1428 Elm
Fansided

Ranking every Friday the 13th film from worst to best

By Wesley Lara

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 09: Actor Derek Mears arrives at the premiere of Warner Bros.' "Friday the 13th" at the Chinese Theater on February 9, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 09: Actor Derek Mears arrives at the premiere of Warner Bros.' "Friday the 13th" at the Chinese Theater on February 9, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 13
Next
Friday the 13th
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 09: Actor Jared Padalecki arrives at the premiere of Warner Bros.’ “Friday the 13th” at the Chinese Theater on February 9, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) /

A dozen Friday the 13th films have been made over the years, but how do they rank?

You’ve all heard it, haven’t you? The legend of the number 13 being an unlucky number, for whatever reason. Friday the 13th is an even more feared legend with many people in the Western hemisphere, specifically in America, becoming frightened at the idea that EVERYTHING will go wrong on that day. People are afraid to get out of bed, go to work, etc. A 2004 study even suggested that over $800 million is typically lost on a Friday the 13th.

Those fears certainly haven’t quelled with the iconic status of Friday the 13th slasher franchise, depicting a masked killer (usually in a hockey mask) reigning terror on an unsuspecting (and often horny) group of teenagers staying near the fated Camp Crystal Lake, where Jason was previously left to drown by his cruel peers. Because of this unfortunate act of bullying, an entire film franchise was created in the process.

The Friday the 13th series is infamous for its varying degrees of quality with each installment. This wasn’t a case of every film after the first being worse than the other. Sometimes, gems would pop up out of nowhere in the most random of installments and yes, occasionally there would be some stinkers. But let me make myself clear here: I love every single one of these movies. There is something in each installment that inspires both nostalgia and a wild appreciation for some of the creative filmmaking at work, even if the end result is a bit lackluster.

More from Friday the 13th

But just how do these films rank when actually pitted against each other? There are some films that feel objectively better than others and I will take that into account. Even the worst movie has tons to appreciate, but there is a far gap between the best and worst movies on this list and I hope to properly explain myself in this list. Most of all, I hope we can all take a nice trip down Camp Crystal Lake with these movies!