Friday the 13th Part III is the third film in the Friday the 13th series. The 1982 movie was the first film in the series to feature Jason Voorhees wearing a hockey mask that has become synonymous with the character and his image. The film was released theatrically in 3D. When originally released on video and later on DVD, the film was released in regular form; however a 3D version has been released as a deluxe edition of the film.

Much like its sequel Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, this film was intended to end the series. Unlike its sequel Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, this film did not include a moniker in its title to indicate that intention. The film opened in 1,079 theaters in 3D taking in $9,406,522 its opening weekend. Domestically, the film made $36,690,067, a greater figure than the $21,722,776 of the second film.

Picking up one day after the events of Friday the 13th Part 2, deformed serial killer Jason Voorhees has survived his attack at the hands of Paul and Ginny, and has migrated to a store where he changes clothes and kills the store owners before moving on to a nearby lake front property named Higgins Haven. At the same time, a girl named Chris, who was attacked by a mysterious, disfigured stranger in the woods near Crystal Lake two years earlier, returns to the property with her friends Debbie, Andy, Shelly, Vera, Chuck and Chili. On the road they meet Abel, a drunk religious fanatic who found an eyeball (and other body parts) and kept it as proof of God. The kids drive away and later meet Chris' boyfriend Rick at their destination. Chris intends to face their fears, however none of the kids know that an unmasked and reclusive Jason has taken refuge in the barn.

An alternate ending depicts Jason decapitating Chris in a dream sequence (as opposed to the dream sequence in the finished film featuring Mrs. Voorhees). It is featured in the 1982 novel by Michael Avallone, which was based on the original shooting script. Some photos of the scene also appear in Peter Bracke's 2005 book, Crystal Lake Memories.