Though he was not the original killer, Jason Voorhees quickly became the poster child for the Friday the 13th franchise. From the brutality and creativity of his kills to his now-iconic hockey mask, Jason Voorhees is ed for being one of the ultimate slasher villains with many incarnations.
Many different actors have portrayed Jason Voorhees under different directors and styles. As a result, some versions of Jason are horrifying, while others fit more into the self-parody that the franchise became.
Uber Jason (Jason X)
It is very clear that Jason X was not trying to be a serious slasher film. It was a parody of the Friday The 13th series and other horror movies with meta-humor that was not for everyone. Jason's upgrade he gets in this third act is a perfect representation of the film.
It is cheesy, over-the-top, and downright comical. Uber Jason has silvery plastic arms that do not look metallic at all, and his hockey mask is reminiscent of the Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It is not scary at all and intentionally so.
Spirit Jason (Part IX)
While the concept of a demonic slug transferring from body to body, causing the previous host to melt in a The Fly is unique for this series, it just is not Jason. Most of the hosts are normal people, with the exception of darkened eyelids.
As a result, they are not that intimidating, and they never attempt to replicate how Kane Hodder would move and act as Jason at the time. As a result, the body-hopping Jason of Jason Goes to Hell comes off as a waste of a neat idea.
Demonic Jason (Part IX)
Kane Hodder did get to play the actual Jason Voorhees in Jason Goes to Hell, but only for a few minutes. Sadly, it is Kane Hodder's weakest outing due to the design that he was given and little to no killing.
In the very beginning, he was there only to fall into a trap and explode. In the finale, he returned in a way that made little sense, only to die again. Kane Hodder did his best with the physicality, but overall, it was basically a glorified cameo.
Slimy Jason (Part VIII)
The budget for Jason Takes Manhattan was much smaller than before, and it is noticeable with Jason. Gone are all the gruesome undead details and tattered clothes; instead, he just wears a slightly torn black jumpsuit that is always covered in slime. Even when he has been out of the water for hours, he is always wet.
When he is unmasked in the climax, Jason's makeup is downright laughable, but this time, it is not done on purpose. The only thing keeping this Jason from being the worst is Kane Hodder's performance and a few memorable kills.
Baghead Jason (Part II)
Jason's first time as the killer has not aged well. For every intimidating moment that the two different actors bring, it is almost immediately ruined by how clumsy he is. These days, Jason is known for his efficiency, but in Friday the 13th Part 2, he trips and falls more than the people he kills.
Also, the unmasked version of Jason Voorhees is not that scary for the brief few seconds he is on-screen. This is not a terrible Jason but just suffers from the innovation that filmmakers brought to later versions.
Unfrozen Jason (Jason X)
For the most part, Jason X is played for comedy, but before he turns into Uber Jason, Kane Hodder still delivers on a genuine Jason performance. Of course, the kills are over-the-top, but it is still Jason doing what he does best.
That said, the design for Jason is not the greatest, with a form-fitting mask, short hair, and looking way too human. This is not a bad version of Jason; it just needed some refinement.
Imposter Jason (Part V)
Technically, this one from Part V should not count because it is not really Jason, since a fact about Jason is that he was originally intended to stay dead. Instead, it is the EMT named Roy Burns getting revenge for his son's death by dressing like Jason Voorhees. The reveal is blatantly obvious from the first scene Roy appears, which lessens the fear factor.
However, when Roy is taking on the role of Jason, he manages to still be an imposing slasher. It is only a shame that the MPAA watered down many of the kills because Roy comes up with ones that would make the real Jason proud.
Crossover Jason (Freddy Vs. Jason)
After years of self-parody and many canceled attempts at a Freddy vs. Jason brought Jason back to his horror roots from Part VI and Part VII as a brutal undead killer. The horror was back full-force as Ken Kirzinger's version of Jason killed the people of Springwood in brutal ways that bring back the fear factor.
Fans were mixed on his design, but that was not the problem. Jason was mostly a blank slate in Freddy vs. Jason, either acting as a pawn of Freddy or of the survivors. It is not until Freddy and Jason actually fight that Jason starts to show any amount of character of his own.
Classic Jason (Part III)
Friday the 13th Part III is a movie too obsessed with the 3D gimmick, so it mostly just comes off as a rehash of previous films. Where the movie shines, however, is Richard Brooker revolutionizing Jason Voorhees into what he would be known as for the rest of time.
Brooker was the first Jason to wear the now-iconic hockey mask. Brooker's outing was the first time the unmasked Jason would look the way he does, which future films would always borrow from. His skills and his ferocity remain iconic, especially in the climax. For many fans, this was the true first Jason Voorhees.
Drowned Jason (Part VII)
This was Kane Hodder's first performance as Jason, and he remains the only actor to portray him multiple times. Kane was dedicated to the role, willing to take all of the major hits and stunts that Jason was dealt in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood.
The detail put into Jason's appearance is commendable; his exposed spine, skeletal unmasked face, heavily damaged outfit, and Kane Hodder's fierce body movements lead to an unforgettable Jason.
