Is it really Friday the 13th again … in this economy?
At least it gives us an excuse to binge “Friday the 13th,” the celebrated slasher film series that started with Sean S. Cunningham’s 1980 original before spawning sequels that would introduce iconic killer Jason Voorhees before sending him to Manhattan, outer space and back in time (OK we made that last one up, but it’s a pretty good idea).
Ostensibly the cornerstone of the ’80s slasher film craze, “Friday the 13th” is one of the more inventive franchises of the period, particularly when the concept was given a little more elasticity (as in the case with 1986’s “Friday the 13th: Jason Lives,” which gave us lively meta-textual commentary a full decade before Wes Craven’s “Scream”). For more than 15 years, though, the franchise has been fully dormant – the last movie was 2009’s Michael Bay-produced reboot/remake “Friday the 13th.”
A24 did recently announce a “Crystal Lake” series, which will arrive on Peacock later this year, but the series’ bumpy production history, with creator/showrunner Bryan Fuller leaving the series, also has us a little spooked. But hey, there was that weird cider commercial/short film that came out last fall. And a new Halloween Horror Nights house. Maybe the cobwebs are getting shaken off, finally.
But how do you go about watching the “Friday the 13th” movies? Especially given the somewhat cumbersome nature of the underlying rights (which have added to the complexity surrounding additional films)? We’re here to answer all of your questions!
Available to Stream
Since the last time we did this list, the “Friday the 13th” movies have largely gone missing from streaming, like so many counselors at Camp Crystal Lake.
In fact, the only movies that are available to stream are…
The original 1980 “Friday the 13th,” which you can watch on Kanopy, the nifty streaming service that is free with your library card, and 1982’s “Friday the 13th Part III,” which introduced Jason Voorhees as the main antagonist (in a “Town That Dreaded Sundown”-inspired burlap sack mask), which you can watch free on YouTube (with ads).
Playing on Pluto TV Today
Pluto TV, the FAST (free, ad-supported television) channel owned by Paramount, is playing both 1981’s “Friday the 13th Part 2” and 1984’s “Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter” (one of the standout installments in the franchise) today, as part of their Friday the 13th programming. Check your listing for times and availability.
Not Streaming Anywhere
Here’s the real punch in the teeth – most of the franchise is simply unavailable to stream anywhere. You can buy copies of the movies on your digital platform of choice, but in terms of just pulling up your favorite sequel, you’re out of luck. What makes this even more baffling is that Paramount owns the rights to the first eight movies and should have them on Paramount+. And Warner Bros. owns the rights to the final three – “Jason Goes to Hell,” “Jason X” and the 2009 remake, along with “Freddy vs. Jason,” so you’d think that those would be on HBO Max.
They might circle back for Halloween, but as of now, you cannot legally stream the following chapters in the “Friday the 13th” saga:
“Friday the 13th: A New Beginning” (1985)
“Friday the 13th, Part VI: Jason Lives” (1986)
“Friday the 13th, Part VII: The New Blood” (1988)
“Friday the 13th, Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan” (1989)
“Jason Goes to Hell” (1993)
“Jason X” (2002)
“Freddy vs. Jason” (2003)
“Friday the 13th” (2009)
Physical Media Options
Sure, you could plunk down a few bucks to have the “Friday the 13th” movies in your digital library — they are currently available at Fandango at Home, Amazon and Apple TV (among others). But why would you want to? You have easier access but you don’t ever really own anything that you can’t physically hold.
Why not spring for some actual, physical copies of these movies?
“Friday the 13th” Collection (Blu-ray)
This deluxe Blu-ray box set from Shout! Factory is quickly going out of print (there are two copies available on Amazon) and worth whatever price you end up paying. It is the horror movie box set to end all horror movie box sets and includes every movie, through the 2009 remake, with alternate cuts, voluminous extras and outrageously wonderful sound and video quality. (Yes, including “Freddy vs. Jason.”) Do yourself a favor and grab this before it’s gone.
“Friday the 13th” and “Friday the 13th, Part 2” (4K)
Paramount recently put out the first two movies in 4K, with the second movie initially appearing in a box set before getting a standalone release. These are fairly affordable discs and offer improved video and audio quality. True Crystal Lakers will want to pick these up.
“Jason Goes to Hell,” “Jason X” and “Friday the 13th” 2009 (4K)
Our friends at Arrow put three incredible discs out recently – 4K versions of three films from the New Line Cinema era: “Jason Goes to Hell,” “Jason X” and the 2009 remake. It might not be enough to totally rehab their reputation among fans, but these discs are excellent. If you have any fondness for these movies, definitely check them out. Hopefully it will encourage Arrow to grab more licenses from the franchise, as we need “Freddy vs. Jason” in 4K!
“Friday the 13th” The Ultimate Collection (DVD)
If you want the first eight movies (the Paramount era) on lower quality than Blu-ray and 4K just to have in your collection, you can pick up The Ultimate Collection, which bundles the first eight movies and costs around $20. You literally cannot go wrong.
Also Not Streaming Anywhere
A more arcane corner of the “Friday the 13th” mythology is “Friday the 13th: The Series.” The show ran in syndication from 1987 to 1990 for a total of 72 episodes. There’s no real connection between the movies and the television series (partially, perhaps, because the movies were still being made during the production of the show) but it was spooky. And it did hire some great Canadian filmmakers for the series, including David Cronenberg, Allan King and Atom Egoyan. It is sadly not streaming anywhere, but Paramount has released a “complete series” DVD box set. You can pick it up for less than $30.
