On June 13, 1980, a young Jason Voorhees watches in horror as his mother, Pamela (Nana Visitor), is brutally beheaded by a camp counselor while she attempts to escape Mrs. Voorhees's murderous rampage at Camp Crystal Lake. Fast forward nearly thirty years later, a group of friends—Wade (Jonathan Sadowski), Richie (Ben Feldman), Mike (Nick Mennell), Whitney (Amanda Righetti), and Amanda (America Olivo)—arrive at Crystal Lake for a camping adventure, hoping to find marijuana hidden deep in the woods. Tragically, that night, an adult Jason (Derek Mears) slaughters everyone in the group, sparing Whitney, whom he captures due to her striking resemblance to his mother during her younger years.
Six weeks thereafter, Trent (Travis Van Winkle), alongside his girlfriend Jenna (Danielle Panabaker) and friends Chelsea (Willa Ford), Bree (Julianna Guill), Chewie (Aaron Yoo), Nolan (Ryan Hansen), and Lawrence (Arlen Escarpeta), make their way to Trent's summer cabin set along the shores of Crystal Lake. Concurrently, Whitney's brother, Clay Miller (Jared Padalecki), arrives at the lake to search for his sister. When Clay visits Trent’s cabin, Jenna decides to join him in his search for Whitney. As they comb through the area, Jason strikes again, killing Chelsea and Nolan while they wake-board on the lake.
Clay and Jenna press on to the old Crystal Lake campgrounds, where they encounter Jason dragging a lifeless body into the decrepit camp house. Racing against time, they warn Trent and the others about the looming danger; however, Jason soon arrives, cutting off the cabin's electricity. The carnage continues as he takes down Chewie and Lawrence outside, followed by Bree inside the cabin. Trent, Clay, and Jenna manage a narrow escape, but tragedy strikes as Trent meets his end when he gets near the main road.
The chase intensifies as Jason relentlessly pursues Clay and Jenna back to the campgrounds. In a desperate moment, Clay uncovers Jason's lair, finding his sister chained to a wall. He courageously frees Whitney, and together with Jenna, they attempt to flee. In a heartbreaking twist, Jenna is killed just before she can reach safety. Cornered by Jason, Whitney bravely uses deception, mimicking Pamela to confuse him before plunging his own machete into his chest. In a moment of false triumph, Clay and Whitney dispose of Jason's "corpse" into the lake, but their hopes are shattered when Jason bursts forth from the wooden dock, seizing Whitney once more.
