Movie Info
Movie Name: Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Genre(s): Horror
Release Date(s): August 1, 1986
MPAA Rating: R
Jason’s been dead for like a decade and not killing people…then you dig him up…that’s on you, Tommy
Tommy Jarvis (Thom Matthews) is haunted by his childhood encounter with Jason Voorhees (C.J. Graham). When he and his friend Allen (Ron Palillo) dig up Jason to destroy his body once and for all, an intense lightning strike brings the killer back to life…and even more unstoppable before. With the local police believing he’s behind the killings, Tommy finds himself teamed with the police chief’s daughter Megan (Jennifer Cooke) in trying to return Jason to his grave.
Directed by Tom McLoughlin, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (also called Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI) is a horror slasher thriller. Following Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning from 1985, the movie was generally well received for the franchise and a moderate box-office success.
Friday the 13th Part 4: The Final Chapter always jumps out at me due to the fact it was the first real slasher film I saw (then I was crushed by weak Friday the 13th Part V), but Friday the 13th Part VI also was one of the more memorable entries in a franchise that often suffered from fatigue.
Hey…I should have always waited for the campers to show up to maximize my kills!
I always remember the opening of this film with the lightning bringing Jason back to life. This is the start of the “zombie Jason” and many film critics enjoyed the throwback to a Frankenstein monster type creature. The downside of this is that now that Jason is a true monster, there is no chance to stop him (of course he generally was unstoppable to begin with). This causes you to lose any hope for survivors or a satisfying conclusion.
The acting in the film is typical horror film acting. Thom Matthews takes the role of Tommy Jarvis which was previously played by Corey Feldman (Friday the 13th Part IV and V) and John Shepherd (Friday the 13th Part V). His fellow survivor and romantic interest is Megan Garris played by Jennifer Cooke. Jason is portrayed by C.J. Graham who relinquished the role to Kane Hodder for the next entry. There is also a small appearance by Welcome Back, Kotter alum Ron Palillo.
Your big plan involves a rock, a chain, and about 12 feet of water? Good idea.
The movie continues to have the typical Friday the 13th style but this film does hold the distinction of no nudity (there is a sex scene). The movie has a lot humor and fun like the paintball scene which has Jason destroy some weekend warriors…complete with a Have a Nice Day smiley face in blood on a tree.
Friday the 13th Part VI is a fun slightly more memorable entry into the Friday the 13th line. The movie gets over the problems of Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning by restoring the “real” Jason Voorhees, but even by now, many of the slasher films were almost becoming parodies of themselves. Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives is followed by Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood in 1988.
Related Links:
Friday the 13th Part 4: The Final Chapter (1984)
Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1985)
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
