to the horror/slasher film Friday the 13th and is the second overall movie in the series. Two months after the first film’s events, the only surviving camper is murdered by a new unknown entity, acting as a catalyst for a new massacre at Camp Crystal Lake.
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*Availability in US Director Steve Miner Release Date May 1, 1981 Writers Ron Kurz Cast Amy Steel , John Furey , Adrienne King , Stu Charno , Warrington Gillette , Steve Daskewisz , Walt Gorney Runtime 87minutes
…no character is safe in this franchise.
The majority of Friday the 13th Part 2 is set five years after the original film, though it does contain an opening sequence set two months after the events of the first film, in August 1979, and it does kill off the original movie’s final girl. In reality, actress Adrienne King was dealing with a stalker and didn’t want to be as heavily involved in the production when it came time to film.
The solution of the team behind the scenes was to kill Alice and focus on a new group of characters. While it might have angered some slasher fans, it gave the movies real stakes as other ongoing movies kept a core character around for multiple installments. Alice being dispatched after one scene in the sequel makes it clear that no character is safe in this franchise.
The main story follows a new group of would-be counselors, this time attending a school for counselors on the shores of Crystal Lake. Though this film does feature Jason as the killer, he has yet to reach his final form and don his iconic hockey mask. He instead uses a sack with a single eyehole cut into it to cover his face, which is an eerie and interesting addition to the list of Jason Voorhees’ many masks.
3 Friday The 13th Part III (1982)
Friday the 13th Part 3 R
Directed by Steve Miner, Friday the 13th Part III is the third film in the horror/slasher franchise and picks up directly after the events of Part 2. Wounded and recovering from his last killing spree, Jason Vorhees prepares for his next set of victims when a new group of teenagers arrives at a remote cabin on Crystal Lake.
Director Steve Miner Release Date August 13, 1982 Writers Martin Kitrosser , Carol Watson Cast Dana Kimmell , Paul Kratka , Richard Brooker , Tracie Savage , Jeffrey Rogers , Catherine Parks , Larry Zerner Runtime 95 Minutes
This is the first time the franchise moves away from Camp Crystal Lake – in a manner of speaking. Following on directly from the events of Friday the 13th Part 2, Jason continues his killing spree, focusing on a house full of teens nearby to Crystal Lake in Friday the 13th Part III. For many fans of the franchise, this is the best of the Friday the 13th movies because it’s where Jason truly becomes Jason.
He finally puts on his hockey mask in this movie and the entry also stands out as being the only 3D entry into the franchise so far. Part III also features the first of many onscreen Jason deaths, when he’s hit in the head with an axe by the Friday the 13th franchise’s third final girl.
4 Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) R
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter is the fourth installment in the Friday the 13th franchise. Directed by Joseph Zito, the film continues the story of Jason Voorhees, the infamous and relentless killer, who goes on another murderous spree. Set in the familiar locale of Crystal Lake, it focuses on a group of teens who become Jason’s latest targets, culminating in a climactic confrontation meant to bring the saga to an end.
Director Joseph Zito Release Date April 13, 1984 Writers Barney Cohen , Bruce Hidemi Sakow , Ron Kurz , Victor Miller , Carol Watson , Martin Kitrosser Cast Judie Aronson , Kimberly Beck , Joan Freeman , Barbara Howard , Corey Feldman , Erich Anderson , Peter Barton , Crispin Glover Runtime 91 Minutes
The fourth Friday the 13th movie, The Final Chapter, begins the evening following the ending of Part III. The timeline of the early movies of the franchise occurs in a relatively condensed frame with just a few months taking place from the first to the fourth movie. Here, the audience is aware that almost no time has passed because of Jason’s body being taken to the morgue to kick off the events of the film.
It isn’t long before he comes back to life and begins a new killing spree. Though Jason’s death at the end of the movie wouldn’t last particularly long, the movie introduced the character of Tommy Jarvis (Corey Feldman in this installment), who would lead the next two movies in the franchise and become one of the rare survivors of Jason Voorhees.
5 Friday The 13th: A New Beginning (1985)
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10/10 Friday the 13th: A New Beginning R
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning is the fifth film in the horror/slasher franchise directed by Danny Steinmann. Set five years after the last film, Tommy Jarvis returns after years spent in an institution after he slew Jason Vorhees to protect himself and his sister. However, when a new killer donning the mask of Jason arrives in the area, Tommy must face his nightmare-given form once again as a new group of teenagers struggles to stay alive.
Director Danny Steinmann Release Date March 22, 1985 Writers Martin Kitrosser , David Cohen , David Steinmann Cast Melanie Kinnaman , John Shepherd , Shavar Ross , Richard Young , Marco St. John , Tom Morga , Dick Wieand Runtime 92 Minutes
With A New Beginning, the Friday the 13th franchise got its second timeline jump following the events of The Final Chapter, as it follows an adolescent Tommy Jarvis (John Shepherd here) five years later as he attempts to cope with the trauma of having met and killed Jason as a child. A new series of murders follows Tommy at his group home, though, despite some twists and dream sequences, Jason remains dead in this installment and does not return to the franchise until the following movie.
This movie is seen as one of the more experimental installments in the franchise. For one, it’s a bigger time jump than the first few movies in the franchise. For another, it changes up the killer for the movies, and by this point, Jason has already become something of a horror icon. It also plays with a similar idea that a lot of the slasher movies of the era would: putting young people in a home for troubled youth who are really just traumatized by their past. All of that adds up to it not being the best of the franchise, but still a solid installment.
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6 Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
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10/10 Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives R
The sixth film in the franchise, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, is a horror/slasher film that brings back Tommy Jarvis to contend with Jason Vorhees again. After Jarvis accidentally resurrects Jason while trying to destroy his body for good, Tommy must battle his inner demons and return to Crystal Lake to stop Jason’s undead rampage against a new group of teens and adults.
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*Availability in US Director Tom McLoughlin Release Date August 1, 1986 Writers Tom McLoughlin Cast Thom Mathews , Jennifer Cooke , David Kagen , Kerry Noonan , Renée Jones , Tom Fridley , Darcy DeMoss , C. J. Graham Runtime 86 Minutes
The year following the events of A New Beginning sees Tommy Jarvis (now played by Thom Matthews in another recast) doing better but still haunted by the memory of Jason. In an attempt to destroy Jason’s body once and for all, Tommy accidentally ends up seeing Jason resurrected. Jason returning to life means the iconic villain is ready for a new slew of murders that takes the action back to Camp Crystal Lake, which has been renamed Camp Forest Green in an attempt to distance itself from Jason’s legacy.
Though Tommy doesn’t kill Jason in this film, he does successfully imprison Jason at the bottom of the lake, where the killer remains dormant until he’s unleashed again in the following film. It’s a great way to seemingly put a pin in the movies, but keep the door open for the villain to return in the future.
7 Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
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10/10 Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood R
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood is the seventh mainline film in the iconic horror/slasher franchise, directed by John Carl Buechler. Following a traumatic incident from her childhood, a telekinetic teenager named Tina Shepard returns to her old home on Crystal Lake years later, where she accidentally resurrects the masked serial killer, Jason Vorhees.
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*Availability in US Director John Carl Buechler Release Date May 13, 1988 Writers Manuel Fidello , Daryl Haney Cast Lar Park Lincoln , Kevin Blair , Susan Blu , Terry Kiser , Kane Hodder , Susan Jennifer Sullivan , Elizabeth Kaitan Runtime 88 Minutes
This movie sees another time jump for the franchise. Since the first four movies took place so close together, each time jump helps to get the movies closer to the current date of their release. Following the ending of Jason Lives, Jason spends the next seven years trapped at the bottom of Crystal Lake, which takes back its original name during that time.
During those years, a young Rennie Wickham has a life-changing encounter with Jason while he’s at the bottom of the lake, though this would not become known until the events of the eighth movie, which Rennie leads. At the end of the seven years, the events of The New Blood take place.
If Jason coming back to life had already hinted at the potential for supernatural in the franchise, this movie cements it. Jason is freed from his watery prison by the telekinetic powers of Tina Shepard. Tina is actually trying to resurrect her father, whom she previously killed with her abilities, though the doctor treating her is hoping to harness that power for his own use. Tina sets out to stop Jason when she realizes what’s happening, and he ends up imprisoned in the lake yet again following his killing spree.
8 Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
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3/10 Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan R
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan is the eighth installment in the horror/slasher franchise featuring the hockey-masked serial killer Jason Vorhees. Jason is resurrected again, setting him on a killing spree aboard a teen-filled yacht. However, the survivors escape into New York City, setting the zombified serial killer loose on the Big Apple.
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*Availability in US Director Rob Hedden Release Date July 28, 1989 Writers Rob Hedden Cast Jensen Daggett , Scott Reeves , Barbara Bingham , Peter Mark Richman , Martin Cummins , Kane Hodder Runtime 100 Minutes
One year on from the events of The New Blood, Jason is freed from the bottom of Crystal Lake once again when a boat’s propeller hits a nearby power line and revives him. He sets his sights on a group of teenagers on a cruise, but when they escape into the city, he follows.
As the eighth Friday the 13th movie’s title implies, Jason then makes his way to Manhattan to wreak some havoc on the Big Apple with some of his best kills in the Friday the 13th series. It’s the farthest the franchise has really traveled from the Camp Crystal Lake territory and aesthetic at that point. Jason is seemingly killed once again at the end of the movie by a flood of corrosive toxic waste, though he will return again for another movie, of course.
9 Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
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3/10 Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday R
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday is the ninth film in the horror/slasher franchise, directed by Adam Marcus. Jason Vorhees returns as a malevolent spirit seeking the means to resurrect himself – but to do so, he must find a surviving member of his bloodline. Leaping between bodies, Jason continues his trail of carnage in Crystal Lake as he hunts down his half-sister and her infant daughter.
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*Availability in US Director Adam Marcus Release Date August 13, 1993 Writers Jay Huguely , Dean Lorey Cast John D. LeMay , Kari Keegan , Erin Gray , Allison Smith , Steven Culp , Steven Williams , Kane Hodder Runtime 90 Minutes
Unlike the other movies in the Friday the 13th franchise, this installment doesn’t make just when the events pick up very clear. Though the exact date of Jason Goes to Hell is uncertain, it does take place, at the very least, a few years after the events of Jason Takes Manhattan.
The beginning of the film sees Jason back at Camp Crystal Lake before his body is destroyed by police in a hail of bullets and explosions. The rest of the film sees Jason’s spirit possess various people in his quest to be reborn, which ultimately fails, resulting in Jason being taken to hell. Before the credits roll, however, the distinct clawed hand of Freddy Krueger is seen dragging Jason’s mask down into the dirt, setting up a crossover movie that would not arrive for another decade.
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10 Freddy Vs. Jason (2003)
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6/10 8.3/10 Freddy vs. Jason R
The rise of Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees in the ‘80s made them two of horror’s most iconic villains, and in 2003 after years in development hell, the pair finally faced off. In order to return to power, Freddy (Robert Englund) needs people to be scared of him again. To make this happen, Freddy resurrects Jason (Ken Kirzinger) and tricks him into going on a killing spree around Springfield. Things don’t go according to plan when Lori (Monica Keena) and her friends fight back, which results in Freddy and Jason duking it out for supremacy.
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*Availability in US Director Ronny Yu Release Date August 15, 2003 Writers Mark Swift , Damian Shannon Cast Robert Englund , Ken Kirzinger , Monica Keena , Jason Ritter , Kelly Rowland , Chris Marquette Runtime 98 Minutes
Like Jason Goes to Hell, the exact year that this Friday the 13th movie takes place in isn’t readily apparent, though it can be surmised that it takes place in 2003 as it takes place after the events of both Jason Goes to Hell and Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, which dates itself as taking place ten years into the future, which would presumably be no later than 2001 as the film was released in 1991. The movie sees the two horror icons fight “to the death,” but they’re both seen alive at the end.
Regardless of this and the film’s box office success, both franchises would be rebooted entirely for their next installments. However, the continuity set up by Freddy vs. Jason did receive a sequel in the form of the comic book series Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash, which is set five years after the events of Freddy vs. Jason. This comic series would also get a sequel set six months after the original’s events titled The Nightmare Warriors, though neither comic series would impact the events of later films in any of their respective franchises.
11 Friday The 13th (2009)
Friday the 13th (2009) R
Friday the 13th is a remake of the 1980s iconic horror slasher franchise, directed by Marcus Nispel and released in 2009. This reboot centers on Clay Miller, a young man searching for his missing sister in Crystal Lake. As Clay runs into a group of friends vacationing at the ill-fated lake, a hockey-masked killer begins to stalk them relentlessly as they approach the campgrounds.
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*Availability in US Director Marcus Nispel Release Date February 13, 2009 Writers Damian Shannon , Mark Swift Cast Jared Padalecki , Danielle Panabaker , Aaron Yoo , Amanda Righetti , Travis Van Winkle , Derek Mears Runtime 97 Minutes
The reboot movie, which stands alone with the Friday the 13th continuity, begins in 1980 as a reference to the year that the original film was released and recreates its events, though the events of the first film were set in 1979. Most of the movie’s actual story, however, takes place in 2009, the same year the movie was released.
The film incorporates elements from the early Friday the 13th movie into a new story that contains all the hallmarks of the franchise, from Camp Crystal Lake to Jason’s hockey mask and his complicated relationship with his mother. The film ends on a cliffhanger of sorts but no sequel to it materialized. It was clearly meant to start a new era for the franchise, but unfortunately, the movies came to something of a standstill at that point as the result of a lawsuit that eventually saw the rights for the franchise revert back to the original writer.
12 Jason X (2002)
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6/10 Jason X R
Jason X is the tenth installment in the Friday the 13th franchise. This 2001 sci-fi horror film brings back slasher icon Jason Voorhees in 2455 after being cryogenically frozen for 445 years. As usual, anyone who crosses the path of the now cybernetically enhanced killer suffers a painful death, this time in outer space.
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*Availability in US Director James Isaac Release Date April 26, 2002 Writers James Isaac Cast Kane Hodder , David Cronenberg , Lexa Doig , Lisa Ryder , Chuck Campbell , Melyssa Ade , Peter Mensah Runtime 93 Minutes
Though not the most recent Friday the 13th movie to be produced, Jason X is still chronologically the final film in the main continuity of the franchise. A sci-fi departure for the Friday the 13th franchise, the film sees Jason cryogenically frozen in 2010 and awoken in the year 2455 for a rampage in space as he stalks students on a ship before being finally destroyed.
Beyond the space setting and the cryogenic freezing, Jason X also has another sci-fi bent. It doesn’t treat Jason’s numerous “deaths” and resurrections as something supernatural as earlier installments in the franchise have. Instead, he’s discussed as having regenerative capabilities, something that’s seen in plenty of comic book storylines. Scientists want to study his ability to heal and grow new cells. It’s certainly the most far removed from the other movies in timeline and subject matter.
This is Jason’s final death in the continuity of the Friday the 13th movies, though he would appear again in Freddy vs. Jason and the reboot film, which released after this one.