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We’ve officially entered peak Halloween movie season! While Decider is enjoying a host of new horror films — we highly recommend Deadstream (streaming on Shudder) and Werewolves Within (available on Hulu) — nothing beats rewatching a cult classic like Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and, of course, Friday the 13th.
The franchise centers around maniacal murderer Jason Voorhees, a hockey mask-wearing antagonist who often hunts and kills his prey around Camp Crystal Lake (when he’s not too busy taking trips to Manhattan or outer space). The first film, which debuted all the way back in 1980, spawned 11 sequels, with the last movie premiering in 2009. If you’re looking for a series recap, we highly suggest streaming Crystal Lake Memories, a long-form (almost seven hours!) documentary that explores the history of the iconic franchise. But where can you watch the original films? Great question.
Along with the streaming options listed below, all the Friday the 13th movies are available to rent on Amazon, iTunes, and Vudu. If you’re looking to add a little Jason Voorhees to your Halloween streaming queue, here’s how to watch all twelve Friday the 13th films online.
'Friday the 13th' (1980)
IMDb Synopsis: A group of camp counselors trying to reopen a summer camp called Crystal Lake, which has a grim past, are stalked by a mysterious killer.
Directed by Sean S. Cunningham, this is the film that started it all. Starring Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram, (and a young Kevin Bacon!), the movie memorably features Jason’s mother, Mrs. Vorhees, as the killer. The film is a cult classic and still holds a respectable 63% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Eleven Friday the 13th movies are currently streaming on Max, which is available for as little as $9.99/month (or $15.99/month through Amazon).
Fun Fact: Gene Siskel hated the film so much that he posted Betsy Palmer’s (the actress who portrayed Jason’s mother) home address in his now infamous Chicago Tribune review of the movie.
'Friday the 13th Part 2' (1981)
IMDb Synopsis: Five years after the events of the first film, a summer camp next to the infamous Camp Crystal Lake is preparing to open, but the legend of Jason is weighing heavy on the proceedings.
Directed by Steve Miner, Part 2 debuted less than a year after the original movie and is the first film to feature Jason Voorhees as the main antagonist (which is referenced at the beginning of Scream).
Fun Fact: Per IMDb trivia, “a shot of the infamous double-impalement was cut to avoid an “X” rating, yet a gory still photo of this censored shot appears on the back of the videocassette box.”
'Friday the 13th Part III' (1982)
IMDb Synopsis: Jason Voorhees stalks a group of friends who’ve just arrived to spend the weekend at a cabin near Crystal Lake.
I would have guessed that the notorious Jason Takes Manhattan earned the dubious honor of being the worst-reviewed Friday the 13th film on Rotten Tomatoes, but nope! Congratulations, Friday the 13th Part III. Currently boasting an unlucky 7% on the website, the third movie of the franchise was the first Friday the 13th film to use the now iconic hockey mask, which helped transform Jason into the horror movie icon he is today.
Fun Fact: Friday The 13th Part III was also the first film to take down E.T., removing the classic movie from the number one spot at the box office.
'Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter' (1984)
IMDb Synopsis: After being announced dead and taken to a morgue, Jason Voorhees spontaneously revives, escapes from the hospital, and stalks a group of friends renting a house in the countryside near Crystal Lake.
And here we are. The final Friday the 13th film. I mean, it says it in the title, right?! Wrong. The next movie on our list, A New Beginning, would debut in theaters less than a year later.
Fun Fact: Per IMDb trivia, Erich Anderson and Kimberly Beck took Corey Feldman trick-or-treating during the first day of filming since it happened to be October 31, 1983.
'Friday the 13th: A New Beginning' (1985)
IMDb Synopsis: Still haunted by his past, Tommy Jarvis, who, as a child killed Jason Voorhees, is sent to a secluded halfway house in the countryside, where the killing of a young man triggers a brutal series of murders in the area.
Based on Tomatometer scores, A New Beginning is one of the worst Friday the 13th films (18%), joining Jason Goes to Hell (16%), Jason Takes Manhattan (11%), and the aforementioned Part III (7%) as the lowest rated movies of the franchise.
Fun Fact: Cory Feldman wanted to do Friday The 13th: A New Beginning instead of a little film called… Goonies.
“Unfortunately, Spielberg fucked up all our plans, because he decided he wanted me in a couple of films,” Feldman says in Crystal Lake Memories. “I was forced, quite begrudgingly, to participate in a little film called Goonies, and not participate, as I would have liked, in the full version of Friday the 13th Part 5.“
'Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives' (1986)
IMDb Synopsis: Tommy Jarvis exhumes Jason Voorhees to cremate his corpse, but inadvertently brings him back to life instead. The newly revived killer seeks revenge, and Tommy may be the only one who can stop him.
Fun Fact: Friday the 13th Part VI had an impact on the legendary horror movie Scream. Kevin Williamson told Part VI scribe Tom McLoughlin that his extremely meta take on the sixth installment of the franchise had a huge influence on him writing the classic film. “I came in on a TV series that Kevin Williamson was doing… and at one point he said to me, ‘You know, your movie… had an impact on me in writing Scream,” McLoughlin told Uproxx back in 2016.
'Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood' (1988)
IMDb Synopsis: Jason Voorhees is accidentally freed from his watery prison by a telekinetic teenager. Now, only she can stop him.
The seventh film isn’t anything to write home about, but I love a specific anecdote from Kane Hodder’s memoir Unmasked: The True Story of the World’s Most Prolific Cinematic Killer. Per IMDb, the man behind the mask relayed a story from the set of Part VII in which the film’s costume department made his mom a custom crew member’s jacket that read “Jason’s Mom!”
Hodder’s mother would proudly wear the jacket, even loading her purse with signed autographs from Kane in case anyone stopped to ask her about it.
'Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan' (1989)
IMDb Synopsis: Jason Voorhees is accidentally awakened from his watery grave, and he ends up stalking a ship full of graduating high school students headed to Manhattan, NY.
The knock on Jason Takes Manhattan is that the film, despite its title, doesn’t spend a ton of time in New York. This was mostly due to financial reasons, with Paramount refusing to budget an expensive New York shoot. Most of the New York scenes were shot in Vancouver, except for two days of filming in Times Square.
Fun Fact: Per IMDb trivia, the original posters for the movie featured Jason ripping through an “I Love NY” poster. In the first poster Jason is holding a bloody knife which was cleaned in a second poster for fear that the blood was too graphic. However, both posters were dropped following a complaint from the New York Tourism Committee.
'Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday' (1993)
IMDb Synopsis: Serial killer Jason Voorhees’ supernatural origins are revealed.
Another day, another Friday the 13th movie promising to be the final installment. Why must you turn my office into a house of lies, F13!?
The film was produced by Friday the 13th co-creator Sean S. Cunningham and even noted in the trailer that “the creator of the first Friday returns to bring you the last.” Jason Goes to Hell wasn’t well received, but the ending is memorable as Freddy Krueger’s hand appears and pulls Jason’s mask into the depths of hell.
Fun Fact: Per IMDB trivia, the original title of the movie was Friday the 13th Part IX: The Dark Heart of Jason Voorhees.
'Freddy vs. Jason' (2003)
IMDb Synopsis: Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees return to terrorize the teenagers of Elm Street. Only this time, they’re out to get each other, too.
Maybe Freddy vs. Jason didn’t give longtime fans everything they hoped from this larger-than-life battle between horror movie titans, but it did an admirable job of blending gore and humor.
Fun Fact: Future Lost star Evangeline Lilly appeared as an extra in the film.
'Jason X' (2002)
IMDb Synopsis: Jason Voorhees is cryogenically frozen at the beginning of the 21st century, and is discovered in the 25th century and taken to space. He gets thawed and begins stalking and killing the crew of the spaceship that’s transporting him.
Say it with me: Jason… in… space! After a nine-year absence, Jason returns in this critically reviled slasher. Since 2003’s Freddy vs. Jason encountered numerous delays, the events of this film technically take place after the Freddy/Jason showdown.
Fun Fact: Todd Farmer, who plays the character Dallas in the movie, wrote the film. Farmer would go on to pen My Bloody Valentine, Messengers 2: The Scarecrow, Drive Angry, and the 2019 slasher film Trick.
'Friday the 13th' (2009)
IMDb Synopsis: A group of young adults visit a boarded up campsite named Crystal Lake where they soon encounter the mysterious Jason Voorhees and his deadly intentions.
After a six-year absence, Friday the 13th returns — and this time it features a bevy of TV stars! The newest installment of the franchise features Jared Padalecki (Supernatural), Danielle Panabaker (The Flash), Amanda Righetti (The O.C.), Ben Feldman (Superstore), and Ryan Hansen (Veronica Mars).
A second film of the rebooted franchise was reportedly in the works but plans were canceled, potentially due to Paramount deciding to make the Jennifer Lawrence film Mother! instead of another Friday the 13th movie.
Fun Fact: Per IMDb trivia, Michael Bay allegedly walked out of the movie premiere, stating that the film featured “too much sex” and not enough robots transforming into everyday machinery. Okay, okay, the “too much sex” part is true, but the robot stuff is just pure speculation by me.
