Review of Jason Lives - Friday the 13th Part VI (1986) by Renzo V — 26 Mar 2014

Friday The 13th Part 6 set out to fix the wrong direction taken by Part 5 and brought back Jason to the series. But, it also brought the lightest tone of the series so far with many scenes played for laughs and a more supernatural element as Jason is now basically a zombie being brought back from the dead.

..and quite by accident. But, despite the far less serious tone, Jason Lives is actually a fun entry that might disappoint hardcore fans but, was entertaining on it's own. The story picks up with Tommy Jarvis (now Thom Mathews) still haunted by Jason and deciding that destroying his corpse (which is interesting as Part 5 claimed he was cremated) would put his fear to rest.

He journeys to the grave site with bud Allen (Welcome Back Kotter's Ron Palillo) who dig up the killer's body. In an angry fit, Tommy rips off part of the fence and stabs the corpse repeatedly leaving the metal fence post in Jason's heart.

But, a storm is brewing and the post is struck by lightening and like Mary Shelley's monster, Jason rises from the grave and murders Allen. Uh oh! Now having revived the very fiend he set out to destroy, Tommy runs to Sheriff Garris (David Kagen) of Forest Green.

.. actually a renamed Crystal Lake trying to escape it's infamy... to warn about Jason's return and, is thrown in jail by the sheriff who thinks he's crazy. But, the sheriff's daughter Megan (an adorable Jennifer Cooke) takes a shine to Tommy and this brings good news and bad news for the distraught young man.

.. the good news is Megan believes him and wants to help him, the bad news is, she is head counselor at the new Forest Green campsite and a certain revived someone is on his way home, leaving a trail of bodies as he goes.

Can Tommy escape the hard-nosed sheriff and save the camp filled with nubile counselors who just welcomed a pack of young children?... or, will they all be lambs to the slaughter? As written and directed by Tom McLoughlin, Jason Lives may not be the intense return to gory horror that this series began as but, is actually a lot of fun despite being fairly void of tension and scares.

There are a lot of clever touches and McLoughlin adds a supernatural element as Tommy feels the only way to stop Jason is return his body to the watery grave he originally came from, not to mention that he was revived as a zombie by lightening right out of an old-fashioned horror flick.

There are a lot of chases and while the kills are bloody, they are fairly tame compared to some of the earlier installments. Most of the proceedings are done with a humorous touch or for outright laughs but, it is never insulting, nor does it make a joke out of the material.

McLoughlin is having fun and giving the series a lighter entry, which is welcome as it does freshen things up a bit though, surely disappointing the real hardcore fan base. The director still manages to have some intensity and excitement and, to be honest, it may not be the horror we wanted but, it is a lot of fun.

The cast are especially lively and seem to be having a good time with their roles. Mathews plays it straight as the hero trying to convince others they are in danger from a boogeyman most think is an urban legend.

Cooke is adorable and hot as the sexy but, strong-willed sheriff's daughter who isn't afraid to rebel against her dad and break a few laws herself to piss him off. Kagen overdoes it a bit as the jerk of a sheriff but, the character is a jerk so, it works.

The supporting cast, including 80s film hottie Darcy DeMoss, all give the characters some spunk and liveliness which obviously helps you to like them and gives their fates impact. The added mix of having little kids in the camp this time also adds a new element to play with, as one little girl keeps seeing 'a monster' at her cabin window.

.. and of course they all think it's a figment of her imagination. Ha!... joke's on them! All in all, this is an entertaining entry that has fun with the traditions of the series and of the horror genre in general from it's mock James Bond credits sequence featuring Jason, to poor Tommy taking the blame for the killer's foul deeds and somehow trying to return Jason to wince he came.

It's not perfect, obviously the lighter tone keeps one from taking the proceedings too seriously and thus it neuters the threat and fear factor quite a bit and even with some new touches, we have most of it all before.

But, it is still a refreshingly fun entry and it has a good time with and not pokes fun at the series. It also made Friday The 13th feel like Friday The 13th again and even Harry Manfredini has a little fun adding touches of Berloiz's Symphonie Fantastique to his classic score giving this colorful entry a slightly more gothic feel.

A great horror?...no. A good time... definitely. I also like this entry a lot because it is the most '80s' of the series with a number of heavy metal songs on the soundtrack... including two by legendary rocker Alice Cooper.

.. and the clothes and hairstyles were at the height of 80s ridiculousness. Fun!