Friday the 13th (film)/Characters

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Characters that appear in the Friday the 13th films. Watch out, this page has unmarked spoilers in it.

Antagonists

What do we mean by "antagonists"? Read on, gentle troper...

Jason Voorhees (original films)

KILL. Also, make mother proud.

"Mommy, don't let me drown! Mommy?"

The man behind the mask himself. He was a deformed and mentally retarded kid who was thought to have been drowned in the Crystal Lake in the 50's. He either survived, and went hiding for reasons unknown or became an undead right there and then. He re-emerged 20 years later when his mother died, her death triggering unrelenting hate within him. An unstoppable monster, he kills anyone who makes the mistake to get near him.

For the rebooted mayhem, check out below.

Played by: Ari Lehman (first film), Warrington Gillette, Steve Daskawisz (Part 2), Richard Brooker (Part III), Ted White (The Final Chapter), Tom Morga (Part V), Dan Bradley, C.J. Graham (Part VI), Kane Hodder (Part VII to Jason X), Ken Kirzinger, Spencer Stump and Douglas Tait (Freddy vs. Jason).

  • Ax Crazy: Yup.
  • Bald of Evil: He started out with hair, but later films turned him bald until Jason X.
  • Beard of Evil: He had a messy and unkempt beard in Part 2.
  • Berserk Button: His mother being used against him. When it was revealed that Freddy manipulated him that way, Jason's eyes lit up with rage.
  • Big Bad
  • Body Surf: When he's body is destroyed in Jason Goes to Hell, his heart evolves into a small creature that hops from a body to body to get the proper one (of his own blood, that is).
  • Breakout Villain: In the original film, he was just a Dead Herring to his mother. Later films turned him into one of the most iconic characters of horrordom.
  • Chained by Fashion: He wears the chain that dragged him to the bottom of the Crystal Lake from Part VI around his neck in Part VII.
  • Clothes Make the Legend: The hockey mask.
  • Cool Mask: His iconic hockey mask, which he picks up in the third movie. In the remake he outright abandons his makeshift sack-mask when he finds a hockey mask in Donnie's barn.
  • Crazy Survivalist: Jason starts out as a guy living in the abandoned Camp Crystal Lake and having no tolerance to those he perceives as intruders.
  • Cyborg: Becomes one in Jason X due to malfunctioning Nanomachines using metal and other replacements to fix his lost tissue.
  • The Dead Have Eyes: Jason has one perfectly normal eye in Part VI, despite being dead.
  • Driven to Villainy: His mother's death worked as a catalyst for all the massacres to come.
  • Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Even if he is bloodthirsty killer, he still cares for his mother. So much so that he built an altar for her and presented his victims to her severed head.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: It is stated that he doesn't strive for killing children or animals, though he exhibited these traits early in the series.
    • In some of the sequels, Jason appears quite content to stay within the camp borders and not bother anyone. In these examples, he would only go on a killing spree if someone invaded his "territory" first.
  • Evil Makes You Monstrous: Being the Big Bad of the franchise tends to do that.
  • Evil Uncle: Fits the role when it was revealed that he has more relatives in Jason Goes to Hell.
  • Green Eyes: In Jason X, he is shown to have green eyes.
  • Healing Factor: Jason X gave this reason for his resilience. It is unknown if he had it from the start, or developed it during his resurrection via lightning strike.
  • Immortality: Jason combines Type IV (Resurrective), Type V (Undead), Type VII (External) from Jason Goes to Hell, Type VIII (Legacy) from Part V, and especially Type Zero (Joker Immunity).
  • Immune to Bullets: As a zombie. As a cyborg, the bullets don't even faze him.
  • Implacable Man: When he has set his sights on someone, he does everything he can to get them. Somehow reseted when he is defeated.
  • Improbable Aiming Skills: He is an adept marksman and knife thrower.
  • Improvised Weapon: Jason alternates between using his trusty machete and wide array of sharp things he finds along the way.
  • Jason Can Breathe in Space: In Jason X.
  • The Juggernaut: He started out as very tough[1] backwoods killer. By Jason X he is a cyborg and almost indestructible.
  • Knight Templar: As Freddy Vs. Jason shows, he kills because he believes he's making the world a better place by only killing those he finds immoral and unworthy of life. All to please his mother.
  • Machete Mayhem: Trope Codifier for it.
  • The Man They Couldn't Hang
  • Mighty Glacier: In Freddy vs. Jason, contrasting Freddy Krueger's Fragile Speedster status.
  • The Mirror Shows Your True Self: Mirrors reveal Jason's true form inside the people he has possessed in Jason Goes to Hell.
  • Mobile Menace: Started out like this, and gradually turned into a blatant teleporter.
  • Momma's Boy
  • More Teeth Than the Osmond Family: He is shown to have more teeth than humanly possible in parts VII and VIII.
  • Mysterious Past: Nothing is known about the time between his "drowning" in Crystal lake in 1957 and murder of Alice in 1979.
  • New Powers as the Plot Demands: Gets ridiculous by the last third of the original series as he gains undead status, teleportation, body switching, regeneration and a cyborg body in that order.
  • Nigh Invulnerability: As a zombie.
  • Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: Taking account all his appearances throughout the original series, he is by the end a cyborg zombie demon serial killer.
  • Our Zombies Are Different: He's a revenant, driven by need to kill.
  • Psychopathic Manchild: A subtle one.
  • Quizzical Tilt: His usual reaction to interesting things.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: When he becomes a cyborg in Jason X, he has red eyes with two yellow irises.
  • Red Right Hand: His deformed features, which change film to film.
  • Scars Are Forever: Had his other eye missing for a long time after his resurrection, as originally he died when Tommy Jarvis lodged a machete into his skull destroying his eye in the process. This also applies to the axe-wound in his head from Part III.
  • The Scourge of God: Jason kills those first who are shown to be more promiscuous and so on.
  • Serial Killer: He's a serial spree killer, or alternatively a serial mass murderer.
  • Silent Antagonist: There are exceptions; in Part III he responds to getting stabbed in the hand by saying "ow!" He's also capable of speech when possessing bodies in Jason Goes to Hell, but even then he opens his mouth only once.
    • Then there's that one really bizarre moment in Part VIII where he talks with a little child's voice before getting washed by toxic waste.
  • Significant Birth Date: It was 13th of some month, we're not sure, but it was definitely friday. [2]
  • Super Strength: He was a strong invidual. In undeath, his strenght is monstrous.
  • Two-Faced: He sports this look in Part VII. It was a result from getting mauled by a boat motor in Part VI and spending time rotting underwater.
  • Villain Protagonist
  • Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Freddy vs. Jason reveals that he had a fear of water when he was a child. It doesn't affect him as an adult (being a zombie and all), but Freddy gives it back to him to get the upper hand.
  • Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Jason is one of the most notable slashers in horror history, but somewhere deep (very deep) inside is a Momma's Boy that deeply misses her and feels he has to please her. Also, as a dream sequence in Freddy vs. Jason showed, the campers were pretty relentless in picking on him when he was just a small, deformed boy.
  • Would Hurt a Child: When he was alive. After his death, his shown being intrigued by children but ultimately leaving them alone.

Jason Voorhees (rebooted films)

Development Hell says: "To Be Continued".


As Turn of the Millennium came to pass, previous continuity of Friday the 13th films were rebooted along with our masked slasher.

Jason has now returned to his roots of the first films: He is once again a territorial survivalist who lives in the abandoned Camp Crystal Lake and slays anyone who dares to disturb its peace.

Played by: Galeb Guss (as a child) and Derek Mears

Pamela Voorhees

MY SON IS DEAD.

"She can't hide. No place to hide."

Jason's mother and the former cook of Camp Crystal Lake. When Jason disappeared into Crystal Lake due to lack of attention from the camp counselors, she went insane with grief. One year later she killed two counselors and the camp was closed. Following years have her stopping any attempt to reopen the place, either killing or sabotaging things until camp's again left alone. She met her demise during such deed and her later appearances in the series are limited to Hallucinations and nightmares that other people are having.

She has brief appearance in the opening minutes of the reboot.

Played by: Betsy Palmer (first film and Part 2), Connie Hogan, Marlyn Poucher (both in Part III), Paula Shaw (Freddy vs. Jason) and Nana Visitor (the remake).

Roy Burns

*CRASH* WHAT SHE SAID.

"I thought you were talking to me."

The infamous copycat killer of Part V: A New Beginning. He was an ambulance driver in Crystal Lake who in the past had an illegitimate child. That child was Joey, who was brutally murdered at the Pinehurst halfway-house. After finding out, Roy went into a murderous frenzy and spent next two days killing anyone near the place disguised as Jason.

The Novelization of Part VI hints that he was in fact possessed by Jason's spirit, which then drove him to kill. This isn't played up in Part V, but its ending supports this. It's up to the watcher if this is Canon or not , if they consider the film to be canon in the first place.

Played by: Dick Wieland and Tom Morga (when masked).

  • Cool Mask: Roy wears a hockey mask similar to Jason's, albeit it has blue markings instead of red ones.
  • Determinator: Roy doesn't share Jason's inherent Made of Iron status, as he is shown to feel the injuries and pain inflicted upon him. Despite that, he still keeps on going until his death.
  • The Dog Was the Mastermind: He was onscreen for a minute, tops.
  • Expy: Of both Jason and Pamela Voorhees. His jumpsuit is also very Myers-esque.
  • Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Died when he fell on to tractor harrows sitting right next to the barn where Part V's climactic battle took place.
  • Implacable Man: Not as much as Jason, though.
  • Jack the Ripoff
  • Machete Mayhem
  • Motive Decay: Though his murderous rampage was started by the murder of his son, he didn't go after anyone who was involved.
  • Papa Wolf: A psychotic example, just like Pamela.
    • Despite going nuts and killing everyone that happens to live in a three mile area, Roy never actually kills the one responsible for starting the massive slaughter. For what ever reason he lets him go.
  • Spear Counterpart: To Pamela, as he shares her Freudian Excuse (death of son) and modus operandi (killing people, and putting the blame on the legend of Jason).


Protagonists and other characters

Majority of the characters in these films are just jerks we have to spend the first 20 minutes with and typical virginal final girls who triumph in the end. But then there are these people who manage to stand out little bit more:

Alice Hardy

Poor Alice, she only survived to die after a Cat Scare.

"The boy... Is he dead too?"

Alice was one of the counselors who was hired for the restoration of Camp Crystal Lake. A talented artist, it was also implied that she had an affair with camp's current owner Steve Christy. She was forced to kill Pamela Voorhees when she revealed to her that she was responsible for all the misfortune the camp had gone through the past years and attacked her. Afterwards, she would have very prophetic nightmare of Jason attacking her...

The girl who kills Pamela Voorhees in the reboot's opening may or may not be Alice.

Played by: Adrienne King

  • Blue Eyes
  • Final Girl: She has the high honor of being the first in a long line of Friday the 13th heroines. Rare in the fact that she smokes marijuana, takes part in naughty strip games, but still manages to make it to the end.
  • Hair of Gold
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: Jason killed with the ice pick she had grabbed when she thought someone had broken in.
  • Informed Ability: Her artistic skills.
  • Named by the Adaptation: Her surname came from spin-off material.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Sure, she managed to stop Pamela's little spree. The crazy old lady may have been gone, but now her unstoppable zombie killing machine of a son gets brought into the picture because of her.
  • Never Found the Body: Because Jason took it with him.
  • Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: She also has the dubious honor of being victim number one in Jason's bodycount.

Crazy Ralph

This franchise would be ten films shorter if people just had listened to him.

"It's got a death curse!"

Ralph was the town drunk of Crystal Lake. Mentally unbalanced (hence his nickname) he is convinced that God has given him a mission to warn everyone about Camp Crystal Lake's supposed "curse." He drives around the town with his bicycle to spread his doomsayings, much to the concern of his (mentioned, but unseen) wife and to the annoyance of everyone else.

Iconic character to the franchise, he would later gain two Expies in the form of Abel the hobo in Part III and the unnamed deckhand in Part VIII.

Played by: Walt Gorney

Tommy Jarvis

Step 1: Destroy Jason's corpse. Step 2: Muck it up and resurrect him instead. Step 3: Profit?

"Jason belongs in Hell. And I'm gonna see that he gets there."

Closest thing the franchise had for a hero protagonist, Tommy was young boy who had interest in all things horror and was a good amateur FX creator. Just like any Friday the 13th protagonist, he was forced to fight for his life when Jason was on yet another killing spree near his family's place. With the help of his sister he manages to bring Jason down for good, leaving him heavily traumatized in the process. He spends many years in mental institutions, and at his worst mental state almost becomes replacement for Jason. Some time later he attempts to cremate Jason's body, so he can be finally released from the demons of his past. This goes spectacularly wrong and he is forced to fight Jason once more.

Played by: Corey Feldman (The Final Chapter), John Shepherd (Part V) and Matt Spease (Part VI).

Tina Shepard

Tina to them, "Carrie" to the fans and bringer of pain to Jason.

"I'm Tina, from next door."

Heroine of Part VII. When she was a little girl living near Crystal Lake, she accidentally killed her father with her latent psychic abilities after he hit her mother. That moment left her psychologically devastated and she would spend some time at a mental hospital. She returned to her old home years later as a part of her treatment by Dr. Crews. While there, she accidentally resurrects Jason from his watery grave with her psychic powers. As Jason starts another killing spree, she's forced to gain control over her powers and in the end gives Jason one of the biggest asskickings of his (un)life.

Played by: Jennifer Banko (as a child) and Lar Park-Lincoln

Kay-Em 14

Time to bring out the big guns.

"I am real."

Android accompanying the New Harvard students aboard the spaceship The Grendel during the field trip to Earth in the year 2455. She is a creation of Tsunaron, whom she has a romantic relationship with. Mostly working for as a database and a medic, she can also be converted into a gunslinging asskicker when needed.

Played by: Lisa Ryder

  • Badass Automaton: Is able to blow chunks out of Jason in their initial battle.
  • Badass Bandolier: Part of her dress when in fighting mode, as seen on the picture.
  • Barbie Doll Anatomy: She tries to pressure Tsunaron into giving her nipples early in the film, since actual women have them.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: One of the nicest characters the franchise has ever offered, but a force to be reckoned with, once upgraded. Jason Voorhees of all people learned that the hard way.
  • Cranial Processing Unit: She is able to function even when her head is detached from her body.
  • Guns Akimbo: When in fighting mode.
  • Ridiculously Human Robot: She is capable of love, for instance.
  • Robosexual: It's not shown just how close her relationship with Tsunaron is, but they do share a kiss or two.
  • Robot Girl
  • The Worf Effect: After being established as a worthy foe to Jason, she is easily defeated when he comes back upgraded.

Sergeant Brodski

Black Dude Dies Last and heroically, too.

"It's gonna take more than a poke in the ribs to put down this old dog."

Leader of the space marines aboard The Grendel. Another badass character among the protagonists, he was the one who brought Jason down for good in the original franchise continuity[3].

Played: Peter Mensah

  1. ↑ (Machete through collarbone or an axe to the head? No problem!)
  2. ↑ (Yeah, dates don't actually work like that, but don't let it ruin the fun)
  3. ↑ (Of course there are literary and comicbook continuation for the movie, but they belong to alternative continuity)
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