The Complete 'Friday The 13th' Timeline, From 'Crystal Lake' To 'Jason X'
Linda Cardellini is bringing the Friday the 13th franchise back to its roots with the Peacock series Crystal Lake(2026). Because, believe it or not, a lot of people don’t know that the OG killer was Pamela Voorhees, Jason Voorhees’ mother. With this new addition, though, the Friday the 13th timeline has changed.
To help you better understand how Crystal Lake changes things, I’m going to break down what the prequel series is about and how many movies are in the franchise. Then, I’m going to explain the complete timeline, because these movies go from grounded to campy, then from Hell to space.
What Is 'Crystal Lake' About?
Crystal Lake acts as the prequel to Friday the 13th (1980). The series follows single mother Pam Voorhees and covers Jason’s tragic drowning in the titular lake. It time-jumps about a year later and reveals that Pam hasn’t been able to cope with her grief. When two strangers arrive at Pam’s door, digging into her past, a disturbing chain of events is set into motion, and the killings soon follow. But who committed them? Jason? Pamela? Or both?
How Many 'Friday the 13th' Movies Are There?
As of 2026, there are 12 movies in the Friday the 13th franchise, with Crystal Lake being the first show because, no, Friday the 13th: The Series (1987) isn’t actually part of the franchise. But in a time of reboots, there are no plans to stop anytime soon when it comes to Friday the 13th. At the 2025 San Diego Comic-Con, news broke that there’s a new movie and game in the works via Horror, Inc.
'Friday the 13th's Timeline, Explained
When it comes to the main Friday the 13th franchise, the introduction of Crystal Lake messes with the timeline. So, instead of Jason drowning in 1957, the series shows him drowning in 1971, eight years before the Camp Crystal Lake killing spree of 1979 featured in the original film. But if we accept the prequel series as canon, the timeline still kind of works.
If we only consider the movies and TV show, the updated Friday the 13th timeline would go:
1971 - Jason drowns at Camp Crystal Lake in Crystal Lake.
1979 - Camp Crystal Lake tries to reopen, with Pamela as the main killer seeking revenge in Friday the 13th (1980). She’s killed by the end.
1984 - Jason makes his return, killing those at a counselor training camp near Camp Crystal Lake in Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981).
1984 - Picking up the day after the events of the previous movie, Friday the 13th Part III (1982) sees Jason don his infamous hockey mask and kill again.
1984 - Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) follows the events of the two previous movies. But this slasher features the death of Jason by 12-year-old Tommy Jarvis.
1989 - Jason doesn’t return in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985). Instead, a copycat dons the mask and goes on a killing spree. He’s killed by the end.
1990 - Jason is brought back to life inadvertently by Tommy Jarvis in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986). He goes on a killing spree at Camp Crystal Lake, which has been renamed Camp Forest Green.
1997 - Jason is freed from his dormant state in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988), thanks to Tina, a teen with telekinetic powers. He goes on a killing spree but is taken down by Tina, who chains Jason to the bottom of Crystal Lake with her powers.
1998 - An underwater power line electrocutes Jason in Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) and brings him back to life. He hops on a cruise ship to NYC, and the killings continue. But now the FBI is involved…
2003 - The FBI lures Jason into a trap and kills him in Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993). But his spirit leads to possessions and plenty of killings. Jason is sent to Hell, and Freddy Krueger enters the chat…
2003 - Freddy resurrects Jason in Freddy vs. Jason (2003) as a means of generating fear and allowing Freddy to return. An epic fight ensues, with Jason winning.
2010 - The prologue of Jason X (2002) happens in 2010. But the main events happen in 2455 after he’s cryogenically frozen, forgotten, and then defrosted in space. After a nano-technology upgrade, he goes on a killing spree again.
I didn’t include the 2009 Friday the 13th reboot in the timeline above because it’s a full reboot. That means that Pamela Voorhees is no longer the central killer, like in the original film. Instead, she’s a footnote, and Jason is the main killer.
