The 1980 slasher movie Friday the 13th introduced horror fans to iconic villain Jason Voorhees with his hockey mask and childhood trauma. While the 1980 film has long been considered some of the most popular slashers, not all the 12 films in the franchise are universally beloved. Every fan has their own opinion of which movies were necessary and which didn't need to be made. One thing is certain, though: Friday the 13th is a horror franchise with deep lore.

While many would suggest watching the Friday the 13th movies in order, they don't have to be watched chronologically. Here's the best order to watch all 12 Friday the 13th movies.

Related

23 Scariest Dolls In Horror Movies

Evil dolls have been a popular horror movie trope for years, but which movies have created the scariest dolls so far?

Friday The 13th (1980)

While it's not necessary to watch the Friday the 13th movies in order of release, it makes sense to start with the first movie, which came out in 1980. Friday the 13th gives fans an overview of Camp Crystal Lake, which is the main setting of the franchise, along with Jason Voorhees's backstory.

Friday the 13th is a slasher movie with a female killer as Jason's mother Pamela Voorhees (Betsy Palmer) attacks counselors at Crystal Lake. She wants to get revenge because, when Jason died by drowning in 1957, counselors didn't watch him and slept together instead. As fans will recall, Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) gets Ghostface's question wrong in the infamous opening scene of Scream when she says that Jason, not his mother, is the killer.

Friday The 13th (2009)

When watching the Friday the 13th movies in order, it makes sense to watch the Friday the 13th reboot next. While this is the twelfth movie in the franchise, it tells an alternate story but still focuses on Jason and Pamela Voorhees. In this version, Jason is a kid when counselors kill his mother at Camp Crystal Lake in 1980. Now, Jason is the killer who is getting revenge, and he targets teenagers who are camping nearby many years later.

While the reboot is pretty low quality and has poorly written main characters, there is an attempt at a mysterious main storyline. As Clay Miller (Jared Padalecki) explains:

Freddy vs. Jason (2003)

While watching the Friday the 13th movies in order would usually mean watching the eleventh installment later on, it's possible to watch Freddy vs. Jason third. Although the film is undeniably campy, Freddy vs. Jason is an entertaining crossover between Friday the 13th and Nightmare On Elm Street.

The movie sees two iconic slasher villains, Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger, fighting each other. It also focuses on a brand new group of teenagers. Since the movie is separate from the rest of the franchise, it can be watched anytime. However, it makes sense to watch it third because Jason's backstory will be fresh in someone's mind.

Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood may be the seventh Friday the 13th movie, but it should be watched fourth. The story focuses on Tina Shepard (Lar Park Lincoln), a teenager who accidentally kills her dad when her telekinetic powers ruin the Camp Crystal Lake dock. Now she is back at this famous setting and her powers bring Jason Voorhees back to life.

Since Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood focuses on a new character who has a connection to Jason, it makes sense to watch it fourth. While the seventh movie isn't considered one of the best 1980s horror movies, it does tell a compelling story about a teenager with supernatural abilities.

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)

Next, horror fans can watch Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday, which is the ninth installment. The story is unique: Jason's ghost possesses people to kill. If he can take over a family member, he can come back to life, but they can also use a dagger to end him for good.

While Jason might not be a forgettable supernatural horror villain since fans are so familiar with him, this wasn't a popular movie. However, if it's reworked as the fifth movie in the franchise, it feels more interesting. After watching Tina's paranormal journey, it's fun to see a different version of Jason.

Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)

Watching the Friday the 13th movies in order might mean that Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan is movie number eight. However, it can be watched as if it was the sixth installment. When students sail on the SS Lazarus ship to New York City, Jason begins killing people. Like Scream IV which takes place in New York City, it's a nice change to see Jason in a place other than Camp Crystal Lake.

At the end of the movie, Jason's face melts after Rennie puts toxic waste on it. Since it seems like Jason could be dead, it works to watch this Friday the 13th movie in this order and then watch the third movie next since the storyline will still make sense.

Friday The 13th Part III (1982)

Next, horror fans can watch Friday The 13th Part III, which brings the franchise back to Camp Crystal Lake. As Crystal Higgins and her friend group plan to have fun at Higgins Haven, which is her family lake house, Jason Voorhees is ready to get revenge once again.

While this movie could be watched at any time, it works to imagine Jason proving that he is still powerful by coming back to life after his face is melted. As fans can see from this low Rotten Tomatoes score, however, this movie isn't the best from the franchise.

Friday The 13th Part 2 (1981)

While watching the second movie after the third might seem strange, it works thanks to the ending of Friday the 13th: Part III when Jason Vorhees seems to have died. At the beginning of Friday the 13th Part 2, Alice Hardy is a forgotten horror movie final girl who is trying to move on after surviving Jason's attacks. Of course, Jason isn't actually gone.

While many horror movies didn't need sequels, Friday the 13th Part 2 is memorable thanks to Alice, who is one of the only characters from the franchise that fans might recall besides, of course, Jason. Besides Alice and Tommy Jarvis, the others are hard to tell apart.

Friday The 13th: A New Beginning (1985)

In Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, Tommy Jarvis (John Shepherd) is haunted by having murdered Jason years earlier. When he begins living at Pinehurst Halfway House, everyone thinks that Jason Voorhees is back. The movie has a compelling plot twist that sets it apart.

When it comes to watching the Friday the 13th movies in order, A New Beginning might be the fifth movie, but it would be fun to watch it after the second film. If watched in this order, then the ending of Friday the 13th Part 2 makes a lot of sense since no one knows where Jason is. After he disappears, it's possible that he ends up at Tommy's new home.

Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives should be watched after the previous installment in the slasher franchise since both movies focus on Tommy Jarvis (Thom Matthews). When Tommy goes back to Camp Crystal Lake, which is called Forest Green now, Jason Voorhees comes back to life more powerful than ever before. While many other slasher villains deserve franchises, this movie is a reminder of why Jason has endured for so long.

Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter is the fourth movie in the franchise. Since it was supposed to be the conclusion to the franchise, it could be watched second last. According to VHS Revival, Joseph Zito, the movie's director, said:

At the beginning of the movie, Jason Voorhees is thought to be dead, but he runs away from the morgue and goes on another killing spree at Camp Crystal Lake. It works to watch The Final Chapter after Jason Lives since at the end of Jason Lives, Jason seems to be dead at the bottom of the lake.

Jason X (2001)

There are a few common threads throughout the Friday the 13th franchise, including Jason Voorhees's well-known masks. However, Jason X tells a sci-fi story about the famous horror villain, which means that it can be watched anytime. Still, when thinking about watching the Friday the 13th movies in order, it makes sense to save Jason X for last.

Although it's the tenth movie, Jason X is a separate story where the villain is a cyborg who wakes up in 2455. When students study him, he begins murdering them. The end of Jason X is a great conclusion to the franchise as teenagers living in Earth II see a falling star near a lake. The final image is Jason's mask at the lake bottom.

MORE

Friday The 13th Was Missing One Key Element For Continued Success

While Friday The 13th is an iconic horror franchise, the movies don't feature a final girl, and that's a problem.