Slasher fans rejoice! Friday the 13th is upon us, that special day of the year (or two, or sometimes three when we’re lucky) that compels us to revisit one of the most storied franchises in horror history! But what if we told you there’s a group of men who not only get to enjoy these films all through the year, but get to terrorize the public at large afterward, not unlike a certain Mr. Voorhees?!
As if that sweet, sweet $50,000 signup bonus and freedom to commit consequence-free murder weren’t enough, ICE agents are actually paid to watch many of the Friday the 13th films as part of their training! According to DHS officials, Jason Voorhees is a prime example of the brutality, tactical cruelty, and relentlessness required to keep this country safe for shareholders.
So, which Jason movies does the DHS deem best for training hordes of roving conservative murder gangs? Let’s break it down!
Note: This is a ranking of the films based on their frequency of use in ICE training, not a ranking of their quality, which, as we all know, goes from best to worst: 2, 5, 4, 3, 6, 1, the reboot, Freddy vs. Jason, 8, Jason X, 7, Jason Goes to Hell.
Jason Goes to Hell (1993)

The undisputed worst entry in the series is also the least effective at training America’s terror elite. Terrible acting, convoluted mythology changes, Kratom Duke(?) — even the average ICE recruit can tell this one missed the mark.
Even the title “Goes to Hell” is a problem, as it brings to mind future consequences for past actions, which you can imagine NONE of these ICE guys want to think about right now.
Friday the 13th (1980)

Sorry, cinema purists, but the OG Friday the 13th is just not an effective ICE training tool. For one thing, it’s just a tad too slow for modern audiences, at least modern audiences who can’t keep looking at racist memes and AI porn on their phones every 5 minutes. Add to that the fact that Jason is not the killer in this one, it’s his mother, and the last thing these guys want to think about is how their mother still has to do like every god damn thing for them. Maybe it would resonate more if there were a scene where Mrs. Vorhees explains that she now considers Jason a roommate, and that she’s actually grateful he lives in the basement, and how just having him around the house is rent enough as far as she’s concerned, but alas, no.
Friday the 13th Part 7: The New Blood (1988)

A fine, even perhaps underrated entry in the Friday the 13th series that sees Jason going up against a girl with psychic powers who accidentally brings him back to life. Unfortunately, it breaks a cardinal rule of both the Friday the 13th franchise and ICE protocol: Jason takes his mask off! A LOT! His mutated zombie face is exposed here for pretty much the entire third act! Jason, you NEVER take the mask off dude! What if somebody has a cell phone?! You know what it was like for all those poor nazis in the ‘60s and ‘70s, THINK man!
Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives (1986)

After initial public backlash over the copycat killer in Part 5, the series returns to form by resurrecting its antagonist in a fun, self-aware, somewhat tongue-in-cheek outing. This one is polarizing to fans of the franchise, as it’s the first film to establish Jason as a supernatural being, but that’s not why it can’t hold an ICE recruit’s attention. It’s the lack of tits. There are zero tits in this entire Friday the 13th movie. You might not have noticed, but no ICE agent worth his Zyn pouch is going to watch an entire 90-minute movie without checking Mrskin.com first to make sure it has a little something for the boys.
Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)

A stone-cold classic by any metric, arguably the best of the series. The shrine of Mrs. Voorhees’s severed head alone is probably one of the most iconic images in all of horror. Jason is methodical, ruthless, and terrifying right out of the gate, all traits the current administration wishes to foster in its federal agents. Unfortunately, the third act, arguably one of the best and most engaging of any slasher film, is a big miss with ICE. The final girl here is smart, resourceful, and worst of all, gets away at the end! The last thing an ICE agent wants to think about when approaching a blonde woman in a car is her getting away to safety.
Freddy vs. Jason (2003)

The Monster Energy Drink of Jason movies. Too much setup/lore to be an effective training film for ICE, but a post murder pizza party favorite for sure. The boys go wild for Freddy’s racist joke, and the soundtrack gets them pumped as hell!
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

This one is arguably the perfect balance between serving as an effective ICE training film (the corkscrew kill, great improvisation, Jason, use your surroundings!) and being an absolute ICE crowd pleaser.
Just what is it about this film that captivates the average ICE recruit so much? Is it Crispin Glover’s hilarious dancing? No, they are cultureless swine who can’t appreciate high kitsch. Is it Corey Feldman going full psycho at the end to overcome a dangerous invader? Partly, but the real reason they love it boils down to two words that still echo in the hearts of every true red-blooded American male patriot: “And twins.”
This movie features. Twins. Blonde twins. Blonde twins who are hot and horny. To an ICE recruit, this is the promise of the American dream. The idea of two biologically identical women wanting to go to town on you with zero acknowledgment of how weird and gross that would be is why they get up in the morning. It’s why they do what they do.
Jason X (2001)

Not a high point for the franchise, certainly not a perfect film, but it does teach the importance of putting on a bunch of useless cosplay bullshit to make yourself look and feel more intimidating, and it features a robot lady you can presumably have sex with. Instant ICE classic.
Friday the 13th Part III (1982)

This is what they show ICE recruits on day one, because it teaches the most important lesson they need to know — WEAR A MASK. Yes, this is the first Friday the 13th movie to feature Jason wearing his now iconic hockey mask, and for good reason! As soon as he loses it, the final girl identifies Jason as the man who sexually assaulted her years ago. Agents, are you writing this down? You should be writing this down.
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)

This one faced a huge public backlash when it was first released due to the lack of Jason, but it has gone on to become a fan favorite and serves as the spiritual center for many ICE agents. In it, an ordinary man takes up the mantle of Jason Voorhees to savagely murder all the people he considers to be what’s wrong with this country, all to avenge his son, whom he abandoned years ago. If there’s ever an ICE Mount Rushmore, and they certainly seem to think there will be, Roy Burns is going up right between Kyle Rittenhouse and George Zimmerman.
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)

Is it the best Friday the 13th movie? No. Is it the most fun Friday the 13th movie? No. Is it the most watchable Friday the 13th movie? Not by a long shot. This movie has more plot holes than the DHS’s account of how the Alex Pretti shooting went down, but it also features Jason doing what ICE wants its people doing the most: Causing carnage in a major American city for no logical reason other than it might get ratings. This is the mission.
Friday the 13th (2009)

It helps that this one begins with the four most captivating words to anyone whose IQ is such that they would consider joining ICE: “Produced by Michael Bay.” And talk about a film that knows its audience. It’s like the moment you think to pull out your phone and see what your AI sex slave girlfriend is up to, BAM, fresh pair of tits on the screen. To many ICE recruits, this film features Jason at his off-the-grid fringe doomsday-prepper best. It’s got some great kills that can be very inspiring to ICE out in the field, but most importantly, Jason doesn’t just kill in this one; he also detains and tortures, and does god-knows-what with an innocent law-abiding woman far from where any pesky reporters or “observers” can reach!
