TL;DR: Jason Voorhees is officially out of legal limbo and heading for a massive 2026 "revival" across TV, film, and gaming. If your kids are into horror, they’re already seeing him in MultiVersus or hearing about the upcoming Crystal Lake series. It's high-intensity slasher horror, but there are ways to navigate it without the nightmares.
Quick Links for the Horror-Curious:
- The Classic: Friday the 13th (1980)
- The Gateway Horror: Stranger Things
- The Modern Slasher Game: Dead by Daylight
- The Kid-Friendly Spook: Five Nights at Freddy's
For about a decade, the Friday the 13th franchise was stuck in a messy legal swamp that would make Crystal Lake look like a 5-star resort. Because of a dispute between the original writer and the producer, no one could make new movies or games. That all changed recently with the announcement of the "Jason Universe."
This isn't just one movie. It’s a coordinated launch of a new TV series called Crystal Lake (streaming on Peacock in 2026), a new feature film, and multiple gaming integrations. We’ve already seen the first ripple with Jason joining the roster of MultiVersus, which is how a lot of 10-year-olds are getting introduced to a character who used to be strictly for the "rented this on VHS while my parents were asleep" crowd.
It feels weird that Gen Alpha is gravitating toward a guy in a hockey mask from 1980, but it makes sense when you look at the "analog horror" trend on YouTube and TikTok. Kids today have a weirdly high tolerance for "retro" scares.
- The "FNAF" Pipeline: If your kid started with Five Nights at Freddy's, they’ve already been primed for the "unstoppable mascot" trope. Jason is basically the original Freddy Fazbear, just with a machete instead of an animatronic suit.
- Meme Culture: Jason isn't just scary anymore; he’s a meme. On TikTok, you’ll see Jason doing the "Griddy" or being edited into funny scenarios. This desensitizes kids to the actual source material, which—fair warning—is significantly more brutal than the memes suggest.
- Gaming Integration: When a character appears in Fortnite or MultiVersus, they become "safe" in the eyes of a child. They see the skin, not the R-rated kill scenes.
Ask our chatbot about the difference between 'scary' and 'disturbing' content
Produced by A24 (the studio behind Hereditary and Talk to Me), this is a "prequel-ish" series. Expect high production value but also high intensity. A24 doesn't really do "family-friendly" horror. If your teen is begging to watch this, know that it will likely lean into the psychological trauma of the Voorhees family as much as the gore.
While the old Friday the 13th: The Game is being retired due to licensing, new projects are in the works. These are typically "asymmetrical horror" games where one person plays the killer and others try to escape. They are inherently violent and often involve voice chat with strangers, which is usually the bigger safety concern than the digital blood.
Horror is the most subjective genre in existence. Some 12-year-olds can handle a slasher flick and sleep like a baby, while some 16-year-olds (and 35-year-olds, let's be real) will be checking behind the shower curtain for a week.
Ages 10-12 (The "Gateway" Phase)
At this age, the interest is usually about the aesthetic of Jason. Stick to the crossovers.
- Recommendation: MultiVersus. Jason is a playable character, but the violence is cartoonish and bloodless.
- Avoid: The actual movies. The original Friday the 13th movies are famous for the "kill of the week" and feature significant 80s-era nudity and drug use.
Ages 13-15 (The "Thrill-Seeker" Phase)
This is when they start wanting to see the "real" thing.
- Recommendation: Stranger Things or Fear Street on Netflix. These offer the 80s slasher vibe but with modern sensibilities and characters kids actually relate to.
- Discussion Point: Talk about the "final girl" trope and how horror movies use sound and editing to create fear. It helps deconstruct the "scary" into "artistry."
Ages 16+ (The "Completionist" Phase)
If they are dead set on the Jason Universe, start with the 2009 reboot or the later sequels like Jason X (the one in space), which are more campy and less "gritty" than the original 1980 film.
Check out our guide on the best 'Horror-Lite' movies for teens
When we talk about Friday the 13th, we have to talk about the "Slasher Tropes." The franchise was built on a very specific 1980s morality: if the teenagers have sex or do drugs, Jason catches them.
- Sexual Content: The original films are heavy on "gratuitous" nudity. If you're okay with your kid seeing a machete, but not a bedroom scene, these movies are a minefield.
- The "Jump Scare" Factor: For kids with anxiety or sensory processing issues, the Friday the 13th games and movies are designed to trigger a fight-or-flight response.
- Community & Chat: If your kid is playing horror games like Dead by Daylight, the community can be "sweaty" (overly competitive) and toxic. The horror isn't the guy in the mask; it's the guy in the headset screaming at them for not fixing a generator fast enough.
If your kid comes home talking about Jason Voorhees, don't panic. He’s a pop-culture pillar, not a gateway to actual violence. Use it as a bridge to talk about:
- Special Effects: "Did you know they used chocolate syrup for blood in the old days?" (Actually, they used 3M Scotchlite for some effects, but you get the point).
- Fantasy vs. Reality: Discuss why we like being scared when we know we're safe on the couch.
- Media Literacy: Why is a movie from 1980 suddenly popular again? (Hint: It’s marketing and nostalgia).
The Friday the 13th revival is going to be everywhere by 2026. You don't have to let your 6th grader watch a guy get folded in half in a sleeping bag, but you also don't have to ban the hockey mask.
Jason is transitioning from a "forbidden" R-rated icon to a multi-platform "brand" like Marvel. As long as you’re checking the ratings on the specific version of Jason they’re consuming—whether it’s the cartoon version in a fighting game or the prestige TV version on Peacock—you can keep the "ki-ki-ki, ma-ma-ma" sounds from becoming a household nightmare.
- Audit their games: See if they’ve downloaded MultiVersus or Roblox horror clones like "Piggy" which borrow heavily from Jason.
- Watch a "Making Of": If they're interested in the gore, show them a YouTube video on "practical horror effects." It ruins the "magic" in a way that makes it much less scary.
- Set the boundary: Decide now if the 2026 series is a "together" watch or a "wait until you're older" watch.
Learn more about why kids are drawn to 'mascot horror' like Jason and Freddy