10. Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
The ninth entry in one of the most expansive horror series is an interesting beast. It’s the first produced by New Line Cinemas – the studio that introduced A Nightmare on Elm Street – signifying a crossover that would take almost 10 years to come into fruition. It’s also directed by an incredibly young Adam Marcus, who was 23 when he was hired by New Line to helm Jason Goes to Hell. That’s younger than both Steven Spielberg and Don Coscarelli when they directed two of horror’s most critically applauded films.
And while Jason Goes to Hell is no Jaws or Phantasm, it’s a film that is unnecessarily maligned by critics and fans alike. Yes, it features a body swapping Jason Voorhees – blown to smithereens by a platoon of trigger happy troopers – that gives the film a fresh Freaky Friday vibe. Sure, it acts more as a set-up for New Line to take the franchise in new and nightmarish directions. But it’s also a film that doesn’t shy away from standing out. It’s an unhinged and exhausting entry that dabbles in the supernatural while upping the body count to 23; a number only matched by Jason X.