#12: Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning: I get what they were trying to do with this movie. They attempted to kill Jason off for good in the previous movie, and wanted to pass the torch off to someone new. The problem is the final result was an unfocused mess that didn't really feel like a new beginning (or justified) in any way. It seemed closer to falling back on all of the old tricks. The kills were pretty tame for the most part, and the killer reveal (and motivation) didn't make any sense.
#11: Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan: When I first saw this movie, I remember thinking it was my least favorite. My opinion ultimately hasn't changed much because I still find it relatively dull in the long run. The one thing I definitely think puts this a notch above A New Beginning is Kane Hodder as Jason. The man was committed to the role, and actually gave the character something of mean streak.
#10: Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday: I respect that this was an attempt to really try something new and different with Jason. Kane Hodder's back for about five minutes, and he is my personal favorite of the actors who have played Jason. The main problem I have with Jason Goes to Hell is that it tried something different, and it just didn't work. I'm not sure why, but I can believe Jason going to space, Jason coming back as a zombie, and Jason fighting a teenage girl with telekinetic powers before I could honestly believe him being a demonic creature that jumps from body to body.
#09: Friday the 13th Part 3: This might be the dullest movie in the franchise. One or two deaths might stick out, but that's about it. Richard Brooker is fairly underrated as Jason in my opinion, and I give the movie credit for being the originator of the now iconic hockey mask. My biggest problem with this movie is that this was actually the first time they tried ending the franchise, and I'm glad the series didn't end with this movie. If it had, then this franchise would have gone out with a whimper instead of a bang.
#08: Freddy vs. Jason: The stuff between Freddy and Jason is awesome. I love their fights, and there's some pretty creative kills. The problem is, there wasn't enough Freddy vs. Jason. You don't really care that much about the dumb teenagers that are just there to die. I actually enjoy this movie, but when I really think about it, I can't put it any higher than this.
#07: Jason X: I wasn't sure where to put Freddy vs. Jason and Jason X, I settled on ranking Jason X above Freddy vs. Jason for a couple of reasons. The first one is that this is the last movie of the series where Kane Hodder played Jason. The second is this movie has my absolute favorite kill in the entire Friday the 13th franchise.
#06: Friday the 13th (2009): Of all the horror remakes to come out of the 21st century, this is the one I think is kind of unfairly hated. I'm pretty sure the filmmakers were just trying to make a Friday the 13th movie and ran with it. Derek Mears is a solid Jason Voorhees, and some of the kills are pretty entertaining. One or two characters are enjoyable (and the actors actually give pretty good performances).
#05: Friday the 13th Part 2: This is the first movie in the series where Jason was the killer. Ginny was a solid heroine, and actually uses psychology to try and stop Jason's rampage. One of the things that I think works about this movie is that the first two victims are the only two survivors of the first film, so it gives off a feeling of legitimate uneasiness because it tells you that anybody can go this time around.
#04: Friday the 13th (1980): Aside from some of the acting being pretty underwhelming, the original Friday the 13th movie is a good slasher with a decent mystery aspect to it. Some of the kills are pretty creative. I enjoy seeing a young Kevin Bacon. Betsy Palmer as Mrs. Voorhees steals the show, even though she's hardly in the movie. Adrienne King as final girl Alice is pretty good, and honestly seems like she gets overlooked a lot.
#03: Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood: After Jason Lives turned Jason Voorhees into a zombie, having him fight a girl with psychic abilities felt like the logical next step. The character Tina Shepard is my favorite final girl of the franchise. Kane Hodder is my favorite Jason actor, and this movie is a big part of why. This is the movie that cemented the character's (and actor's) brutal streak. The fights between Jason and Tina are also pretty fun, especially because Jason doesn't often have a hero figure that's actually a match for him.
#02: Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives: After Part 5 seemed like it was going to kill and bury the franchise for good, Jason Lives was a shot in the arm for the franchise. Zombie Jason is pretty entertaining, and some of the best kills come out of this movie. Standouts include the paintball scene and the scene in the van. Out of the three actors to play Tommy Jarvis, this verison is my absolute favorite.
#01: Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter: This might just be the most brutal movie in the series, and actually succeeds as a "final chapter" where part 3 and Jason Goes to Hell failed. I mentioned that Jason's kills are some of the brutal in this movie. There's a guy who has his head twisted around after his throat is cut with a saw. Crispin Glover gets stabbed in the face with a meat cleaver. Even Jason's own death is pretty nasty. Corey Feldman as Tommy Jarvis also provides the first time the series played around with what the main protagonist in one of these movies could be.
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