TheFriday the 13thfranchise is arguably the definitive slasher property, even over the earlierHalloween. The clichés that have become widely known about the subgenre primarily originated from Jason Voorhees and his 12-and-counting horrid adventures. Controversial from the outset, the films are humorously tame in decades of retrospect, especially given gruesome franchises likeSawand an increasingly violent real world.
But the dozen Jason films in existence are really known for only one thing: The kill scenes. The hockey mask-wearing, utterly indiscriminate pro bono hitman does one thing and it’s swiftly what audiences came to expect. And, just as someFriday the 13thfilms are standouts in terms of character death scenes, each individual film has a kill that’s leaps and bounds above everything else in the runtime.
Jack in Friday the 13th
Now thatFriday the 13thishopping on the reboot train, audiences are left guessing what comes next for the otherwise predictable franchise for the first time since the original film’s killer reveal. And as a villain, Pamela Voorhees is an icon, even if her character comes out of left field. The original is the only film that’s actually a bit more poignant upon a rewatch (provided the viewer didn’t know the ending). Jason is a void of a man, so the sequels lack the narrative heft that comes with having a grieving mother commit atrocities in retaliation for her son’s death.
This includes the film’s — And the entire franchise’s — best kill scene: Kevin Bacon’s Jack. Everything about the scene works, and the dark, intermittently lightning-lit cabin makes the viewer think the killer will hop out of anywhere. But she’s under the cot, and even if it’s slightly illogical that neither Jack nor Marcy would have seen her hiding under the cot, it’s fully effective and horrifying when the arrow pops up. This was essentially the scene that led to the slasher stereotype that sex equals death, and that smoking a joint won’t help. The fact that the franchise’s best death, among a litany, just happens to feature the franchise’s biggest eventual star is the icing on the cake.
Mark in Friday the 13th Part 2
The first of Steve Miner’s twoFriday the 13thfilms notoriously takes substantial cues from Mario Bava’sBay of Bloodwhen it comes time for a kill sequence. But it hardly matters, because it’s one ofthe franchise’s few genuinely frightening entriesand is substantially buoyed by the franchise’s best lead performance: Ginny’s Amy Steel.
Fortunately, she lives throughout the night inFriday the 13th Part 2. Unfortunately, she still doesn’t appear in any other sequel. But Ginny isn’t the film’s only extremely likable character, as there’s also Mark. Bound to a wheelchair, Mark is still the film’s most proudly positive character, and watching him take a machete to the face on his way to the sweet Vicki’s cabin is devastating. To then see him roll backward down a few hundred concrete steps is the painful icing on the cake.
Andy in Friday the 13th Part III
While the weakest of the initial quartet, the grimyFriday the 13th Part IIIchanged horror in several ways, primarily because it was the installment to give Jason his mask. Speaking of the hockey-masked sadist,Part IIIperfected Jason’s look. Every shot of the character in the third film is iconic, from Jason lumbering off the pier after spear-gunning Vera to him lifting off his mask and smiling at Chris Higgins, the character has never felt more real and has never been scarier.
Friday the 13th Part IIIis also a high point in terms of kill creativity. For instance, the aforementioned Vera is a standout, thanks in part to some very impressive makeup. On the opposite side of the practical-effects-believability-coin is Rick, whose head gets squished until his eyeball flies out at the audience. It looks absurd, especially 40 years later, but it’s still jarring, and the scene of Jason holding Rick’s mouth shut off the side of the cabin as Chris peers out is one of the entire franchise’s most tense.
Jimmy in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
Thelate Ted White’s Jason inFriday the 13th: The Final Chapteris no one to scoff at, but he’s undoubtedly a rung belowPart III’s on the fear ladder. Richard Brooker’s mountainous monster felt far more capable of pulling off a series of elaborate, muscle-requiring murders than White’s tall but less bulky antagonist. YetThe Final Chapteris still the installment that even franchise haters consider to be firing on all cylinders. It is a cut above much of the franchise’s remainder in terms of construction, but only moderately so in terms of kills, with Rob’s off-screen “He’s killing me!” death being particularly cringe-worthy.
With that being said, it has two very memorable character send-offs, the first a coroner whose throat meets a bone saw and the second none other thanBack to the Future’s George McFly. Like Bacon before him, Crispin Glover became one of the biggest stars to graduate from Jason victim, and his demise is comparably iconic. After getting intimate with one of the film’s female twins, Glover’s Jimmy descends the staircase, gloats to his friend Ted, and enters the kitchen. Looking to open a bottle of wine, he yells out “Ted. Ted, hey, Ted, where the Hell is the corkscrew?” only to have his question answered in a particularly painful fashion.
Vinnie in Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning
Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginninghas several contenders for the best kill. However, none of them is a big enough standout to be ranked alongside the franchise’s best. Even still, the one-two of Tina and Eddie is memorable if only for the fact both methods are unique. Specifically, Tina is stabbed in the eyes with garden shears while Eddie has a belt thrown around his face, which is then tightened against a tree until the belt snaps. But the high point is Jason shoving a road flare in Vincent’s mouth. A greaser and one-scene character who exists only to comment on the nearby mental health facility — and buoy the film’s kill count — Vincent and his singing buddy Pete are classic slasher fodder.
On the lower end of the totem pole is the duo of Robin and Jake, two residents of the film’s mental health facility. Unlike Vincent’s demise, their deaths (Robin impaled from beneath a bed and Jake getting struck in the face by a hatchet) had been done in the four installments that came before. Having such rote final scenes for relatively important characters makes the road flare stand out.
Sheriff Garris in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
If anyFriday the 13thfilm fits the slasher cliché of cops being easy fodder, it’s Tom McLoughlin’s mostly comedicFriday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. An intentional sidestep for the franchise,Jason Livesnonetheless has a focus on kills, but they are certainly toned down.
The exception is the aforementioned law enforcement presence. On one hand, Officer Pappas has his head squeezed until his nose runs brains. On the other, the father of one of the film’s two protagonists, Megan, is literally bent over backward with a snap. But at least Sheriff Garris went out fighting for his daughter’s safety.
Sandra in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood
The MPAA (now the MPA) did more damage to makeup master John Carl Buechler’sFriday the 13th Part VII: The New Bloodthan Jason has done to the teenage population over the course of 12 films. The result feels incomplete, with each and every kill scene truncated to the point of incoherence. Fortunately, the film’s wild “Carrie vs. Jason” final 15 minutes nearly save the whole thing. That said, when fans come to a movie for one thing, and it falls short, it’s a bridge too far.
Fortunately, the viewer can get a sense of what Buechler was going for. This is particularly true of the sleeping bag scene which, in spite of being almost humorously cut down, has gone on to become iconic. There’s something so simplistic about Jason slamming a sleeping bag-covered person into a tree that it’s astonishing it took seven movies to happen. Unfortunately, it’s really just a quick shot of Jason slamming the bag against the tree once and dropping it and the occupant to the ground. Had it not been cut down from several slams, the scene could have actually been one of the franchise’s best, not justThe New Blood’s best.
Julius in Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
If viewed as a piece of “So-bad-it’s-good” cinema,Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattanis a lot of fun and suitable ending to Paramount’s time with the franchise. It had become clear byPart VIIthat the franchise was running out of steam, so sending Jason to a different location was the natural next step.
Due to budget constraints, his time in “Manhattan” (Vancouver) was limited, but the trip resulted in the franchise’s most humorous scene. The film’s side villain, Charles McCullough, fittingly getting drowned in sewage is good enough, but Julius' elongated rooftop boxing match with Jason is genuinely terrific. The camera holds on the two, with each of Julius' subsequent punches becoming increasingly painful, yet Jason is unphased. Then, with one swing, Jason sends Julius' head hurling off the building into a trash can, the lid of which immediately smacks down.
Deborah & Luke in Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday
Almost certainly the goriest installment of the franchise — especially the readily available Director’s Cut —Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Fridayis certainly a bloody mess. But it’s visually in line with the films that came before, which is something that would be lost afterward. That alone gives it a certain amount of charm for fans, as does the film’s focus on both carnage and character.
With that said, the kills aren’t really standouts save for the double slaying of Deborah and Luke, mid-coitus. Specifically, “Jason” slams a signpost through Deborah’s back and rips it upwards as Luke looks up screaming. It’s an effective moment, legitimately shocking and buoyed by some impressive practical effects.
Adrienne in Jason X
One of the higher-profilehorror movies to go to space,Jason Xis still many aFriday the 13thfan’s least favorite entry. And rightly so, it’s an insufferably silly film riddled with franchise-low acting quality and two ridiculous Jason designs.
But, it has one phenomenal kill that ranks very high within the entire saga. Specifically, lab tech Adrienne getting her head shoved in liquid nitrogen until her face is a very smash-able icicle.
