What is the order of the Friday the 13th movies?

In 1980, Friday the 13th hit cinema screens. It was bold, it was blood thirsty, and it was the beginning of a new horror franchise.

From that initial entry, a series of horror movies was created. Some of them were enjoyable, some less so, but all have taken their place in the pantheon of horror. 

But what are they and more importantly, in what order should they be watched? Well, fear not, because I have answers (lots of answers), and they are all in this post.

Below I am going to discuss the best order to watch the Friday the 13th films. I’ll also be highlighting the connection they share with another iconic horror franchise – namely A Nightmare on Elm Street – and I’ll highlight everything in between.

The aim of this post is to guide you through the series. So if you’re a newbie to the Friday the 13th movies, or you simply want a refresher course, this post is for you!

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The original run of Friday the 13th movies in order

The first collection of films begin with 1980’s Friday the 13th. The movie establishes the basic premise of the series (teenagers get bumped off by a mysterious killer) and sets the savage tone for the sequels. 

As the sequels arrive, Jason Voorhees – the franchise’s signature killer – becomes the star of the movies, and with each new appearance he is presented with different challenges or gimmicks, including 3D, a boat trip to Manhattan, and even a journey into space (and the future)!

At times, some of the movies are very odd, yet at other times they also kind of work. Sure, the journey into space (in the tenth film) is unusual, but it fits the bonkers nature of the latter sequels and you sort of just go with it.

The important thing you really need to know is, that for the most part, if you’re trying to work your way through the films, most of them carry numbers, so you can follow along with ease. For example, Friday the 13th is followed by Friday the 13th Part 2, and so on.

Speaking of which, if you want to work your way through the original run of movies, from 1980’s Friday the 13th through to 2002’s Jason X, then the viewing order is as follows:

The Friday the 13th movies in order

• Friday the 13th (1980)
• Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
• Friday the 13th Part 3 (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 (2002)

Now you’ll note from the above list that two movies claim to be ‘final’ entries in the series, but truth is, they’re not! The fourth film – The Final Chapter – was envisioned as an end to Jason’s story, but that didn’t play out as intended, and the same can be said of film number nine – The Final Friday – which also wasn’t the final Friday. 

If you watch the series in the above order you will follow Jason’s story, his subsequent deaths and resurrections, and his fondness for killing teenagers. You’ll also get to watch Jason Goes to Hell, one of the most divisive entries in the whole series and the lead-in for the Jason Voorhees/Freddy Krueger crossover.

Speaking of which…

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The Friday the 13th / A Nightmare on Elm Street shared universe order

In addition to the ten entries in the original series, Jason Voorhees went head-to-head with Freddy Krueger for the 2003 crossover movie, Freddy vs. Jason. The film saw the two horror icons share the spotlight in an entry that brought together the long-running franchises.

So, how did this crossover originate? 

Well, following the financial failure of Jason Takes Manhattan (aka Part 8), Paramount Pictures sold the rights to the Friday the 13th movie series to New Line Cinema – the studio that owned A Nightmare on Elm Street. With two titanic horror franchises now in its arsenal, New Line set to work on a team-up project.

The plan was to release another Friday the 13th movie in the shape of Jason Goes to Hell (aka Part 9). This would tease the arrival of Freddy, and would then be followed up with Freddy vs. Jason.

But bringing the two characters together proved to be a bigger challenge than expected and it took ten years for the crossover film to materialise. In the intervening decade, the Nightmare series produced Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, while the Friday the 13th franchise delivered Jason X (aka Part 10).

Once New Line Cinema did finally manage to get the crossover film shot and into cinemas, it then became the 11th Friday the 13th movie and effectively created a shared universe between Freddy and Jason. So, if you want to watch the Friday the 13th films as part of the shared universe with the A Nightmare on Elm Street movies, then view the films as follows:

The Jason and Freddy movies in order

• Friday the 13th (1980)
• Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
• Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982)
• Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)
• Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
• Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
• Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
• Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
• Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
• Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
• Jason X (2002)

And then…

• Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)

The above viewing order alternates between the two horror franchises, largely adhering to production order. The two exceptions are Jason X and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare.

Chronologically, Jason X is the final entry in the viewing order, as it is set at the very end of the timeline in the far-flung future. As for Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, this is a sort-of alternate universe story, so I suggest watching this as a separate bit of fun at the end of your journey.

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Friday the 13th: The Series

And now time for a quick info blast!

In 1987, the Friday the 13th ‘brand name’ was utilised for a television series, appropriately called Friday the 13th: The Series. The show ran for three seasons and developed a cult following.

However, here’s the important part that you need to know. Despite taking its name from the film series, the Friday the 13th show had nothing to do with the film franchise and did not feature Jason Voorhees.

I’m merely providing this information to clear up any confusion. You do not need to watch the Friday the 13th TV series when watching the films!

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The Friday the 13th remake

After 11 movies (the original ten, plus the Freddy crossover) the decision was made to reboot the Friday the 13th franchise for a new generation. The existing series of films was getting a bit tired; the sequels created too much baggage; and the crossover with the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series made things confusing for newcomers.

The end result of this decision to reboot the franchise was 2009’s Friday the 13th – a film designed to wipe the slate clean. Audiences could use this movie as a whole new jumping on point, without the need to have watched any previous films.

To help streamline things, and give this new version of Friday the 13th a strong start, the story would incorporate elements from the first four Friday the 13th films from the original series. This would allow Jason to quickly become the iconic hockey mask-wearing killer he was known to be, and his entire backstory would be covered too.

However, while the reboot movie did indeed jump-start the franchise in a streamlined way, it failed to impress critics or audiences. The 2009 reboot of Friday the 13th was met with mixed reviews and as a result any plans for a sequel were abandoned.

As there is only one film in the 2009 reboot series, the viewing order for this one is simple:

• Friday the 13th (2009)

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Friday the 13th movies in production order

OK, so the above lists offer you the different viewing orders of the Friday the 13th film series, but should you simply want to watch all of the Friday the 13th movies in production order, including the crossover and the reboot (but without having to watch all the A Nightmare on Elm Street films), then follow this list:

All of the Friday the 13th movies in order

• Friday the 13th (1980)
• Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
• Friday the 13th Part 3 (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 (2002)
• Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
• Friday the 13th (2009)

In total, there are 12 Friday the 13th movies to work your way through. The above list puts them all in the order they were released.

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Should you want to delve even further into the Friday the 13th film series, the documentary film, Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th (2013) is an insightful docu-movie, which explores all of the films in detail. Featuring an exhaustive amount of input from cast and crew, the film is a must-watch for fans of the series, or those who want to learn more about the history and development of the franchise.

Crystal Lake Memories is available on Blu-ray from all good entertainment stores, including Amazon US.

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Editor/writer

Alex Wiggan

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Thank you for taking the time to read this post about the Friday the 13th movies on It’s A Stampede! – I hope it has proved useful. For more useful posts, be sure to check out the recommended reads below.

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