It’s Friday the 13th again. 2015 will have three of the bad luck days, playing havoc with sufferers of triskaidekaphobia. So it’s only natural that you should watch a Friday the 13th movie, right? But which Friday the 13th should you watch? Friday the 13th lists are popping up everywhere, each one claiming to have the definitive ranking of the Friday the 13th movies. But if you’ve never seen a Friday the 13th movie and are looking more for a scary diversion than a 12-movie commitment, then there’s only one movie you need… Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives.
Friday the 13th Movies Ranked
Here are what other publications who ranked the Friday the 13th movies put on top:
International Business Times: Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
Paste Magazine: Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
Kotaku: Friday the 13th (1980)
Bloody-Disgusting: Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
Comic Vine: Friday the 13th Part III
Chiller TV: Friday the 13th (1980)
Cutting out the utter insanity of naming Friday the 13th Part III as the best movie, we now have two excellent candidates for best Friday the 13th movie, plus a couple publications that graded the first Friday the 13th movie with an inexplicable handicap (Pamela Voorhees? Really, Kotaku?).
If this article was not about the best Friday the 13th movie, but about the best Friday the 13th rankings list, then the prize would definitely go to horror blog Bloody-Disgusting, who nailed the top three Friday the 13th movies (Jason Lives, The Final Chapter, Friday the 13th Part 2).
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives Trailer
For the general moviegoer, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives is the way to go. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter killed unstoppable killer Jason Voorhees, while follow-up A New Beginning featured a Jason copycat killer. This makes Jason Lives
a continuity reboot of sorts, opening on a previous survivor, Tommy
Jarvis, digging up Jason’s body to confirm Jason’s death. When the grave
is struck by lightning Jason is returned to undead life, plus gets a
great James Bond style intro.
Unlike other fan favorite, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Jason Lives doesn’t wallow in its own gruesomeness or gleefully toss away all semblance of a plot. And while that makes The Final Chapter perfect for hardcore slasher fans looking for a concentrated dose, it’s likely to alienate normal horror movie viewers.
Beginning with its fun supernatural opening, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives has
a propulsive plot, that sees the actually likable duo of Tommy (Thom
Matthews) and Megan (Jennifer Cooke) trying to protect the campers of
Crystal Lake while evading the sheriff who’s convinced Tommy himself is
the psychopathic murderer. Unlike The Final Chapter, Jason Lives actually takes place where a Friday the 13th movie should: at a summer camp. Plus, there are actually campers present!
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives has a smart script that’s aware of horror movie tropes, without getting all Scream meta. Unlike most Friday the 13th movies, the characters don’t feel like they’re waiting around to get cut down. While other Friday the 13th movies may be more pure slasher films, Jason Lives is easily the best horror film of the series.
So there you have it. If you have to pick one Friday the 13th movie, watch Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. You don’t need to know anything about Jason, just dive in.
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