The 10 scariest versions of Jason Voorhees

Key conclusions

• Jason Goes To Hell introduces Jason, a demonic slug who can possess others, creating a shared universe.
• Part 3 features Jason's iconic look with a bald head and hockey mask, making him a calculated killer.
• Jason Lives turns Jason into an immortal zombie, leading to more bizarre kills and a menacing presence.

The Friday the 13th the franchise has seen many ups and downs, with various directors and writers taking on the iconic assassin: Jason Voorhees. As a result, Jason Voorhees himself has gone through many revisions, with each film doing something different for him, from his murders to his appearance and even the way the actors play him.

Supporters Friday the 13th enjoyed Jason for different qualities, but in the end, the slasher villain is meant to instill fear in the viewer. Since then, there have been so many variations of Jason Friday the 13th first started in 1980, some of them have become iconic because of how scary they are, thus enhancing the films in which they were featured.

10 Damn Jason

The weirdest version of Jason to date

• movie: Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday
• Release date: August 13, 1993
• Cast: Kane Hodder, Richard Grant, Stephen Culp

Although Jason is going to hell: Final Friday accepts Friday the 13th in a strange direction that seems more similar Oventhe concept of jason being a dark demonic slug that can shift from host to host is creepy. There is even an attempt to explain that Jason was brought back to life by the Deadites from the famous Sam Raimi film The evil dead movies, creating a shared universe.

Jason's true form is now fully deformed with a mask embedded in his skin, and trying to turn random people into Jason's avatar after destroying his body is unique. That helps too Jason is going to hell feature some of the most over-the-top gory kills in the entire series, often making up for the film's shortcomings.

9 Part 2 Jason

In the original, Jason was a clumsy assassin

• movie: Friday the 13th part 2
• Release date: May 1, 1981
• Actor: Warrington Gillette

Ironically, despite being the poster boy for the iconic slasher franchise, Jason Voorhees didn't have the greatest debut as an assassin. U Friday the 13th part 2Jason, played by Warrington Gillette, is a clumsy assassin who is constantly stumbling, tripping and falling as he tries to kill all the counselors, especially the final girl of the film: Ginny.

Jason also didn't debut his favorite hockey mask, instead donning a bag mask that only had one eye, which didn't look all that impressive in some scenes. However, the murders that Jason commits and the occasions when he can be seen in the background are memorable. However, Jason will get a complete redesign, as even the creators felt that the sack version was missing.

8 Part 7 Jason

Kane Hodder breathed new life into the undead series

• movie: Friday the 13th Part 7: New Blood
• Release date: May 13, 1988
• Actor: Kane Hodder

This was the first time Jason Voorhees was played by Kane Hodder, the only actor to play Jason in multiple films. Friday the 13th Part 7: New Blood featured Jason in his most zombie-like design, with exposed bones and rotting flesh, which added physicality to Hodder as he performed all the stunts and made Jason a stronger villain.

U New BloodJason is an intense figure who just takes damage and keeps going, breaking down doors and throwing people around with ease. Unfortunately, this version of Jason fell victim to the MPAA's imperious action, and his brutal kills were greatly toned down in the editing room.

7 Part 5 Jason

The mysterious copier has left fans conflicted about the fifth film

• movie: Friday the 13th Part 5: A New Beginning
• Release date: March 22, 1985
• Actor: Dick Viand

Probably the most controversial version of Jason because it didn't have Jason in it Friday the 13th Part 5: A New Beginning. Instead, Tommy Jarvis and other characters are pursued by an impersonator who wears a mask with blue chevrons to carry out the murders, adding to the mystery aspect of the whodunit murder, which keeps the audience guessing as to who is continuing Jason's work.

Fake Jason in A new beginning was a more methodical killer who walked from the shadows and waited for the right moment to strike. What makes or breaks the fifth entry is that Paramedic Roy is the man behind the mask, which some fans consider a weak twist because he was barely in the story and his reasoning for dressing up as Jason is never explained.

6 Part 1 Jason

A nightmarish fear that traumatized moviegoers

• movie: Friday the 13th
• Release date: May 9, 1980
• Actor: Ari Lehman

If Friday the 13th released in 1980, Jason Voorhees was not the killer, but the catalyst for his mother, Pamela, to go on a killing spree at Camp Crystal Lake. Jason was believed to have drowned in the lake, causing Pamela to descend into madness and seek revenge for her child.

However, Jason made his first on-screen appearance at the very end, even if it was only a dream. After Alice kills Pamela and escapes on the lake, the audience is unexpectedly frightened by the deformed corpse of Jason, who emerges from the water to drag her into the water. This one scene was enough to scare the audience and show Jason's potential as a killer.

5 Crossover Jason

Fans loved when Jason finally met Freddy

• movie: Freddy vs. Jason
• Release date: August 13, 2003
• Actor: Ken Kirzinger

Both Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street were the kings of the slasher genre back in the 80s and 90s, way back Freddy vs. Jason has been in development for years. Finally, the hockey-masked killer met the Springwood Slasher in 2003, leading to a story that was more about the spectacle of the two icons battling, but it wasn't without its scares.

While many fans wanted the return of Kane Hodder, Ken Kirzinger took over and his performance was much bigger. He was slower, but was given many iconic kills, from using a bed to collapse a man to killing Freddy Krueger with his own clawed hand. Ken's version was a great balance of doing the character justice while still keeping his unique stamp.

4 Part 3 Jason

Jason finally found his hockey mask, and for the best

• movie: Friday the 13th part 3
• Release date: August 13, 1982
• Actor: Richard Brooker

The third record of Art Friday the 13th franchise created the Jason Voorhees visual template that most fans think of. He was no longer a clumsy, long-haired savage. Instead, Richard Brooker drew Jason as a cold, bald-headed hunter, giving him a lumbering look that inspired other games and horror films, and it was the first time he donned his hockey mask.

Brooker's version of Jason in the Friday the 13th part 3 also more efficient. His clumsiness gone, Jason Voorhees was now expertly killing counselors and other victims left and right. He is ferocious, intense, and quick in his kills, as this is one of the few movies that shows Jason Voorhees running. The sight of an unmasked Jason lunging at Chris shocked viewers.

3 Part 6 Jason

Jason's transformation into a zombie changed the franchise forever

• Movie: Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives
• Release date: August 1, 1986
• Actor: CJ Graham

CJ Graham took over the role when the decision was made to resurrect Jason Voorhees from the dead in Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives. The fifth movie was trying to do something different, so they needed to attract fans with a proper return of Jason, and ended up with an unkillable zombie villain.

Embracing the campy side of horror with a dash of gothic horror inspired by Universal's classic monsters, Jason Lives has transformed the titular villain into an unstoppable force. This led to more bizarre kills while still maintaining a menacing presence, especially now that he's immortal.

2 Part 4 Jason

Refined the formula for the intended ending

• movie: Friday the 13th Part 4: The Final Chapter
• Release date: April 13, 1984
• Actor: Ted White

U Friday T13th Part 4: The Final Chapterone of the most beloved horror sequels, Ted White took over from Richard Brooker for the last time Jason was portrayed as a deranged killer of men. Given that it was supposed to be the series finale, the filmmakers went out of their way to turn Jason into a killing machine, continuing to make him more ruthless than ever.

Throwing people out of upstairs windows, maiming others, breaking in through doors and even attacking children, The final chapter made Jason scarier than ever. If this was the true final film, it would have been the best movie for Jason, making some minor design changes and wielding his famous machete to create what most fans think of when they think of Jason Voorhees.

1 Reboot Jason

Going back to basics made Jason scarier than ever

• movie: Friday the 13th
• Release date: February 13, 2009
• Actor: Derek Mears

Jason Voorhees was rebooted in the late 2000s when many slasher movies were rebooted. Friday the 13thwas considered one of the better efforts, and a lot of that was due to Jason himself, played by Derek Mears, who was brought back to the style of Part 4, but updated to be much more aggressive and able to go after his victims.

The entire film takes elements of Jason Voorhees' first three appearances and combines them, from finding his hockey mask to becoming an efficient hunter who can turn anything into a weapon. However, they add new things, like Jason having underground tunnels to explain how he appears everywhere, and a bit more development to show that he's not just a mindless killer.