Superhuman serial killer Jason Voorhees has remained dead and buried for six long years. However, the shadow of his malevolent presence continues to loom large over Tommy Jarvis, portrayed by Tony Goldwyn, who was only twelve when he was forced to take Jason's life in an act of self-defense. Unfortunately, that fateful encounter has left Tommy deeply haunted, resulting in years of institutionalization aimed at helping him cope with his trauma.
Determined to rid himself of the nightmares that haunt him, Tommy plots to cremate Jason’s body once and for all. He manages to escape the mental institution alongside his friend Hawes, played by Vincent Guastaferro, and makes his way to the cemetery where Jason's grave lies. In an intense scene, the duo digs up Jason’s casket, but before they can proceed with the cremation, Tommy is overwhelmed with rage. With a steel fence post in hand, he begins to stab the corpse, inadvertently acting as a conductor during an ominous lightning storm. This act of desperation leads to Jason's horrifying resurrection. In a brutal display of strength, Jason kills Hawes by punching through his heart and tosses his body back into the open casket, forcing Tommy to flee in a panic from the cemetery.
Tommy finds himself back in the town of Crystal Lake, now ominously rebranded as Forest Green to escape the shadows of its grisly history. As he endeavors to warn the cocky sheriff Mike Garris, played by C.J. Graham, about Jason’s return, he is met with disbelief. Sheriff Garris, knowing about Tommy's time in the mental hospital, dismisses him as unstable, opting instead to lock him away in a holding cell.
Meanwhile, Jason makes his way towards the lake—the very site of his tragic drowning as a child. Along his path, he crosses paths with camp supervisors Lizabeth and Darren, who are on their way to prepare for the camp's reopening. In a chilling encounter, Jason ambushes and brutally kills them, leaving their lifeless forms hidden among the underbrush.
The next day, the sheriff’s daughter, Megan—who is to be one of the camp counselors—arrives with her fellow counselors Cort, Sissy, and Paula. They soon discover that Lizabeth and Darren have gone missing, which Tommy believes further supports his claim of Jason's resurrection. However, everyone, except for Megan, dismisses him. Megan feels a sense of connection to Tommy, leading her to listen to his warnings about the imminent danger.
As the sheriff sends the counselors off to their campsite, Tommy seizes an opportunity to return to the cemetery in the hopes of showing Garris the evidence of Jason's resurrection. However, he is devastated to find that the grave has been hastily covered by the groundskeeper, who is fearful of the repercussions of his actions due to his drinking problem. Sheriff Garris, now convinced that Tommy is merely a delusional threat, takes him to the town limits and warns him not to return.
Despite being thwarted, Jason undertakes a merciless rampage through the woods, dispatching a quintet of paintball players before claiming the grave digger and a couple enjoying a picnic as his next victims. Meanwhile, Cort and a local girl, Nikki, venture away from the camp for a private moment, only to intersect with Jason's path, leading to their gruesome demise as well. The sheriff, finding the chilling aftermath of violence, erroneously concludes that Tommy is behind the killings, believing him to be acting out from his delusions.
As tensions rise, Tommy continues his efforts to warn others and devises a plan rooted in folklore—he figures out that Jason can be incapacitated if he is trapped beneath the very lake where he perished. Megan finds herself drawn to Tommy, and attempts to help him, leading to a series of attempts to confront Garris and prove the threat posed by Jason. However, they are intercepted by roadblocks set up by the sheriff's department.
With the police distracted by Tommy, Jason infiltrates the summer camp, killing Paula and Sissy but sparing the innocent children. Tommy and Megan ultimately manage to escape the confines of the police station and arrive at the lake just as the confrontation intensifies. The police finally see the truth when Jason attacks them, leading to a frantic battle where Garris and his officers attempt to take down the unrelenting killer. Although they temporarily stunt Jason’s advance with gunfire, he soon recovers and brutally slaughters them.
In a gripping final showdown, Megan is nearly killed by Jason, but Tommy bravely distracts the monster by calling out to him from the lake. It seems as if Jason remembers Tommy as he wades into the water, where a fierce struggle unfolds between the two. With both of them submerged, Tommy fights to swim to the surface, but Jason drags him down, causing him to lose consciousness. Megan, undeterred, plunges into the depths to rescue him, and after a fierce struggle, she drives a boat propeller into Jason's head, finally incapacitating him.
On dry land, Megan performs CPR on Tommy, bringing him back to consciousness as the children celebrate their victory. Meanwhile, Jason's body lies motionless at the bottom of the lake, retained by the very boulder that symbolized the weight of his evil—still alive but powerless to rise and wreak havoc again.
