On Sunday, November 28, 1999, my fiance and I did the unthinkable. We watched all nine Friday The 13th movies, back to back! Did we do this to punish ourselves? No, we did this for the sheer enjoyment of it. What we witnessed were major acts of carnage, brought on in countless numbers of ways. Has there ever been another character in cinematic history who has single handedly butchered so many people? Sure, someone can drop a bomb and kill thousands. But Jason did his work like a man - face to face with his victims.
For simplicity's sake, I will refer to each film by their part number. Jason Goes To Hell will be referred to as Part 9.
While Jason has his share of victims, he was not the only one in the films to take a life. Who could forget Jason's mother, who killed nine people in part 1? And who knew that county coroner Roy Burns had an impressive body count of 17 in part 5!
For the record, there were 142 people killed, along with two dogs. There were also three additional people killed in dream sequences - all in part 5, two by Jason and one by Tommy Jarvis. Here's a breakdown of the final death toll.
142 - Total body count (All films combined)
2 - Dogs (Both by Jason - Muffin in part 2 and Gordon in part 4)
3 - Total killed in dream sequences (Two by Jason, one by Tommy - all in part 5)
107 - Killed by Jason (Parts 2,3,4,6,7,8,9)
17 - Roy Burns, county coroner (Part 5)
9 - Pamela Voorhees (Part 1)
2 - Tommy Jarvis (Parts 4,5)
1 - Alice - (Part 1)
1 - Victor J. Faddon (Part 5)
1 - Tina Shepard (Flashback in part 5)
1 - Wayne - (Part 8)
1 - Rennie (Part 8)
1 - Vicki (Part 9)
1 - Jessica (Part 9)
For a more thorough breakdown, here's the "who, what, and where" of each and every kill, along with a total body count from the individual films. They are listed as VICTIM - METHOD - LOCATION - KILLER
FRIDAY THE 13TH
1 - Guy - stabbed by unknown object while fooling around with girl - Jason's mother
2 - Girl - stabbed by unknown object while fooling around with boy - Jason's mother
3 - Annie - throat sliced in woods - Jason's mother
4 - Ned - throat sliced in cabin - Jason's mother
5 - Jack - spear through his neck, in bunk, in cabin - Jason's mother
6 - Marcie - axe in the head in cabin - Jason's mother
7 - Brenda - unknown - killed on an archery range - Jason's mother
8 - Steve - knife in the stomach, on archery range - Jason's mother
9 - Bill - Several arrows in body, outside of cabin - Jason's mother
10 - Jason's mother - Decapitated with machete near the lake - Alice
10 - TOTAL BODY COUNT
9 - Jason's mother
1 - Alice
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FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2
1 - Alice - screwdriver in temple, in her home - Jason
2 - Ralph - barbed wire around neck, up against a tree - Jason
3 - Policeman - hammer in the back of the skull, in woods - Jason
4 - Scott - throat sliced by machete while hanging from a tree - Jason
5 - Terry - unknown, in woods - found later on in Jason's shrine to his mother - Jason
6 - Mark - machete in face, outside cabin - Jason
7 - Jeff - spear through body while in bunk with Sandy - Jason
8 - Sandra - spear through body while in bunk with Jeff - Jason
9 - Vicki - knife in stomach, in cabin - Jason
10 Paul - unknown, wrestling around on floor with Jason in cabin - Jason
10 - TOTAL BODY COUNT
10 - All killed by Jason
One dog also killed (Muffin)
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FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3
1 - Harold - butcher knife in chest, outside bathroom - Jason
2 - Edna - knitting needle through back of head, in house - Jason
3 - Fox - pitchfork through neck in barn - Jason
4 - Loco - pitchfork in stomach in barn - Jason
5 - Shelly - throat sliced outside - Jason
6 - Vera - harpoon gun in eye, in the lake - Jason
7 - Andy - machete in groin while doing handstand in hallway - Jason
8 - Debbie - machete through back and out of chest, in hammock - Jason
9 - Chuck - electrocuted in basement - Jason
10 - Chili - hot fireplace poker through body, in living room - Jason
11 - Rick - head crushed outside - Jason
12 - Ali - chopped up with machete in barn - Jason
12 - TOTAL BODY COUNT
12 - All killed by Jason
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FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 4
1 -Axel - sliced throat with hacksaw, then head twisted around, in morgue - Jason
2 - Nurse R. Morgan - scalpel in chest, in morgue - Jason
3 - Fat girl - knife through neck, on side of the road - Jason
4 - Samantha - spear through body, in raft in water - Jason
5 - Paul - harpoon gun in groin, in water - Jason
6 - Terri - spear (or long piece of wood) through body, outside house - Jason
7 - Mrs. Jarvis - unknown, in woods - Jason
8 - Jim - knife in face, in kitchen - Jason
9 - Tina - thrown from second story window onto car - Jason
10 - Ted - knife in back of head, in living room - Jason
11 - Doug - head crushed against wall in shower - Jason
12 - Sara - axe in chest in living room - Jason
13 - Rob - sliced up with unknown tool, in basement - Jason
14 - Jason Voorhees - hacked repeatedly in skull with machete, living room - Tommy
14 - TOTAL BODY COUNT
13 - Jason
1 - Tommy Jarvis
One dog also killed (Gordon)
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FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 5
1 - Gravedigger - machete in stomach, by Jason's grave - Jason (Dream sequence)
2 - Gravedigger - sharp object in neck, by Jason's grave - Jason (Dream sequence)
3 - Joey - axed in head outside - Victor J. Faddon
4 - Vinnie - flare in mouth, outside of car - Roy
5 - Pete - throat sliced by machete, in car - Roy
6 - Billy - axe in top of head, outside next to car - Roy
7 - Lana - axe in stomach, outside, next to car - Roy
8 - Stranger - knife in stomach, in woods - Roy
9 - Tina - gardening shears in eyes, in the woods - Roy
10 - Eddie - belt strap twisted in eyes and skull, up against a tree, in woods - Roy
11 - Anita - throat sliced by unknown weapon, outside outhouse -Roy
12 - Demon - metal stake through body, in outhouse - Roy
13 - Junior - decapitated by butcher knife, on motorcycle - Roy
14 - Ethel - butcher knife in skull, in kitchen - Roy
15 - Jake - butcher knife in face, in living room - Roy
16 - Robin - machete through body, in upper bunk in bedroom - Roy
17 - Violet - machete in stomach, in bedroom - Roy
18 - Ambulance driver - unknown, in ambulance - Roy
19 - Matthew - spike in forehead, in woods - Roy
20 - George - eyeballs pushed in, in woods - Roy
21 - Roy Burns - impaled on spikes, after fall from barn loft - Tommy Jarvis
22 - Pam - machete in stomach, in hospital - Tommy (Dream sequence)
19 - TOTAL BODY COUNT
17 - Killed by Roy Burns
1 - Victor J. Faddon
1 - Tommy Jarvis
Three also killed in dream sequences - two by Jason, one by Tommy
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FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 6
1 - Oz - punched through body, in graveyard - Jason
2 - Darren - metal rod in stomach, in woods - Jason
3 - Lizabeth - metal rod in head, in woods - Jason
4 - Burt - head impaled on tree branch, in woods - Jason
5 - Stan - decapitated with machete, in woods - Jason
6 - Larry - decapitated with machete, in woods - Jason
7 - Woman paintball player - decapitated with machete, in woods - Jason
8 - Roy - presumably dismembered with machete, in woods - Jason
9 - Martin - broken bottle in throat, in woods - Jason
10 - Steven - machete through body, on moped - Jason
11 - Steven's girl (Annette?) - machete through body, on moped - Jason
12 - Nikki - head slammed in bathroom mirror, in mobile home - Jason
13 - Cort - knife in side of skull, in mobile home - Jason
14 - Sissy - head twisted off, outside cabin - Jason
15 - Paula - slashed (with machete?) - in cabin - Jason
16 - Policeman - knife in the forehead, on pier - Jason
17 - Policeman - head crushed in woods - Jason
18 - Mike - bent in half, in woods - Jason
18 - TOTAL BODY COUNT
18 - All killed by Jason
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FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 7
1 - John Shepard (Tina's dad) - hit on head and drowned, on pier - Tina (Flashback)
2 - Jane - knife through back of neck, in woods - Jason
3 - Michael - knife in back, in woods - Jason
4 - Dan - punched through back, in woods - Jason
5 - Dan's girl (Judy?) - in sleeping bag, swung into tree, in woods - Jason
6 - Russ - chopped in neck with axe, in woods - Jason
7 - Sandra - drowned in lake - Jason
8 - Maddy - sickle across the neck, in building - Jason
9 - Ben - head crushed, next to van - Jason
10 - Kate - party favor in eye, in van - Jason
11 - David - knife in the stomach - in kitchen - Jason
12 - Eddie - machete in neck, in living room - Jason
13 - Robin - tossed from second story window - Jason
14 - Amanda Shepard - long sharp tool through back, in woods - Jason
15 - Dr. Crews - motorized spinning saw blade in stomach, in woods - Jason
16 - Melissa - axe in head, in living room - Jason
16 - TOTAL BODY COUNT
15 - Jason
1 - Tina (In flashback)
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FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 8
1 - Jimmy - harpoon gun jammed in stomach, in boat - Jason
2 - Suzie - harpoon in stomach, in boat - Jason
3 - J.J. - smashed in face with guitar, on boat - Jason
4 - Guy in sauna - hot sauna rock jammed in stomach, on boat - Jason
5 - Tamara - stabbed with piece of glass from mirror, on boat - Jason
6 - Mr. Carlson - stabbed in back with harpoon, on boat - Jason
7 - Captain Robinson - throat sliced with machete, on boat - Jason
8 - Eva - strangled on dance floor, on boat - Jason
9 - Unknown guy - shot in chest, on boat - Wayne
10 - Wayne - electrocuted, on boat - Jason
11 - Unknown guy - thrown from mast of ship onto antennas, on boat - Jason
12 - Deckhand - axe in back, on boat - Jason
13 - Gang member - hypodermic needle through back and out chest, in alley - Jason
14 - Georgio - head smashed into pipe, in alley - Jason
15 - Julius - head punched off, on rooftop - Jason
16 - Unknown cop - unknown, dragged off in alley (presumed dead) - Jason
17 - Colleen - blown up in car after smashing into wall, New York City - Rennie
18 - Charles - drowned in barrel of waste, in alley - Jason
19 - Restaurant cook - thrown into mirror, in restaurant - Jason
20 - Sewer worker - axe in head, in sewer - Jason
20 - TOTAL BODY COUNT
18 - Jason
1 - Wayne
1 - Rennie
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JASON GOES TO HELL
1 - Phil - Possessed by Jason, in morgue - Jason
2 - Medical assistant - medical probe through head, in morgue - Jason
3 - Security guard - head smashed, in morgue - Jason
4 - 2nd security guard - head smashed, in morgue - Jason
5 - Girl in woods (Alexis?) - sliced up with sharp object, in woods - Jason
6 - Debbie - machete sliced through her, in woods - Jason
7 - Luke - unknown (presumably killed with machete), in tent - Jason
8 - Waitress (Edna) - head smashed in car door, in parking lot - Jason
9 - Josh - possessed by Jason, in Voorhees house - Jason
10 - Diana - knife in back, in living room - Jason
11 - Robert - possessed by Jason, in Voorhees house - Jason
12 - Officer Ryan - head smashed into locker - in police station - Jason
13 - Unknown cop - head smashed into another cop, in police station - Jason
14 - 2nd unknown cop - head smashed into another cop, in police station - Jason
15 - Ward - smashed into diner door - Jason
16 - Diner customer - smashed into counter, in diner - Jason
17 - 2nd diner customer - shot in chest, in diner - Vicki
18 - Pookie - head in deep fryer, in diner - Jason
19 - Jo - head punched and twisted around, in diner - Jason
20 - Vicki - impaled with metal rod and skull crushed, in diner - Jason
21 - Randy - possessed by Jason, in diner - Jason
22 - Ed - stabbed in stomach, in Voorhees house - Jessica
23 - Duke - back crushed, in Voorhees house - Jason
23- TOTAL BODY COUNT
21 - Jason
1 - Vicki
1 - Jessica
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It should also be noted that in the beginning of part 2, we see a severed head in Alice's refrigerator (undoubtedly placed there by Jason). This head (and its corresponding torso) were not included in the total body count. For all we know, Jason could have found this head, or maybe even dug it up. Due to the unknown origins of this head, I will not include it in the final body count. I stand firm on this matter!
By spending 13 1/2 hours watching these films, we became privy to some interesting bits of trivia. Here's what we found:
10-year-old Jason Voorhees drowned in 1957. (Part 1)
The first murders occurred in 1958 (Part 1)
Jason's mother was named Pamela (Part 4)
The character of Rob in part 4 was the brother of Sandra in part 2 (part 4)
Jason's father's name was Elias (Part 9)
Jason was born in 1946 - obviously later in the year, if he was
10 years old when he drowned in 1957 (Part 9)
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Part 6 opened with a spoof of the James Bond intros.
Though Jason killed two dogs (Muffin in part 2 and Gordon in part 4) two dogs were saved from Jason?s wrath - Toby in part 8 and Tango in part 9
Though Jason's mother clearly stated in part 1 that Jason was her only child, Jason's sister Diana appears in part 9. Perhaps what she meant was that Jason was her only child at that time. We can speculate that shortly after Jason's death, his mother gave birth to Diana. It could have happened that way!
In part 9, the newscaster states that Jason has killed 83 people. Up to that point, my official body count shows Jason?s total at 86. My only guess is that three of Jason's victims had never been found. The woods are a big place you know!
In part 9, most of the killings weren't physically done by Jason. However, Jason's spirit was possessing several different people, who actually did the killing. Thus, we can still include those deaths as official "kills" of Jason's.
What have we learned from all this? In short, you simply can't keep a good man down. Jason is a true hero. You can beat him, stab him, shoot him, machete him, and even blow him to bits. But in the true spirit of American pride, he keeps getting up. Jason is also not the least bit bigoted against anyone. He kills blacks, whites, hispanics, short people, tall people, skinny people, fat people, and even a guy in a wheelchair. Jason is a living testament to the ideals this country was founded on... or something like that.
Supposedly, the year 2000 will bring us a new film. Perhaps it'll be a new adventure, or maybe even the long-rumored Jason Vs. Freddy movie. I for one, can' wait!
Lastly, I leave you with my individual reviews for all nine films.
FRIDAY THE 13TH - This is the one that started it all! Two camp counselors are killed at Crystal Lake, in 1958, by an unknown assailant. More than 20 years later, the camp is being re-opened. When the counselors arrive to fix up the place, they end up getting killed one by one. At the end, the last survivor, Alice, has a final battle with the killer. Kevin Bacon costars as one of the counselors. This flick also informs us that in 1957, a 10-year-old boy named Jason Voorhees, drowned in the lake. Decent horror film, which was followed by a neverending series of sequels.
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART II - This flick is the first in the series which features Jason as the killer. A new camp is opening up near the camp which was featured in the first film. The new batch of counselors refer to the old camp as "camp blood." As expected, Jason goes on a rampage. He kills almost everyone, including a dog named Muffin. Decent sequel, very similar to the first film. As usual, blood and nudity abound. Jason wears a potato sack over his head throughout most of the film. But at one point, we do get to see his face. And man, is he ugly! Be sure not to miss Jason' shrine to his dead mother. He has the ultimate keepsake!
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART III - Jason is back once again! This time, several kids are spending some time at Higgin's Haven - a summer getaway belonging to one of them. Jason kills all but one of them. He also kills a white trash couple and a biker gang! This film also provides us with the origin of Jason' trademark hockey mask. At the end, Jason is presumed dead. (Ha ha!) Really good sequel, which shows us more blood and nudity. This was originally shown in 3-D. One woman gets a harpoon gun in they eye, while another guy?s eye gets popped out of its socket. Ouch!
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART IV - This was billed as "THE FINAL CHAPTER" - yeah right. Jason is picked up and taken to the morgue. He soon wakes up, kills a few people, and heads back to his sanctuary of Crystal Lake. Luckily for him, six young adults have rented a house in the woods. Jason then does his thing. At the end of this one, Corey Feldman finally puts an end to Jason, killing him (for the moment) with a machete. Typical Jason movie, featuring plenty of blood and nudity. Before killing Jason, Feldman shaves his head. It's not clear why.
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART V - Though the previous film was supposed to be the last, this one marks "A NEW BEGINNING." Tommy Jarvis has spent the last several years in various mental institutions. After entering a new one, the area becomes under attack by someone dressed as Jason, slaughtering people. Has Jason returned from the dead? Is Tommy the killer? Is it someone else all together? Hmm... Interesting angle on the all too familiar plot. This film also features a backwoods country hick woman who has one of the most foul mouths you?ll ever here.
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VI - Just when you thought it was safe to go into the woods... JASON LIVES! Tommy Jarvis comes up with the brilliant plan of digging up Jason?s body. He claims that the only way to rid the world of Jason, is to burn his ashes. (Keep in mind that Jason is dead already. He?s not killing anyone!) After digging him up, Jason gets stuck by lightning. The jolt is strong enough to bring him back to life! Now what do you do? How do you stop a living corpse? The ever brilliant Tommy than concludes that the only way to stop him is to send him back to the lake - where he drowned in 1957. After a battle, he is able to do so, leaving Jason underwater, with a weighted rope around his neck. However, Jason' eyes are still open and moving in the final scene. Oh well. Ridiculous plot, which changes the series from horror to supernatural. Interestingly, the sheriff in the film claims that due to the infamy of Jason, the town of Crystal Lake changed its name to Forest Green.
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VII - When we last left Jason, he was weighted down, with a rock around his neck, at the bottom of Crystal Lake. Enter "A New Blood" - a girl with psychic ability named Tina. Tina' upset because years earlier, she' accidentally killed her father in the lake. When she wishes he?d come back, she unknowingly resurrects Jason. Luckily for Jason, a houseful of kids have just moved in next door to Tina. Jason has a field day with the kids. Before long, the death toll mounts. Will Tina be able to use her psychic powers to stop him? Will her father return from his watery grave to help her? Watch and see. This one features a really cool "death by sleeping bag" scene. Interestingly, the town's name is once again Crystal Lake. Why do people even try to stop Jason? How does one stop a corpse?
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VIII - Our good buddy Jason is revived by a power cable. He then hitches a ride on a boat, full of high school students, celebrating graduation. The kids are slaughtered by Jason. A few of them manage to escape in a lifeboat and are able to reach Manhattan. Jason follows them. When he arrives, "Jason Takes Manhattan." Amazingly, Jason walks down the streets of New York, and doesn't even warrant a stare! It's clear that Jason does not like noisy boomboxes! Don't miss the rooftop scene in which Jason fights in a bare knuckle boxing match! "Give me your best shot!" Believe it or not, Jason is uglier than he has ever been! The ending is very strange though. It would also lead you to believe that they couldn't possibly make another sequel. But we all know that couldn't be true!
JASON GOES TO HELL - At the end of FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VIII, Jason Voorhees had devolved back into a little boy, and was lying dead and naked in a New York City sewer. However, he's back again - full sized and adorned with a hockey mask. How did this happen? Who knows, but does it really matter? Jason is tempted with a young nubile woman, taking a shower. She runs and leads him into the woods, where a government assault team blows him up into several pieces! As his autopsy is being performed, his heart starts beating. The coroner then eats Jason's heart! Jason's "evil" can now possess people and move from body to body. Jason is looking to be reborn from another Voorhees. He has a sister and a niece left. So he heads back to Crystal Lake. Apparently, he can only be killed by a Voorhees as well. Jason does get reborn, but gets defeated as well. Is this the end for the big guy? Don't bet on it! Much gorier than the previous eight films. Don't miss the unexpected final scene!