While the Halloween franchise has seen a recent sequel trilogy set to end next year, the Friday the 13th movies haven't had an update since 2009. They have never exactly been cinema of the highest pedigree, but they are simple and fun little slasher films about a seemingly indestructible killer in a hockey man meant to provide a popcorn experience. But even Friday the 13th has gone overboard with its silliness.
As the franchise went on and on, the filmmakers always tried to find some way to one-up the previous film. Sometimes it worked but in other cases, it resulted in scenes or even entire movies that went a little too over the top to the point that even hardcore fans roll their eyes.
"He's Killing Me!" - Part IV
Despite Part IV: The Final Chapter often being considered a top-tier entry with one of the scariest Jason Voorhees portrayals, even it managed to go too far. After all the build-up throughout the film, the hiker named Rob hunts Jason so he can get revenge, which results in Rob being killed in a dark basement.
If it was a visceral and grisly death, it might have made for a tragic scene. Instead, it's a darkly lit scene from a distance with Jason swinging at Rob and no gore is shown. To make up for the lack of gore, Rob repeatedly screams, "He's killing me!" It's unconvincing delivery — Rob doesn't sound like he's in any pain whatsoever — and it comes off as laughable as he repeats it over and over.
Roy Burns - Part V
Fans are often divided when it comes to the fifth entry in the franchise. Part V: A New Beginning tried to take the series in a new direction, which is an irable idea but was poorly executed. The copycat killer of Jason turns out to be Roy Burns, which is not only obvious but raises more questions than answers.
Roy Burns had nothing to do with Camp Crystal Lake and he didn't even know Friday the 13th's best survivor, Tommy Jarvis. Why pose as Jason Voorhees? Where or how did he get the prosthetic mask to make himself look like Jason? Why attack people who had nothing to do with his son's death?
Resurrecting Jason - Part VI
Bringing back Jason from the dead did end up working out in the end because fans love Part VI: Jason Lives and these days, Jason is more famous for being undead. With that said, Jason Voorhees being brought back to life by lightning is a little silly, even if it was intentionally meant to be.
Essentially, if Tommy Jarvis had never dug up Jason's grave and had a tantrum, Jason would still be dead. It transforms the entire series into a supernatural horror franchise when it was always about a masked killer.
Jason's Fear Of Water - Freddy VS Jason
This is another example of a commendable idea executed poorly. In Freddy vs. Jason, Freddy Krueger accidentally exposes a weakness of Jason's: thalassophobia, the fear of water. This doesn't really make any sense since there are countless times Jason has stalked and killed victims in the water.
This idea could have worked better with a little rewriting. Instead of Jason being inherently afraid of water, have Freddy Krueger play mind games to make him the day he almost drowned. Play with his child-like mind to make him afraid of water.
Body-Hopping Jason - Jason Goes To Hell
If Jason as a zombie wasn't silly enough, The Evil Dead franchise.
It's as ridiculous as it sounds with all this new Voorhees family lore that never existed prior. Finally, he is able to return to his human form but somehow returns fully grown, complete with jumpsuit and Jason's iconic hockey mask. No, it is never explained.
The Smiley Face - Part VI
For the majority of the film, Part VI strikes a nice balance between slasher horror and comedy. However, there is one scene where it goes a little overboard with the latter. Jason flings a paintballer into a tree and tears off their arm, which could have been a fine death.
However, it immediately becomes one of theLooney Tunes parody of the series.
Zombie Dad - Part VII
As silly as the idea of a psychic girl fighting Jason Voorhees may sound, many fans consider Part VII: The New Blood to be underrated. Where it falls apart is with the MPAA and the reshoots that were made to satisfy their demands. One of these comes in the finale in which the psychic Tina uses her powers to defeat Jason.
How? By summoning her dead father from the lake and having him drag Jason down to the depths. If the father was this water-rotten corpse, it might have worked, but he is perfectly preserved and only slightly muddy. As a result, all tension and thrills come to a halt, ruining what could have been a perfect climax.
Rivers Of Toxic Waste - Part VIII
There's no denying that there is a lot of pollution in a place like New York City and the sewers are a foul place. However, the idea that Manhattan floods the sewers with a massive wave of toxic waste is nothing short of laughable in Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan.
When Jason Voorhees gets him with this said waste, he melts and devolves into one of his worst unmasked looks in the Friday the 13th franchise. Then in the finale, he's taken by the wave of waste which melts and transforms him into his child form.
The Whole Movie - Jason X
It's known in the horror community that when a sequel sends the franchise into space, they've hit rock bottom. In the case of Hellraiser.
Jason X very much goes for horror/comedy and for the most part, it succeeds. That doesn't mean that Jason X isn't a far cry from what fans expect from Friday The 13th, however. Other than a few memorable kills, Jason X still takes the franchise and goes totally over the top.
