When considering a reboot of the iconic Friday the 13th series, it’s crucial to select a director who understands the essence of the slasher genre and can infuse it with fresh, terrifying energy. Horror fans have waited a long time to see their favorite undead mongoloid (Tom Savini’s word, not mine) and would be heartbroken if their patience was rewarded with a subpar reboot. While many directors have demonstrated remarkable talent in various genres, not all are suited for the unique demands of a Friday the 13th revival. Below is a list of directors whose styles or previous works suggest they might not be the best fit for bringing Jason Voorhees back to life.
10. Mike Flanagan
Not every director on this list is bad and unqualified for the job. Some are too good to do it. Case in point: Mike Flanagan. He would no doubt direct the hell out of a Friday the 13th movie but his energy is better spent working on original projects and mini series. I know he just signed up for the new Exorcist but that needs a high quality director to pull it’s ass out of the fire, Friday the 13th doesn’t. Save this franchise for talented upstarts or directors who need a hit, not well established masters who far better than the material.
–Sailor Monsoon
9. Adam Green
He has basically created his own Friday the 13th franchise in Hatchet and none of them were good. Watchable? Sure. Fun cameos and throwbacks? Yes, he’s a fan and that’s one of the biggest problems for me. I mean outside the fact that he doesn’t make good horror movies. I don’t really want a fan to make a F13 film. My fear would be we wouldn’t get anything new or exciting with the property and the film would be nothing but nostalgia porn. You know, similar to a JJ Abrams movie. Adam should stick to his low-budget barely a level above fan film movies.
–Vincent Kane
8. Eli Roth
Eli Roth is a mediocre director who’s made a couple of watchable films. Cabin Fever is overrated and I’ve never seen the appeal, Hostel 1 & 2 are torture porn classics that are far better than they have any right being, The Green Inferno is his take on carnival films that’s constantly hindered by his juvenile sensibilities, Knock Knock is an inferior remake of Death Game who’s only saving grace is its copious amounts of nudity and Death Wish was a forgettable reboot of the Charles Bronson classic that shouldn’t have been that difficult to pull off and yet he even failed at that. Thanksgiving might be his best film and it’s still a pale imitation of the fake trailer found in Grindhouse. So even when he succeeds, its still underwhelming. Keep his ass away from Friday the 13th.
–Sailor Monsoon
7. Ti West
Before X came out in 2022, Ti West was an overhyped director who had not made a good or effective horror film. His best quality is capturing the aesthetic of the era or feel of the era his movies are set. Many point to House of the Devil as West being the next big up-and-comer in horror because the 2009 movie felt just like a film made in the 70s. The problem was his films were mainly bland and average at best. However, X won me and many others over by combining his best attributes as a director while making an entertaining slasher. Pearl wasn’t as good, in my opinion, but MaXXXine looks amazing and I am eagerly anticipating its release. “But why is he on your don’t want list, Kane?!” He does slow-burn horror and I am not a believer that he can make the exciting heart-pounding movie that F13 should be. There is a certain type of fun to these movies that Ti hasn’t proven he can do yet. Also, I don’t want to see Mia Goth as a main character in another one of his movies.
–Vincent Kane
6. Rob Zombie
Every criticism from people who can’t stand the films of Rob Zombie are correct. He makes hillbilly fetish porn that’s dragged down by bad performances from his wife that are somehow getting worse with each film. Most directors improve with each film but not Zombie. He’s regressing and shockingly so. Each new film is more embarrassing than the last, which is a shame considering the amount of promise some of his films did show. I’ve repeatedly defended The Devil’s Rejects on this site and truly think The Lords of Salem is one of the best directed horror films of the 2010s. I even enjoy elements of House of 1000 Corpses and Halloween but everything else is proof positive why I don’t trust him with the project. As much as I’d love for him to have a hit to more easily finance some of his future projects, I’ve seen ‘Jason” go up against trailer park trash before and I hated it, so I’ll pass.
–Sailor Monsoon
5. James Wan
I’m just over Wan. Is that a good enough reason why I don’t him to helm the Friday the 13th franchise? I think he is a good horror director and would probably make a solid entry to my beloved franchise but I would just rather hear someone else’s name attached to hopefully give it a fresh take. Now, I wouldn’t mind him bein a producer and helping with the story. His name does carry weight.
–Vincent Kane
4. Radio Silence a.k.a. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
I actually really enjoy the films of Radio Silence. Ready or Not and Abigail are fun as fuck and their first Scream sequel is about as good as that franchise has ever gotten. I just think they’d be a boring and obvious choice. It’s a hot property and they’re a hot commodity, so obviously they’d be on the shortlist but there are far more interesting directors working that need the job more.
–Sailor Monsoon
3. Damien Leone
The Terrifier movies are not good. Not even horror-level good, however, I’ll admit they cater to a niche audience within the horror genre because of the brutal and gruesome practical effect-driven kills. Art the Clown was best utilized in short anthology form in Leone’s debut All Hallow’s Eve but even then there was nothing special or memorable about it. Art has become more of a meme icon instead of a horror icon. Overall, the movies are boring and as much as Leone has campaigned for being the one to helm a Friday the 13th movie, I would not be eager to watch if he is given the job.
–Vincent Kane
2. Jeff Wadlow
I don’t know what blackmail material Wadlow has on Jason Blum to have a first refusal clause in his contract on all Blumhouse projects but it must be career ending bad for him to continually keep working. He is been in the industry for 20 years and he’s never made a good movie. Not one. Never Back Down is the best thing he’s ever touched and not a single person on Earth remembers anything about it. If he somehow got the chance to helm it, he’d be the worst director attached to one of these and that’s saying A LOT. Not only should he be kept away from this franchise like it’s a little girl and he’s R. Kelly but he should be legally barred from ever making another film again. He’s that bad.
–Sailor Monsoon
1. David Gordon Green
This one kind of sucks because I think he could make one hell of Friday the 13th movie but he’s already done that with Halloween. Which is the problem. I don’t think he understood the Halloween franchise because his version of Michael Myers was more Jason Voorhees than he was what “the Shape” is supposed to be. Myers in Green’s version was a beast for the first two films. The scene in Halloween Kills where Michael dispatches multiple firefighters is a Jason scene, not a Michael Myers scene. The problem is we would just get more of the same with a F13 entry even though these franchises should feel different.
–Vincent Kane
Who do you think should direct Friday the 13th? Comment below with your picks.
