In This Friday the 13th Sequel, Jason Voorhees Accidentally Broke His Only Rule (2025)

There are plenty of horror villains who aren't afraid to bring their reign of terror to younger victims. Pennywise in It and Freddy Krueger and A Nightmare on Elm Street are all about being child killers, and Art the Clown was murdering little tykes long before Terrifier 3. But more often than not, iconic horror killers keep their victims to teenagers and adults. Until the 2018 Halloween, Michael Myers never killed anyone younger than a teen, but that doesn't mean he didn't spend a few sequels trying to off his niece. Then there's Jason Voorhees. His backstory is different from most, and because of that, he has never gone after kids. However, in Friday the 13th Part 3, Jason broke his own rule without even knowing it.

Jason Voorhees Never Killed a Kid

So many classic slashers begin with an explosive inciting incident. From Prom Night and Terror Train to The Prowler and The Burning, '80s villains often massacre as an act of revenge. Friday the 13th is no different. When Camp Crystal Lake is reopened, Pamela Voorhees (Betsy Palmer) kills the new camp counselors to avenge her son drowning in the same lake decades ago when counselors weren't paying attention to him.

However, as it turns out, Jason didn't die, and we can only assume that he watched his mother get her head lopped off at the end of the first film. He gets his revenge on his mother's killer in the opening scene of Friday the 13th Part 2, and after that, he settles down in Camp Crystal Lake, ready to kill anyone that dares come on to his land. Any time teenagers show up at Camp Crystal Lake, he attacks as a way to avenge his mother.

Jason never killed a young child though. In Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, he has his chance with final boy Tommy Jarvis (Corey Feldman), and although he attacks Tommy, you have to wonder if he'd actually go through with it. In Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, Jason has a moment where he's in a cabin with a bunch of sleeping kids. He even stands over one terrified little girl and could easily kill her, but instead, he leaves her alone and walks away. This is because Jason sees himself in these kids. They are just like him. It's not kids who hurt his mom and him, but teenage counselors.

In 'Friday the 13th Part 3', Jason Unknowingly Kills an Unborn Baby

There are no child characters in Friday the 13th Part 3, and although it wouldn't be until the next movie where we meet Tommy Jarvis, the third film still stands out for many reasons besides its silly 3-D effects. Not only does Part 3 have one of the better final girls in Chris (Dana Kimmell), but it's also where Jason gets his mask for the first time. In another first, it's the only instance Jason kills a child. But the catch is that he doesn't realize it, because the victim is unborn.

One of the supporting characters in Friday the 13th Part 3 is Debbie (Tracie Savage). When we meet her she mentions that she's pregnant with her boyfriend, Andy (Jeffrey Rogers). They might be young, but impending parenthood hasn't resulted in a trope where the father is scared off and abandons the future mother of his child. Instead, Andy is shown to love Debbie unconditionally. They play and flirt, and because they're in a Friday the 13th movie, they have premarital sex (again). Slasher rules dictate that if you knock boots before putting a ring on it, you gotta die, so first Andy dies in one of Jason's most violent murders before Debbie takes a knife to the throat in a hammock, also killing her unborn child.

'Friday the 13th Part 3' Missed an Opportunity To Tell a Different Story With Jason

The Friday the 13th movies aren't often known for being smart films that ask questions, so I don't blame you for watching this movie and completely forgetting that Debbie was pregnant. Outside of a few mentions in the first act, it's essentially skipped over. It makes you wonder why Debbie was written to be carrying a baby if nothing was going to be done with it. This most definitely sets her apart from the other teenage fodder, but Debbie really isn't treated any differently than the rest.

There are two different directions Friday the 13th Part 3 could have taken with Debbie's pregnancy that would have added so much more to the plot. Debbie's death could have been treated as more heartbreaking, making her the rare victim you feel for after their demise, or Jason could have overheard earlier that she was expecting. This would have led to him choosing to kill her anyway, or more interestingly, deciding to walk away and leave her alone because he doesn't want to harm an innocent, unborn baby. One of the issues some have with Jason Voorhees is that there is little complexity to him; he's portrayed as nothing more than a mindless killing machine. Showing him to be more selective in his victims could've indicated some humanity left in him. Alas, Jason had to continue his spree not knowing that he broke the one rule of conduct he ever held.

Friday the 13th Part III is available to watch on Paramount+ in the U.S.

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Friday the 13th Part III

Release Date

August 13, 1982

Director

Steve Miner

Main Genre

Horror

Writers

Martin Kitrosser , Carol Watson