by The Friday the 13th franchise of slasher films is one of the most prolific in the horror genre. Starring the iconic Jason Voorhees these are what I consider ‘horror movie junk food.’ They’re easy to sit down and watch when you want to be scared but also don’t want to have to think too hard. They’re an easy choice for Halloween viewing that’s for sure. Many balk at how shallow and sleazy they tend to be, but it has a huge and devoted fan base. I grew up with the movies personally and they’ll always be near and dear to my heart. With that said the bread and butter of any slasher film is the jump scares, and Friday the 13th is no different. That’s why I thought that today it would be fun to sit down and list the best jump scares in the series. So let’s get started…
Please note that this list contains major spoilers for the movies. If you haven’t seen them and care about things like that then it’s probably best to turn away now.
#10. – Jason Wannabe Bursts Through Door
Movie: Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning
The fifth Friday film wasn’t exactly critically acclaimed. It’s usually compared quality-wise to Jason Takes Manhattan, and I’m not one to disagree. With that said it’s sorely lacking in thrills and chills, but one scene in particular made me jump. Near the end of the film when the protagonists finally realize something is amiss and attempt to escape the home and then Jason (well, we know it’s not actually him thanks to later story revelations) breaks through a door. The intensity and violence of the act is what makes this one so sudden and surprising. It’s a solid jump scare.
#9. – Body Thrown Through the Window
Movie: Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
This is a recurring jump scare throughout the series, but this instance is where it’s done best. Trish and Tommy are trying to escape their home after they discover how high Jason’s body count is, and he sends one of his cadavers through the window. The reason this instance of the classic Friday the 13th scene gets the nod is because it’s the most violent and unexpected of the bunch. Even though I know it’s coming it’s still hard to resist jumping as the glass and window panes shatter.
#8. – Jason Grabs Tommy From Underwater
Movie: Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
Jason Lives is more tongue in cheek and fun than the other installments, and it feels like the horror kind of takes a back seat because of this. It still has one of the most frightening scenes in the entire franchse however. I’m talking about Jason and Tommy’s final confrontation on Crystal Lake where Jason emerges from the water to grab Mr. Jarvis who is aboard a rickety little boat. The reason this jump scare works so well is the excellent misdirection. We see Jason enter the water, but we have no way of knowing when he’s going to show himself. Then bubbles start emerging, and bam, Jason jumps out of the water on the opposite side of the boat. It’s very well done and quite effective.
#7. – Spear Through the Neck
Movie: Friday the 13th
This is one of the most iconic, widely known, and downright memorable moments in the entire Friday the 13th series. The scene’s popularity has almost nothing to do with the fact that it’s Kevin Bacon who meets his demise here; it’s the sheer brutality of it and the wonderful special effects by Tom Savini that make this moment stand out so much. Few other slasher films at this time had anything quite as inventive or violent as this here. One thing’s for certain; this one has left me checking underneath my bed occasionally even years later.
#6. – “There’s Someone In the Room”
Movie: Friday the 13th Part II
This scene is a slower burn than the others listed here, but has a fantastic pay-off. At this point in the story the camp is completely empty with all of the counselors having met their demise, and the power is out. Ginny and Paul are searching for fuse box when Ginny hears something and tells Paul that she thinks there’s someone else in the room. It’s here that we see Jason rising up, donning his forgotten rucksack mask, as he attacks Paul in a violent fit. Usually our masked antagonist attacks from out of nowhere, and the build-up here adds a nice sense of dread to what we all know is about to happen.
#5. – Unmasked Jason in the Barn
Movie: Friday the 13th Part 3
You know that whenever Jason is de-masked that things are getting real, real fast. After Jason has been defeated by the business end of a hand-axe by our heroine Chris she pushes a canoe into the lake as a final precaution before falling asleep thus ending the nightmarish evening. Or so she thought. She awakens to see Jason’s ghoulish face staring back at her from the window of the second floor of the barn. He runs at her and then disappears only to have his mother’s rotted corpse rise from the depths to pull Chris into the lake. It’s shocking, tense, and just plain scary. This one does lose a few points for being a dream sequence as well as copying the final moments of the original film.
#4. – Jason Unconscious on the Floor
Movie: Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
Yeah, I know I know. You can see this one coming from miles away, but that fact doesn’t make it any less dreadful or intense. This one happens near the finale as things get desperate for Trish and Tommy Jarvis who are struggling to get away from a nearly unstoppable Jason. When they do finally manage to knock him out he’s laying dead center in the hallway; the only way down to the first floor. It’s clearly not a question of if, but rather of when Jason is going to reach up and grab on to the kids as they try to get past him. It’s a hold your breath moment that’s for sure, and one of the most effective jump scares in any slasher film.
#3. – Jason Leaps Through the Window
Movie: Friday the 13th Part II
The first film established that Friday the 13th was all about the shock ending. The new crew had to follow up that of the original which is no easy task, and while it falls just short of the magic from the first it’s still something that will stay with you. This twist ending works so well because, following Jason’s defeat, we have a fantastic misdirection with the door being flung open only to reveal the disturbance was being caused by the Muffin the dog. The music turns to calming and soothing and just when you let your guard down Jason leaps through the window to grab Ginny. This is our first look at his deformed face in this movie, and the sudden-ness and intensity of the attack make it all the more shocking.
#2. – Jason Hides Under the Blankets
Movie: Friday the 13th Part II
Some are going to find this entry a little weird, but I found it to be the most intense jump scare in the entire second movie. The character Vickie, a fan favorite because she’s one of the few genuinely good people who go to work at Camp Crystal Lake, is searching for her friends in the bedroom of the counselor quarters. She sees two bodies under the sheets. Going by series conventions you would expect her to pull back the sheets, find her deceased friends, and then Jason enters scene. Instead they skip a step as Jason is actually hiding under the blankets the whole time and before she can pull them back he rises out of the bed. It’s shocking and scary, and uses the series’ conventions for its misdirection which is amazing.
#1. – Jason Makes His First Appearance
Movie: Friday the 13th
Jason Voorhees is synonymous with the Friday the 13th series, and that’s why those who haven’t watched the whole thing through are usually surprised to learn that it’s not him but rather his mother who is running around killing everyone in the original film. In the final chase and fight sequence our protagonist Alice manages to defend herself against Pamela Voorhees and finally beheads her. After the fight she’s exhausted and seeks safe refuge in a canoe she pushes out into the lake. Morning comes, soothing music plays, and all of a sudden we hear a roar and furious violins as Jason’s moss covered body rises from the depths to pull Alice in. It’s one of the most terrifying moments in all of cinema, and I just love watching it with first timers for the reactions. The filmmakers created this scene for pure shock value, and didn’t actually intend for Jason to pick up where his deranged mother left off.
