It's been a long time since Jason Voorhees stalked Camp Crystal Lake on the big screen, but what's the most recent Friday the 13th film? Jason has slashed up victims in a whopping eleven films to date, with his mother Pamela swinging the machete in the original Friday the 13th movie, a fact it's really, really important to know if ever quizzed by Scream's Ghostface. Dozens and dozens of people have died at Jason's hands, or the business end of whatever sharp implement he might possess at that particular moment.
Along with A Nightmare on Elm Street's Freddy Krueger and Halloween's Michael Myers, Jason dominated the 1980s during the golden age of slasher flicks, forming sort of an unholy trinity for horror fans. All three characters and franchises remain revered by many today, and anyone involved with them tends to gain lifelong fame in the horror community, getting love from fans at horror conventions decades after they took part.
Unfortunately for Jason devotees, it's now been over a decade since Mrs. Voorhees' baby boy taught some hapless young adults why they shouldn't be doing unsavory activities near his domain. Sadly, Jason last claimed lives all the way back in 2009.
Friday the 13th 2009 Was The Last Movie In The Franchise
The most recent Friday the 13th movie was 2009's remake, made by New Line Cinema and Platinum Dunes. It's actually sort of a compressed remake of the first several Friday the 13th films, cruising past Pamela Voorhees' death and Jason's burlap sack phase to get to the hockey-masked killer horror fans have come to know and love. Amusingly, Friday the 13th 2009 actually crosses over slightly with the first Transformers movie, featuring Trent, a jerk jock character played by actor Travis Van Winkle in both films. Friday the 13th 2009 made a ton of money at the box office, but for various creative reasons, New Line never seemed happy with any of their commissioned scripts for a follow-up. The distribution rights to the franchise have since reverted to Paramount.
Why A New Friday the 13th Has Taken So Long
In more recent years, the major stumbling block keeping a new Friday the 13th film from being made has been a contentious lawsuit between the original movie's director/producer Sean S. Cunningham and writer Victor Miller. Miller attempted to use a quirk of U.S. copyright law to take over the rights to Friday the 13th and its accompanying characters and intellectual property from Cunningham, who's controlled them for decades. Cunningham says Miller's script was a work for hire, and he's entitled to nothing. The legal battle looked set to finally be resolved this June, but thanks to Coronavirus, it's unclear if that will still happen.