Friday the 13th proper watch order and review

Spooky season starts early this year, with Friday the 13th coming up in September.  

I have compiled the proper watch order of the 12 Friday the 13th films and how great they are in this amazing horror franchise. 

The first film you watch is Friday the 13th (1980). This film follows a group of counselors at Camp Crystal Lake who let a young boy drown because they were too busy fooling around instead of doing their jobs. This film has many kills and shows that this franchise is not joking with gore and effects. 

Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981). This film takes place five years after the first and has us returning to Camp Crystal Lake which is reopening after the incidents of the first film. This is the film with the reveal of the killer’s identity. 

Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982). This film starts at the end of the second film and has a new main cast waiting for Jason’s wrath. We find out the main protagonist is not a rookie when it comes to dealing with murders at Crystal Lake. 

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) starts a day after part 3 ended. This planned to be the end of the Friday the 13th saga, but Jason just keeps coming back. This movie follows a different group of teens headed to the lake. This movie has a very important character named Tommy who saves the day. 

Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1985). This movie takes place several years after the fourth and follows Tommy as a teenager who is struggling with life after his encounter with Jason in the past. 

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) is the last to feature Tommy as the protagonist and is about his return to Crystal Lake after leaving the mental institution. Tommy accidentally reanimates Jason and gives him superhuman strength. 

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) features main character Tina who has psychokinetic memories. She goes to Crystal Lake and accidentally wakes Jason from his slumber since the last film. 

Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989). Jason gets reanimated at the bottom of the lake by some wires from a houseboat and his rampage begins with him hopping on a boat to New York City. Jason stalks main character Rennie throughout the city. He gets plenty of kills even though he is in new surroundings. 

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) has Jason return to Crystal Lake and get killed by an FBI agent. The coroner eats Jason’s heart and Jason possesses his body. The only way to truly kill Jason is for a family member to do it. If Jason possesses the relative, he will return to his superhuman powers. This movie is a race against time. At the end of the film, you hear Freddy Krueger’s laugh and see his glove grab Jasons mask. 

Freddy Vs. Jason (2003). This movie starts off with Freddy trapped in hell getting weaker because his victims no longer fear him. He resurrects Jason to kill for him and make people fear Freddy again. In the end, Freddy decides it is easier to kill Jason rather than sharing victims. 

Jason X (2002). This film stands alone and has no connection to the others besides Jason himself. The big selling point on this movie was that Jason goes to space. This film has Jason going on a rampage on a space craft, centuries in the future compared to the other films. 

Friday the 13th (2009). This movie is a reboot to the series and changes the story up a little bit. Jason witnesses the murder of his mother while he is a young child. 30 years later, he starts his revenge and kidnaps Whitney since she reminds Jason of his mother. While the others are looking for Whitney, Jason look for who to start killing first. 

This film franchise has changed the horror/ slasher genre forever and has changed how special effects are used in all films. Keep safe this spooky season and have a good Friday the 13th.