Friday the 13th

[ER]

Um, spoilers?

So....at this point in franchise history, Jason did or did not legit drown and die? He later came back as a revenant ghoul (?) but in this movie he was just a weird kid living in the woods and everyone, including his mom, thought he was dead? Do I have that right?

[RCMerchant]

He was dead alright, but he was some kinda zombie, I reckon. Because nothing could kill him for over 25 years, so...I don't even care. It was all run of the mill slasher bulls**t.  
No offense to folks who enjoy the franchise, but I didn't like many horror series in the 80's. Select ones (like the EVIL DEAD), but otherwise...most times the first in the series is the best. The rest ugh! There are exceptions  (i.e. HALLOWEEN III).

[ER]

He was dead alright, but he was some kinda zombie, I reckon. Because nothing could kill him for over 25 years, so...I don't even care. It was all run of the mill slasher bulls**t.  
No offense to folks who enjoy the franchise, but I didn't like many horror series in the 80's. Select ones (like the EVIL DEAD), but otherwise...most times the first in the series is the best. The rest ugh! There are exceptions  (i.e. HALLOWEEN III).

Me too. I love horror movies if they're the right kind (for example I love The Haunting) but slasher movies are not horror and they're awful.

Anyway, so he was dead then too in the first film? Okay, thanks!

[Gabriel Knight]

Well, the problem with franchises like FRIDAY THE 13TH, NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, HELLRAISER or HALLOWEEN, is that so many writers and directors put their greedy claws on those titles, and eventually the "mythology" becomes a complete mess.

I will try to summarize the whole FRIDAY THE 13 saga, regarding your question, in order of each movie (plenty of spoilers ahead!). Feel free to correct any errors from my part:

1) Jason did drowned. He shows up at the end as an undead kid, but it's just a bad dream.
2) Jason didn't drowned, he was just a weird guy in the forest running around and killing people, mainly those who killed his mother.
3) Jason didn't drowned. Not only that, but the protagonist has flashbacks of him attacking her from many years ago, in which he should've been much younger, yet he's quite grown up. Not to mention, bald, when this happens the following day than the second movie and there he has long hair. This movie is interesting because here he gets his infamous hockey mask.
4) Following part 3, he got an axe to the head and was considered dead. Somehow he resurrects from the morgue with no explanation. At the end, he gets killed by young Tommy Jarvis with a machete.
5) Jason is still dead by the hands of Tommy, in this one there's no Jason, just a copycat.
6) Jason is resurrected with a lightning bolt and becomes a full zombie, with super human strength and smell. From this point on he gets that undead look which is pretty cool, but sense is out of the window.
7) Jason is resurrected from the bottom of a lake with telekinetic powers from the protagonist. At the end, he gets killed by getting dragged into the water by her dad, who comes back from the dead for some reason.
8) Jason is resurrected with some electricity from a couple of underwater cables, and then visits Manhattan, for like ten minutes, after a quite long boat trip. It is also interesting to note that the "protagonist" actually have some visions of a young Jason drowned, but in the movie is never explained and it serves no point. Basically, according to this one, Jason did drowned as a kid.
9) Jason didn't drowned or anything, who gives a s**t. He's just some kind of phalic entity who gets inside people through their mouths and take control of their bodies. It's completely bonkers but it happens to be one of my favorites.
10) Who cares? It's Jason in space! Enjoy the hot half naked scientists, robot chicks, and Jason with metal implants!

Then by FREDDY VS JASON (which actually came before X, and it's pure awesomeness) it is heavily implied that Jason did drowned as a kid, and actually is afraid of water, which doesn't really make much sense since he's always around it. Personally, I consider water his weakness, but he's so badass that he manages to overcome it anyways. Not in Freddy's world tho!

So, in conclusion: don't take these movies seriously, they're a complete mess of a story and the only continuity they follow is those of the dollars symbols. Just enjoy them for what they are, but don't forget to shut down your brain first.

[bob]

I've only seen, and own, the first one. I really, really like it.

I intend to watch and potentially own others.

[Allhallowsday]

He was dead alright, but he was some kinda zombie, I reckon. Because nothing could kill him for over 25 years, so...I don't even care. It was all run of the mill slasher bulls**t.  
No offense to folks who enjoy the franchise, but I didn't like many horror series in the 80's. Select ones (like the EVIL DEAD), but otherwise...most times the first in the series is the best. The rest ugh! There are exceptions  (i.e. HALLOWEEN III).

If he wasn't dead he should be.  The first movie is fun... funny... "Mommy!  Mommy!"  I love the boat oar swing... oops!    

The mother was crazy and killed them all...Jason was in her mind until the jump-scare at the end... 

I agree that there aren't any good "series" from the 80s... they're all sh!t except EVIL DEAD...  

[chainsaw midget]

You left out something in your explanation. 

Jason goes to hell brings the Necronomicon into his backstory. 

They never go into details about it, but this could easily explain away the "is he dead or not" problems with him.  He wasn't dead he was a deadite.

[Gabriel Knight]

You left out something in your explanation.  

Jason goes to hell brings the Necronomicon into his backstory.  

They never go into details about it, but this could easily explain away the "is he dead or not" problems with him.  He wasn't dead he was a deadite.

AFAIK it was a nod at the supposed FREDDY VS JASON VS ASH that was coming, getting eventually cancelled and landing into a series of comic books. I don't know what is stated in this particular series, but the director of JASON GOES TO HELL indeed said that Jason was a deadite in that movie.
If that stance is canon or not, it would be hard to say - have in mind, this was only present on the ninth movie. Personally, I consider it kinda cheap and basically undermines the origins of the character of Jason, but that's just me.
I mean, the ocassional crossover is cool, but not when they change the characters to adjust to their own ideas.

[zombie no.one]

I love the films (parts 3, 5, 7 and 8 anyway, not a fan of part 6 or the post 80's installments), but I couldn't care less about things like a consistent storyline, or proper continuity from one part to the next... they are dumb films at heart. ' switch brain off and enjoy ' type deals

[claws]

Here's how I rate the series:

Friday the 13th (1980) 4.5/5 (Excellent)
Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) 4/5 (Great)
Friday the 13th Part III (1982) 3.5/5 (Very Good)
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) 4/5 (Great)
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) 2.5/5 (Flawed but Worthy)
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) 4/5 (Great)
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) 3/5 (Good)
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) 2.5/5 (Flawed but Worthy)
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) 2/5 (Bad)
Jason X (2001) 2.5/5 (Flawed but Worthy)
Freddy vs. Jason (2003) 3.5/5 (Very Good)
Friday the 13th (2009) 3.5/5 (Very Good)

[zombie no.one]

Pt 4 might be technically the best made of the sequels, but I don't find it much fun. it's a bit too serious. also I feel like crispin glover is out of place.

I have almost the exact opposite problem with Part 6. it tries to be way too jokey, in a clever-clever kind of way, that doesn't come of well, to me. also Jason seems like some random guy in a mask, he doesn't have the same presence as usual.

Pt 5 is just crazy, off the wall. a bad movie for sure, but I love it.

[RCMerchant]

Why is my favorite JASON GOES TO HELL?
Maybe because it reminds me of the HIDDEN?