'Friday the 13th': How to Stream the Slasher Horror Movies

Friday the 13th is back again, and horror fans may be wondering how they can watch the classic slasher-horror franchise that shares a name with the infamous superstitious day. Like most movies and TV shows, it's possible to rent or buy the Friday the 13th films from online digital retailers such as Amazon's Prime Video or Vudu. However, at least one streamer has nearly every single Friday the 13th film available to stream at no extra cost. 

All of the original Friday the 13th movies are available to stream on Max, for subscribers of the service. This includes Friday the 13th (1980), Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981), Friday the 13th Part III (1982), Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984), 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), and Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993). Additionally, Max viewers can also stream Freddy vs. Jason (2003) as well as the Friday the 13th remake from 2009. 

It seems that the only film in the franchise not streaming on a subscription based platform is Jason X. For diehard fans, the horror streaming service Shudder has a lengthy documentary on the film franchise, Crystal Lake Memories, named for the camp where the majority of the films take place. Notably, some of the Friday the 13th movies may be broadcasted on television as well, so check your local listings to find out. 

The first Friday the 13th film was released in 1980. It went on to spawn nine sequels, as well as a mash-up film with Jason's fellow horror film icon Freddy Kruger — 2003s Freddy vs. Jason — and the remake in 2009. Since then, the franchise has had trouble getting back off the ground. A number of planned follow-up reboots failed to make it past the scripting stage, and a subsequent copyright lawsuit brought the series to a screeching halt.

Back in 2018, it was reported that NBA champ Lebron James was going to be joining the Friday the 13th franchise as a producer of a planned reboot for the series. According to a Bloody Disgusting report at the time, James and his production company SpringHill Entertainment were said to be working with Vertigo Entertainment on a new launch for the iconic horror movie. There have been no updates on this since, but a new prequel series based on the franchise is coming soon to Peacock.

Notably, in 2021, screenwriter Victor Miller — who wrote the first Friday the 13th movie — won a lawsuit appeal against the movie's director, Sean S. Cunningham, which confirmed that he was the sole rightful owner of the film's domestic rights. "Barring any reversal before a fuller panel at the 2nd Circuit or Supreme Court, Victor Miller will reclaim the domestic rights to the franchise," The Hollywood Reporter's Eriq Gardner explained at the time. "A big win for attorney Marc Toberoff as he heads into an even bigger fight against Disney over Marvel characters."