5. Stab ‘n’ fold in ‘Freddy vs Jason’ (2003)
It might sound callous to say that Trey deserved what he got, but he deserved what he got. This guy was a total dick. Which makes seeing him get eviscerated by Jason pretty fun. Of course, credit in that regard also has to go to the creativity of this kill. At first, this looks like a routine stabbing, and indeed, Jason’s machete does most of the work. But the real kicker is what happens next; Jason releases a mechanism in the bed to make it fold in half, snapping Trey backward like a twig until his shoulder blades are making contact with the back of his knees. Hell of a way to go. (Anna Swanson)
4. Sleeping bag burn in ‘Friday the 13th’ (2009)
This may be a controversial take, but the 2009 reboot of Friday the 13th is arguably the best entry in the franchise. Marcus Nispel‘s film delivers big on the expected genre beats from the gory kills to the mythology, but it’s also the first entry since Part 2 that’s actually scary. Not only did I say that shit right there, but I also mean it. Derek Mears is the best Jason (look, I did it again!) because you can see why he’s an actual threat — physically imposing, fast as hell, smart, and extremely cruel. This kill encapsulates it all as he grabs a female camper hiding inside her sleeping bag and hangs the bag over a branch… directly over a roaring campfire. This isn’t Jason’s first sleeping bag rodeo, but it’s the most brutal because it’s a rare slow kill as she roasts alive inside her cotton cocoon from REI. (Rob Hunter)
3. Uppercut decapitation in ‘Jason Takes Manhattan’ (1989)
Jason Takes Manhattan is often overlooked when discussing the Friday the 13th franchise, most notably by foolish fools that know not what they speak. It’s a top-three film in the series and easily one of the most fun slashers of the ’80s. The entry gave us Julius Gaw — a young champion boxer with a promising future. After easily dispatching an opponent early in the film, Julius squares off with Jason on the roof of a Manhattan building. Julius comes out swinging, hitting Jason with a series of violent jabs to the head before transitioning to a brutal array of body blows. After nearly 90 seconds of nonstop shots, Julius becomes exhausted while Jason remains unphased. After some final desperate lunging punches, Julius is officially spent. Jason casually delivers an uppercut that literally knocks Julius’ block off. The head of Julius tumbles down the side of the roof into a trash bin, and the lid slams shut. Julius may have lost, but in defeat, he displayed the true heart of a champion. (Chris Coffel)
2. Liquid nitrogen shatter in ‘Jason X’ (2001)
Sometimes it’s not enough to jump the shark. Sometimes you need to leap clean over the atmosphere and into outer space. Jason X has many boons. David Cronenberg has a cameo (a role he bartered in exchange for the use of his special effects team). Nanobots are the cause of resurrection-du-jour for everyone’s favorite hulking mama’s boy. And the whole film wafts of glorious, inimitable Nu Metal stank. Gushing with unhinged creativity, it’s no surprise that Jason X features one of the most wackadoo kills of the franchise. Immediately after being brought back from beyond the pale, Jason seizes the blonde noggin of the spaceship’s scientist, bops her around a bit, and shoves her face into a vat of liquid nitrogen. Why does a lab aboard an active (and presumably bumpy) vessel have a tub of such dangerous stuff just hanging around? Shut up. It’s there for Jason to flash-freeze his victim’s face and smash her brittle visage into the nearest countertop. Duh. This kill has style, ridiculousness, and visual panache that make it one of the franchise’s best. Nice work, Jason. (Meg Shields)
1. Sleeping bag slam in ‘Friday the 13th Part 7: The New Blood’ (1988)
Do I have a weird fetish for sleeping bag-related kills in horror movies? My love for these specific kills in Prophecy, Night of the Demon, the Friday the 13th reboot (featured above), and this entry suggests the answer is yes. And I will not be shamed! I’m not sure exactly why they appeal so much, but part of it is definitely the betrayal of a core safety — a sleeping bag, like a bed, should be a safe space, one you can tuck yourself tightly into for protection against all the terrors of the night. That’s probably what Judy thought, all secure in her yellow sleeping bag, until a hulking Jason grabs the bag, drags her out, and slams her screaming sack into a tree. It kills her instantly (unless you watch the uncensored version that sees him slam her six times with more gruesome results) and is executed in such a way that we’re both laughing and terrified. (Rob Hunter)
Jason would really, really appreciate it if you explored more 31 Days of Horror Lists!
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