Movies How to watch the Friday the 13th movies in order by release date If you're hankering to see Jason Voorhees sport his iconic hockey mask, skip ahead to Part III. By Chris Snellgrove Published on October 13, 2023 06:15PM EDT Halloween is the perfect time to watch the Friday the 13th movies and relive the glory days of your own misspent youth — just as Jason Voorhees explores the gory days of his brutal killings. But, as is the case with many horror franchises, finding where to stream these films can feel as difficult as killing the villain at the center of them. Don't worry, though: we here at EW gathered everything you need to know about how to watch the Friday the 13th movies in order by release date. So, grab that hockey mask and keep reading to plan your next horror movie marathon. 01 of 12 Friday the 13th (1980) Everett Collection There is a certain campy (no pun intended) charm to watching the original Friday the 13th. This tale of a mysterious killer taking out horny teens one by one seems downright quaint decades after it came out in 1980. EW's critic was quick to acknowledge how it can be difficult for modern horror fans to make peace with the fact that this first franchise entry is simultaneously "a slavish copy of Halloween" and an inferior version of the slasher genre that Scream arguably perfected. But there are still some stand-out performances from actors like Betsy Palmer and a very young Kevin Bacon, plus Tom Savini's effects are absolute perfection in their gory glory. Where to watch Friday the 13th: Max EW grade: F (read the review) Director: Sean S. Cunningham Cast: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram, Mark Nelson, Jeannine Taylor, Robbi Morgan, Kevin Bacon Related content: Kevin Bacon: My life in horror, from Friday the 13th to You Should Have Left 02 of 12 Friday the 13th: Part 2 (1981) Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection If you haven't streamed the series in a while, you may be surprised by how long it takes for the central villain to become a fully-formed horror icon. As EW's writer noted in our ranking of the Friday the 13th movies, it's the second film that "marks the first appearance of grown-up Jason Voorhees, and sets the character's template for the rest of the franchise's run." Sure, he has a limp bag over his head, but that look is no less goofy than the familiar plot of camp counselors getting stalked as Crystal Lake re-earns its former grisly nickname: "Camp Blood." But there's still fun to be had in a film surprisingly steeped in Voorhees mythos. Come for the laughs, stay for the surprisingly creative kills. Where to watch Friday the 13th: Part 2: Max Director: Steve Miner Cast: Adrienne King, Amy Steel, John Furey, Stu Charno, Warrington Gillette, Steve Daskewisz Related content: The real-life filming locations of Friday the 13th 03 of 12 Friday the 13th: Part III (1982) Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection Though Jason's hockey mask is one of the more iconic slasher images in horror history, we don't actually see it on screen until the third film. But that revelation doesn't make up for the otherwise boring storyline of youngsters vs. Jason vs. a street gang (no, really) in a movie that, frankly, might make you miss the familiar formula of counselors in danger. Actors like Dana Kimmell and Richard Brooker do their best to animate this shambling film, but it's no match for the bad effects and garish 3-D shots. Where to watch Friday the 13th: Part 3: Max Director: Steve Miner Cast: Dana Kimmell, Paul Kratka, Richard Brooker Related content: Friday the 13th prequel series Crystal Lake in the works at Peacock 04 of 12 Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) Depending on who you ask, some gorehounds insist that Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter is as good as the franchise ever got. Despite its misleading title (there are many, many more chapters) the third sequel provides a change of pace and environment. When Crispin Glover and his cadre of risqué teenagers meet up with a wholesome family (including a very young Corey Feldman), the returning Jason Voorhees has not one but two different houses to haunt. Our series retrospective maintains that this is the rare entry that boasts a "satisfying narrative" with "a ton of good stunts, some truly bizarre psycho-sexual subtext, and a bunch of neat kills." Where to watch Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter: Max Director: Joseph Zito Cast: Kimberly Beck, Peter Barton, Crispin Glover, Cory Feldman Related content: The Jasons of Friday the 13th 05 of 12 Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1985) Everett Collection For the first time since the original installment, A New Beginning breaks with tradition by focusing on a villain other than the infamous Jason. Now, "the killer who is picking off the residents of a halfway house is actually an impostor posing as Jason, using his legend as a smoke screen," says EW's writer. Though this may sound enticing, the concept is more interesting than the execution; but if you love over-the-top horror films, the fifth Friday the 13th movie is one to watch. Just beware: After viewing, you'll be cracking jokes about "those damn enchiladas" until your friends resort to violence, too. Where to watch Friday the 13th V: A New Beginning: Max Director: Danny Steinmann Cast: Melanie Kinnaman, John Shepherd, Shavar Ross, Richard Young, Marco St. John, Carol Locatell Related content: Carol Locatell, Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning's foul-mouthed Ethel Hubbard, dies at 82 06 of 12 Friday the 13th VI: Jason Lives (1986) 'Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives'. Everett Collection A New Beginning's failed experiment signaled that the Friday the 13th franchise, unlike its angry antagonist, might finally die. And yet, we got Jason Lives, the sixth installment which "brought [Jason] back from the dead to rip hearts out and save the series." When a grown Tommy Jarvis ends up resurrecting the famed killer Frankenstein-style, he must work with some unlikely allies to end the terror he helped unleash. This entry stands out as the funniest one, as performances by Thom Matthews and Jennifer Cooke help bring out the sillier side of Jason, even in confrontational moments. The film is admittedly a treat for completionist fans, and it's also notable for being the first chapter that actually sees kids attend Camp Crystal Lake. Where to watch Friday the 13th VI: Jason Lives: Max Director: Tom McLoughlin Cast: Thom Mathews, Jennifer Cooke, David Kagen, Kerry Noonan, Renée Jones Related content: Get the stats on Friday the 13th's Jason 07 of 12 Friday the 13th VII: The New Blood (1988) While Jason Lives helped to bring the franchise back to life, The New Blood threatened to chain its undying corpse to the bottom of Crystal Lake. The plot seems like the usual fare: Jason gets awakened and terrorizes a small family as well as a nearby group of party-hearty teens. It's reminiscent of The Final Chapter with an important twist: Jason (played by man mountain Kane Hodder) must contend with a young woman who is mastering her telekinetic powers. This quirky showdown unsurprisingly inspired the horror community to dub the film "Jason vs. Carrie." Unfortunately, that's a much cooler idea on paper than in execution given the utterly forgettable result. Where to watch Friday the 13th VII: The New Blood: Max Director: John Carl Buechler Cast: Lar Park Lincoln, Kevin Blair, Susan Blu, Terry Kiser, Kane Hodder Related content: Friday the 13th Part VII and Troll director John Carl Buechler dies at 66 08 of 12 Friday the 13th VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) 'Jason Takes Manhattan'. Everett Collection With a subtitle like Jason Takes Manhattan, you might expect to see the hardened killer spend most of the movie raging through NYC. Yet, like The Final Chapter before it, this sequel's title is misleading as most of the runtime takes place on a boat en route to the Big Apple. (Who knew Crystal Lake connects so closely to the ocean?) Contradictions aside, if you're in the camp that loves unhinged horror, you'll get a kick out of Kane Hodder reprising the role of Jason. When this hulking actor knocks a character's head clean off with a single punch, his intimidating physique makes it seem downright realistic (and damn scary). Where to watch Friday the 13th VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan: Max Director: Rob Hedden Cast: Jensen Daggett, Scott Reeves, Barbara Bingham, Peter Mark Richman, Martin Cummins, Kane Hodder Related content: Scream VI filmmakers studied Jason Takes Manhattan before making NYC-set slasher sequel 09 of 12 Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) ew Line Cinema/courtesy Everett Collection Jason Goes to Hell isn't just an inflammatory title; it's also an apt description of the direction this movie takes the franchise. After a very clever opening, the film explores an interesting premise: What if Jason Voorhees were just as dangerous after being blown up by modern weaponry? As EW's critic pointed out in their review, the ninth film tries to change things up by integrating "ideas swiped from The Terminator, The Hidden, and Alien." Unfortunately, the sum is less than its parts, and not even performances from great actors like Steven Williams can save it. At the very least, you can enjoy the strange trivia that Evil Dead's Necronomicon appears here — and that director Adam Marcus considers Jason to be a Deadite. Where to watch Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday: Max EW grade: F (read the review) Director: Adam Marcus Cast: John D. LeMay, Kari Keegan, Erin Gray, Allison Smith, Steven Culp, Steven Williams Related content: Stephen King wanted to write a novel about Jason Voorhees 10 of 12 Jason X (2001) There was almost a whole decade of peace without a new Friday the 13th movie. Then came Jason X, a 10th chapter that sends the hulking slasher to space where he gets a new mask and futuristic tools for taking on his starship-bound victims. But these targets don't make for great characters, with EW's critic even labeling them "noncharacters… who include one fembot and three scantily topped human women who talk like fembots." And though their dialogue lacks depth, actors like Lexa Doig and Lisa Ryder find the cheesy humor inherent in Jason's schlocky trip out of this world. Kane Hodder returns once more, and he's at the center of a sleeping bag scene sure to make longtime fans seriously laugh. Where to watch Jason X: Philo EW grade: D- (read the review) Director: Jim Isaac Cast: Kane Hodder, Lexa Doig, Lisa Ryder, Chuck Campbell Related content: All of the Friday the 13th movies, ranked 11 of 12 Freddy vs. Jason (2003) James Dittiger Freddy vs. Jason is one of the few films in this franchise that needs no introduction. It delivers exactly what the title promises in the form of a knock-down, drag-out fight between the title characters. Robert Englund is back as Freddy Krueger and Ken Kirzinger does a perfectly serviceable job bringing Jason Voorhees to the ring — but it's the former who steals the show. As EW's critic asserts, "Robert Englund's performance as Freddy hasn't lost its delight; it remains a juicy bloodsploitation burlesque, that nuthouse cackle bubbling up from beneath his latex burn makeup." This movie marks the actor's farewell to the role that made him a household name, and there's a certain grim satisfaction in knowing that if Freddy has to die, then he's going down swinging the claw that cut through our collective nightmares. Where to watch Freddy vs. Jason: Max EW grade: B- (read the review) Director: Ronny Yu Cast: Monica Keena, Kelly Rowland, Jason Ritter, Chris Marquette, Lochlyn Munro, Kyle Labine, Robert Englund Related content: It's Kelly Rowland vs. Freddy and Jason! 12 of 12 Friday the 13th (2009) New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection Even horror diehards are often discouraged by the sheer number of remakes, especially since most of them are pale imitations of originals. That said, EW's writer maintains that "Of all the modern reboots of classic horror franchises, Friday the 13th actually fares the best." In a sea of duds, this 2009 film admittedly saw actors like Jared Padalecki and Danielle Panabaker make for convincing victims between the familiar (and tired) tropes. The kills are brutal and the nudity is gratuitous — which is Friday the 13th in a nutshell. Where to watch Friday the 13th: Max Director: Marcus Nispel Cast: Jared Padalecki, Danielle Panabaker, Aaron Yoo, Amanda Righetti, Travis Van Winkle, Derek Mears Related content: Friday the 13th and other slasher flicks still slay audiences, but they fail to deliver real shocks The Friday the 13th movies in order by release date: 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 (2001)Freddy vs. Jason (2003)Friday the 13th (2009)