The Original is Still The Best Gotta go with Part I - pretty much like everyone else. Love it for so many reasons. Among them: "Kill her Mommy...kill her!!!" Kevin Bacon getting stabbed through the throat with the arrow from underneath the bed...totally badass. The dude with the Indian Headress - tasteless & hysterical. Strip Monopoly. The kick-ass orignial theatrical poster - one of the best ever.
In antici... pation of the new movie, I've been re-watching all of the Jason flicks. They all have their good and bad points. Overall, my longtime fave is Part VI: Jason Lives. It's slick look and fun (not sleazy) humor make it stand out from the pack. The characters are actually fun and likeable, and the dialogue is snappy. The unstoppable "zombie Jason" is introduced, and I like that version of the character. He would be perfected in look and performance by Kane Hodder in Part VII: The New Blood, but I hate the edited kills in that one. The director of Part VI wisely foresaw this problem, and filmed different versions of each kill. So even though they're not very gory, the film flows much better than the next one.
I have to say - Jason Goes to Hell! Not for purists - but adds a great layer to the myth and great acting, writing and gore to boot!
My vote goes to Part VII: The New Blood. Jason finally meets a formidable foe in the likes of a girl with psychokinesis. The final battle between Jason and Tina is the highlight of the movie and with the gritty and gory look of the film, it tops out at no. 1 for me.
Even though it pretty much negates part 1, there's a reason the remake has been sold as a redux version of part 2.Besides that, it was my first slasher viewing experience, it made me a degenerate fan of horror flicks (for better or worse).I loved the overall direction of Steve Miner (hence I resent his lack of interest in the series) and his attention to detail.The last girl standing discovering the creepy altar made to honour the head of Mrs. Vorhees and her idea of using the deceased clothes to fool Jason was a genius move, and a disturbing one at that! So, FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2 is my pick.
I liked Part 2. I thought it was really cool that even though it was Jason's first kill, he didn't do it at the Lake. He ventured out and found Alice, stalked her and killed her in her home. That's fucked up!
I would have to say part 1... I liked it the best because it is what started it all... and maybe because I was so young when I first saw it... it is the only one that put even the slights amount of fear into me. The sequels were good... but really for the most part just more of the same.
Definitely Part II I have to pick part II. I love the sackhead Jason, and I think he is more of an actual character in this movie. Also, the movie has a lot more tension than most of the others, characters that you actually care (a little) about, some great kills, and it isn't too neutered by the MPAA. Part IV is a close second, for basically the same reasons. However, I found some of the characters in part IV to be just a little too goofy, which knocked the tension down a bit. Part IV easily has the best ending in the series, though.
I'm going to base my pick on theatrical experience, in which case I've got to go with part VII. The sleeping bag kill was the only time other then when the death star blew up that I witnessed an entire audience burst into applause. However, part 1 is the only one that still scares me.
I would have to say The Final Chapter. It has the best cast and some great kills. Could have used a little more T & A, but ya got Corey Feldman, "The Computer", a dead fuck! and the awesome machete slide that Jason does at the end. Killer stuff!
Part 3 by a slight margin. The hockey mask first appears and the charaqcters were fun and goofy. (part three barely edges out part 1 and 4 though)
I always have a hard time choosing between Part 1 and Part 4. Part 1 started it all, and it's so classic. But I think I have to go with Part 4, because I grew up watching the Tommy Jarvis films and it's the best one.
I'd have to go with Final Chapter...lots of kitcshy 80's cool abundant in that one. Crispin Glover and that bleach blonde punker chick doing the robot dance in her room...priceless.
My favorite is Part 2 This was the first Friday the 13th I seen, so it is nostalgic for me...I saw Part 1 shortly after, and liked it as well...perhaps if I saw that first that would be my favorite... Anyway, I love Jason's look in this...the baghead will always be my favorite. There was a pretty tense atmosphere throughout the film, Amy Steel was great as Ginny and probably my favorite of the final girls...Jason's shack was cool as was the shrine...There was quite a bit of attention to detail in parts and in others, not so much...plus it boosted some kills from Mario Bava's Bay of Blood...
I've always like Part VI the best. Return of the Living Dead is my favorite movie so seeing Thom Matthews fighting Jason is very entertaining to me. Part 3 is always right behind it for me though.
The Final Chapter is my favorite. For one thing, I really dug the twins in that movie. Otherwise, it seemed to me that the series hit its peak around this time. By this time the Jason Hockey Mask (tm) was entrenched as Jason's permanent "look", the movie moved at a brisk pace, and it was at this point in the series where you really started to root for Jason to kill the teens, who by this time had become really annoying assholes for the most part. But yeah. The twins. Yum.
My favourite is Friday the 13th part VI: Jason Lives, its the most fun of the series and has some creative kills without the necessity for gore i.e. the head through the side of the caravan. CJ Graham started something with Jason in this one and is near perfect. Love the whole gothic 80s feel to this movie.
Friday the 13th Part 6 Jason Lives has to be my favorite for the kills alone. Jason impales a guy with a cemetery gate rod and then hoists him over his head like its nothing. Plus, the whole head-smashed-into-camper-and-make-a-facial-impression death is just an fun and hardcore death.
