Friday The 13th’s 2026 Return Officially Breaks The Franchise’s 46-Year Rotten Tomatoes Streak

Published Oct 13, 2026, 1:00 PM EDT

Andy Behbakht has worked as an entertainment journalist since 2010, covering all the latest in Hollywood on both the big and small screens, from staying on top of the biggest breaking news, analyzing movies and television shows in Hollywood, to in-depth interviews with actors and storytellers.

Andy's career includes having worked for publications such as FanSided, KSiteTV, TV Fanatic, It's Just Movies, Heroic Hollywood, TV Overmind, and more. Outside of his career as an established reporter, Andy is the host and producer of The Showrunner Whisperer, The Flash Podcast, the editor-in-chief of Multiverse of Color, and the network director of DC TV Podcasts.

The Friday the 13th universe is getting a new era in 2026.

Since 1980, Jason Voorhees has become one of the horror genre's most famous antagonists, as the world has witnessed the vicious killer through numerous cinematic stories. While it has been more than a decade since the Friday the 13th reboot landed in theaters, the franchise is now entering the world of television.

The Crystal Lake drama, serving as a prequel to the iconic horror franchise, is launching this week on Peacock. As critics are sharing their reviews of the TV show, the Rotten Tomatoes score has debuted at 87%. The A24-produced horror makes it the highest-rated project in the entire franchise, surpassing all the films.

It's key to remember, however, that the % is still subject to change, as members of the press are still registering their respective scores on the review-aggregation platform. While it is at 86% as of writing, the rating could get higher or lower over the coming days, especially when it premieres on the NBCUniversal-owned streaming service.

Friday The 13th Movies/TV Shows	Rotten Tomatoes Score	Audience Score
Crystal Lake	87%	TBD
Friday the 13th (1980)	48%	60%
Freddy vs. Jason	41%	50%
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives	39%	54%
Friday the 13th (2009)	27%	47%
Friday the 13th Part 2	27%	49%
Jason X	26%	25%
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood	21%	37%
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter	20%	52%
Friday the 13th Part III	17%	42%
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday	12%	23%
Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning	11%	26%
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan	8%	26%

In ScreenRant's Crystal Lake TV review, Kara Hedash gave it a 7/10, sharing how the prequel's "performances are top-notch, and the kills are brutally fitting for a Friday the 13th project. It may not be perfect, but as a long-time fan of the franchise, I can certainly say watching Crystal Lake was a thrill ride that packed a bigger emotional punch than expected. Whether or not Crystal Lake has more seasons in store, for now, I'm just grateful Friday the 13th and its characters are back in some form." Hedash also teases how "there's even a camp sequence taken directly from the original movie that's remade and expanded on, which will forever change how you look at the franchise's original kills."

The Crystal Lake TV show stars Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees, while Callum Vinson has been tapped as the young Jason Voorhees, exploring the mother dealing with the loss of her son. The main cast also features William Catlett as Levon Brooks, Devin Kessler as Briana Brooks, along with Gwendolyn Sundstrom as Grace and Cameron Scoggins as Dorf.

The Ultimate · Horror Quote Challenge Name That Horror Movie “They’re coming to get you, Barbara.”

☠1960s

🔪1970s

👻1980s

💀1990s

🎭2000s

ENTER IF YOU DARE →

01

Which horror movie features this iconic line?

“I am your number one fan.”

ASingle White Female (1992) BCape Fear (1991) CMisery (1990) DFatal Attraction (1987)

✓ Correct! Annie Wilkes’s obsessive declaration to author Paul Sheldon in Misery — Kathy Bates won the Oscar for this role.

✗ Not quite — it’s Misery (1990). Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes delivers this line before things get very, very painful for her favorite author.

NEXT →

02

Which horror movie features this iconic line?

“We all go a little mad sometimes.”

APeeping Tom (1960) BThe Birds (1963) CWhatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) DPsycho (1960)

✓ Correct! Norman Bates’s unsettling confession in Hitchcock’s Psycho — the film that invented the slasher.

✗ Not quite — it’s Psycho (1960). Norman Bates delivers this chilling line to Marion Crane before the shower scene changes cinema forever.

NEXT →

03

Which horror movie features this iconic line?

“Here’s Johnny!”

AThe Amityville Horror (1979) BPoltergeist (1982) CThe Changeling (1980) DThe Shining (1980)

✓ Correct! Jack Nicholson’s terrifying ad-lib as he axes through the bathroom door in The Shining.

✗ Not quite — it’s The Shining (1980). Nicholson improvised this line while hacking through the door — Kubrick kept the cameras rolling.

NEXT →

04

Which horror movie features this iconic line?

“They’re all gonna laugh at you!”

ACarrie (1976) BThe Exorcist (1973) CThe Omen (1976) DSuspiria (1977)

✓ Correct! Margaret White’s cruel warning to her daughter before prom night turns deadly in Carrie.

✗ Not quite — it’s Carrie (1976). Piper Laurie as Margaret White torments her telekinetic daughter with this prophetic warning.

NEXT →

05

Which horror movie features this iconic line?

“One, two, Freddy’s coming for you.”

AFriday the 13th (1980) BChild’s Play (1988) CHellraiser (1987) DA Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

✓ Correct! The eerie children’s jump-rope rhyme that haunts the dreams of Elm Street.

✗ Not quite — it’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). The nursery rhyme warning of Freddy Krueger’s arrival. All five are iconic slashers, but only one invades your dreams.

NEXT →

06

Which horror movie features this iconic line?

“I want to play a game.”

AHostel (2005) BSaw (2004) CThe Collector (2009) DCube (1997)

✓ Correct! Jigsaw’s signature greeting, delivered through his puppet Billy in Saw.

✗ Not quite — it’s Saw (2004). The Jigsaw Killer’s chilling invitation before his victims face impossible choices.

NEXT →

07

Which horror movie features this iconic line?

“It was the boogeyman.”

ABlack Christmas (1974) BThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) CHalloween (1978) DWhen a Stranger Calls (1979)

✓ Correct! Laurie Strode’s terrified whisper to Dr. Loomis after surviving Michael Myers in Halloween.

✗ Not quite — it’s Halloween (1978). Laurie Strode whispers this to Dr. Loomis, who replies: “As a matter of fact, it was.”

NEXT →

08

Which horror movie features this iconic line?

“It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.”

ASe7en (1995) BAmerican Psycho (2000) CRed Dragon (2002) DThe Silence of the Lambs (1991)

✓ Correct! Buffalo Bill’s skin-crawling command to his captive in The Silence of the Lambs.

✗ Not quite — it’s The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Buffalo Bill delivers this disturbing line from his basement. All five films feature serial killers, but only one has this scene.

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The series includes Joy Suprano as Rita, Nick Cordileone as Ralph, Phoenix Parnevik as Barry, and Danielle Kotch as Claudette as recurring guest stars. The project has been in the works since 2022, as it was initially developed under Bryan Fuller until he was fired in May 2024, leading to Brad Caleb Kane landing the gig as the showrunner in August of that year.

As Crystal Lake is off to a solid start with critics, time will tell how audience members respond to the prequel entry, especially those who have followed the Friday the 13th franchise for several decades. However, it will also pave the way for a new generation of viewers to be able to explore it if they have never seen the previous films.

All eight episodes of Crystal Lake premiere on October 14 on Peacock.

• 

  Linda Cardellini

  Pamela Voorhees

• 

  William Catlett

  Levon Brooks

• 

  Cameron Scoggins

  Dorf

• Danielle Kotch

  Claudette