Trends come and go. Fashion houses dictate new styles that trickle down to the average department store with very limited lifespans. Things from just three years ago can look dated. There are few fashion accessories that have stood the test of time with little to no updates. Much like the iconic brown leather Louis Vuitton bag, Jason Voorhees’ hockey mask is instantly recognizable and never out of season. Let’s take a look at the best and the worst of Jason’s lewks.
13. Friday the 13th: The Computer Game (1985)
There are other versions of packaging for this early game adaptation for the Amstrad, but this one really takes the how-did-this-get-licensed cake. This is a budget Jason: no red accents, no detailing. Normcore Jason. [MI]
12. Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
Remember when everyone was wearing increasingly ripped Abercrombie and Hollister jeans in the mid-2000s and then eventually it went too far? This is that. Hard pass, Jason. [AP]
11. Jason the Terrible
Skirting licensing in the ‘80s wasn’t as hard as it is today. Jason the Terrible was a Canadian wrestler who battled folks like Owen Hart and Chris Jericho before they made their ways to the WWF. Looking an awful lot like the Amstrad mask, this Jason Lite could only be scary if all 250 pounds of him were actually coming at you in the ring. [MI]
10. Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
Transitioning from three red triangles to one. Jason get bangs and asks his friends if they notice anything different. [AP]
9. Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
This feels almost reactionary to the clean, metallic lines of Jason X. It’s devoid of refinement and full on grit, a dirtied up revision of a classic. The Rob Zombie of Masks. [AP]
8. Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1985)
You know when you start a trend and then everyone copies you but they can never pull it off quite right? That’s this mask. [MI]
7. Jason X (2002)
Jason’s mask is obviously a nod to nu metal. Love it or hate it, this boi was on point. [AS]
6. Friday the 13th Part III (1982)
Before the days of widespread environmental wokeness, Jason decided to switch from the organic, compostable burlap to virgin plastic. If he was coming up in today’s times, we would hope he would make a more sustainable choice to carry the franchise. [MI]
5. Friday the 13th (2009)
Everyone knows that when a fashionable accessory goes away for years at a time—like bell bottoms, or the scrunchie—and comes back years later looking fresh as hell, you know it’s a lewk to remember. [AS]
4. Friday the 13th (NES, 1989)
Some people like to shake things up a little, but game publisher LJN shook things up a lot. Jason’s muted color palette was tossed in favor of the vibrancy of the NES. A perfect retro throwback. [MI]
3. Friday the 13th: The Game – Savini Jason (2017)
Jason took his goth phase a little too far here, cloaked entirely in black and likely selling his soul to the underworld so he can tote around a pitchfork and be perpetually on fire. [MI]
2. Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
Jason’s first mask is simple, creepy, and effective. Who wouldn’t be scared out of their wits if a lumbering human carrying a knife approached them with a bag over their head with one eyehole? And what’s up with that rope cinched around his neck!? [AS]
1. Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter (1984)
Fashion is a means of self expression. Jason here tells us that while he’s been slashed in the face, he’s persevered and ready to move on with his life. [MI]