Jason Voorhees is one of the most recognizable faces in horror history. The hockey-masked killer has been hounding camp counsellors for over 40 years. He has stalked the campgrounds of New Jersey, and New York and has even been to space. Below we will take a look at the ten best kills from the Friday the 13th franchise.
Leaving a wake of bodies in his path Jason has racked up more kills than any killer in horror history. His prolific nature has only been matched by his ability to use anything around him to get the kill done. It is this creative nature that has always left the audience wanting more and has helped to spawn countless sequels.
The creativity behind Jason’s kills has been what keeps the franchise going. There isn’t much for a story or acting in the Friday movies, but the kills are over the top and bloody. It provides the entertainment value we all crave…
Julius – Friday the 13th Part 8: Jason Takes Manhattan
Part 8 is a terrible movie. The story and acting are sub-par and the title of the movie flat out lies to the audience. Jason spent more time on a boat than he did in New York City. Fortunately, when he got there we got to witness one of the best kills of the franchise.
After getting cornered by Jason, on a rooftop, Julius decides to box the killer. It is a bold move by Julius and one that was futile. Following numerous body and headshots, Julius gassed himself out, allowing Jason to punch the head right off the athlete. The momentum of the blow sent the head flying off the roof and into a dumpster below.
This kill was hilarious. Seeing someone taking the fight to Jason was new and seeing the long shots of Julius boxing added another level of humour.
Trey – Freddy v Jason
After spending years in developmental hell, the movie crossover that the world had been clamouring for finally hit our screens. It was hit and miss with the horror community but we at least got to see some great kills. Trey was the douche boyfriend of Gibb.
During the first act, everything he did made us hate him more, making his death more satisfying. Following some fun times in the bedroom, Jason makes his entrance and stabs Trey repeatedly in the back. Then, putting this kill over the top, Jason takes the bed and folds it in half, thus folding Trey in half. This was a brutal kill that also added a bit of comedy. It was a fitting end for Trey and one that started off the movie the right way.
Mark – Friday the 13th: Part 2
Before Jason became a household name, he was a pillowcase-wearing backwoodsman who cut his teeth cutting others’ throats.
In his first outing, Jason’s kills were run-of-the-mill, save for the hilarious death of muscle-bound wheelchair hunk Mark. After most of the counselors had left for the bar, Mark was making his way to the main house to continue his date with Vickie. Little did he know, Jason was waiting in the wings and drove a machete into Mark’s face sending him flying down a hilariously long flight of stairs.
There wasn’t much creativity behind the kill, but the sight of Mark backing down a ludicrously long flight of stairs was awesome.
Adrienne – Jason X
Wanting to maintain interest in the franchise, Friday the 13th producers decided to bring Jason to space. It was an entertaining movie that contained some of the better kills of the franchise.
The highlight kill of the movie came at the expense of the medical student on board the Grendel. While performing an autopsy on Jason, tech Adrienne is surprised by the waking killer. Jason grabs her and dunks her head in a vat of liquid nitrogen, thus freezing her head. Taking her out of the vat Jason then smashes her face into the counter, scattering her face parts all over the place.
The futuristic setting allowed the creators a bit more fun with the kills and this was no exception. Using the liquid nitrogen was an interesting twist and provided a great visual.
Jack – Friday the 13th
The first of its kind was more of a whodunnit than a slasher. Many of the kills happened below, or off-screen, which thoroughly underwhelmed the story. Luckily, Tom Savini still had some tricks up his sleeve for the one great on-screen death.
Following the couple Jack and Marcy, we enter a bunk house where the two just finished a session of camp house grabass. Wanting to wash up after, Marcy leaves the room as Jack lay back to enjoy some post-coital weed. This proves to be fatal as a hand comes from under the bed, holding Jack in place as the killer drives an arrow through the bed piercing his throat.
This was the kill that started it all. It was the kill that introduced us to some great effects and it established the tone for the rest of the franchise. It was also the kill that made Kevin Bacon’s career. A career that continues to this day.
Eddie – Friday the 13th Part 5: A New Beginning
The experiment that was part 5 was short-lived. After “killing” Jason off creators decided to go with a new man donning the hockey mask. It was a terrible decision but at least we got some fantastic kills in the movie.
After some fooling around in the woods, there is a theme developing here, the character Eddie leaves his girlfriend so he can go wash up. Upon returning he discovers Tina dead which sends him reeling back towards a tree. Here “Jason” is lying in wait and straps a leather belt around Eddie’s head and pulls him against the tree. He then begins twisting a stick around the back of the tree, tightening the belt as he twists. This tightens the belt around Eddie’s eyes until it crushes his head against the tree.
There were many great kills in this movie, but Eddies was the best. It was not as gory as some others but the sheer terror of it was great. We could all feel his pain as “Jason” slowly tightened the belt around Eddie’s head.
Jason Voorhees – Friday the 13th
Part 4: The Final Chapter
Tommy Jarvis was the perfect foil for Jason. Having him go up against a kid was an interesting twist and one that brought a freshness to the fourth installment. During the third act, while Jason was close to killing his sister, Tommy intervened grabbing Jason’s machete.
He was able to swing it at the man-child, knocking his mask off and showing us a truly gnarly face. Tommy then swung the blade directly into Jason’s face lodging it deep into his cheek. Then, for good measure, Jason fell to the floor sliding the machete down the length of his head. This was a kill that got an immediate reaction from everyone watching. The blade shot was intense enough but seeing it slide further into Jason’s face added another level to the kill. It was a fitting end for Jason Voorhees.
Sissy – Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives
Camp counsellor Sissy, was part of the main group of teens in the movie. Her scepticism over Jason was brought up a few times throughout the film and proved to be her downfall. While at the camp Sissy hears a noise outside her bunk, believing it to be Court messing with her she sneaks to the window and pours her pop out.
This proved fatal as Jason shot up, pulled her out of the bunkhouse, and then twisted her head completely around, breaking her neck. The MPAA was notoriously hard on this movie and this cut down on the graphic nature of the kill. Luckily, Gabe Bartalos was able to use his genius to make the kill great. Focussing on Sissy’s face as Jason turned her head around was a great way to sell the intensity of the kill. It was also great to see her eye roll and the cracking sound added another level to the kill.
Andy – Friday the 13th Part 3
Outside of the over-promoted 3-D production, this was another paint by numbers Friday movie. No new ground was broken here but that didn’t stop Jason from chopping his way through the teenagers of Higgin’s Haven.
Andy was partnered up with Debbie in the film. Their relationship was your standard teens wanting to get down to business. After their latest foray into the sweaty bed gymnastics, Andy did a great handstand to walk his way to grab a beer. On his way back Andy runs into a machete-wielding Jason, lying in wait. He notices the man-child too late and Jason swings his blade down, chopping the teenager in half.
The scene cut away quickly but we were able to see some great gore as Andy’s body was split. It was a unique kill and one that is what people remember when they think of Friday the 13th Part 3.
Sheriff Garris – Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives
The Sherrif of Forrest Green was the adult presence of the 6th Friday movie. He had more depth than most authority figures of the franchise and this makes him one of the more likeable side characters of the franchise.
Nearing the end of the movie, Sherrif Garris and his deputies are investigating the camp when the sheriff runs into Jason. Unloading his entire shotgun and revolver into Jason proved futile and thus Garris took to hiding from the mountain of a man. This was working quite well before the sheriff’s daughter comes to the camp, making a target of herself. Before Jason can go after the young girl the sheriff comes out of hiding and attacks Jason. Mid-attack Jason takes Garris and bends him fully backward, breaking his back and killing Meghans’ father.
This was one of the bigger gut punches of the franchise. Sherrif Garris was a likable character and was a great father throughout the movie. He was a character that many people identified with, which is a rarity in the Friday franchise. It was sad to see that he wasn’t able to survive the film.
