Friday the 13th Kills: 13 Killer Kills for Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th has once again popped up on the calendar. So what better way to celebrate than with some killer Friday the 13th kills?

The first Friday the 13th film hit theaters on May 9, 1980. That's the movie that made Camp Crystal Lake and Jason Voorhees household names. That is, of course, if your household loves horror. The franchise boasts a dozen films, a TV series, an NES game, and countless books, comics, and merch items. You could make the argument that it's the first "mainstream" slasher film endeavor.

I've always loved horror. I grew up on watching the Creature Double Feature Saturday afternoons on TV 56. When I was a kid and I'd be out with my parents running errands, if the trip took us to downtown Wakefield, I'd ask to stop by the Lucius Bebee Memorial Library so I could scour the children's room for books about vampires, werewolves, ghosts and the like.

That being said, I've never been a big fan of gore. Too much blood, guts, and torture distracts me and takes me away from the story. That's part of why I loved watching the early Friday the 13th movies. The violence was so over-the-top it was comical. And while there was plenty of blood, it never got the point of distraction. And Jason is one of the all-time great horror movie villains, of course.

I've put this list together in celebration of Friday the 13th, but it's worth coming back to year-round. I hope you find some twisted enjoyment in it. And if you're in the mood for more horror, check out my Greatest Horror Movies edition of the 12-Inch Poll. I've also compiled what I believe to be the 12 Best Modern Horror Movies, so be sure to check that out, too.

Starting with a double kill, because it's my favorite kill in the entire franchise. Jason laying waste to Nikki and Cort in Part VI.

Things were getting creative by the time Part VII dropped. Poor Jane was trapped in her sleeping bag and beaten against a tree.

Poor Julius lost his head in Part VIII. Serves him right for trying to box Jason.

It sure is! Spoiler alert: it's Jason's mom who's responsible for this kill in the first film.

While we're talking about Jason's mom, we might as well throw her kill scene in the mix.

Jason does not discriminate. Poor Scott didn't see it coming in Part 2.

"You'll shoot your eye out, kid!" Wait, wrong movie. This is Part III, where Jason shoots Vera's eye out.

You know it is! He got the honor of "killing" Jason in The Final Chapter.

Violet had MOVES in Part V. And crimped hair. And an Allan Parsons Project poster on the wall. Now she is no more.

Things got a little crazy in Jason Goes to Hell. This ain't no Wicked Witch of the West death.

Adrienne met a rather gruesome ending in Jason X. That's cold, Jason. Real cold.

Well, technically it's Jason who killed Kia in Freddy vs. Jason. But Freddy gets the assist.

From 2009's Friday the 13th. RIP, Chewie.