Title: Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
Director: Tom McLoughlin
Writer:Â Â Tom McLoughlin
Release Date: August 1st, 1986
Cast: Thom Mathews, Jennifer Cooke, David Kagen, Renee Jones
Cliff’s Notes:
In an attempt to confirm the Jason is dead, Tommy Jarvis accidentally helps bring everyone’s favorite goalie back from the dead. He proceeds to slaughter literally everyone he runs into. Ch-ch-ch Ah-ah-ah (plus Alice Cooper) occurs to the highest degree. Thank God!
Lecture:
Thank God it’s better! It’s so much better! Jason Lives takes everything that was wrong with Part 5, and heck Parts 2 through 4 as well, and fixes it with a mix of hardcore horror shenanigans and humor. That’s right, someone (Tom McLoughlin) decided that there wasn’t enough fun to be had in the franchise and decided to let loose with this party of awesome. From the writing to the casting to the production, everything is done with a love of the series and genre in place. The flick is smoother than a veal cutlet.
Part of what really surprises me about this flick, and makes it even more awesome, is the breaking of the horror conventions. Part VI doesn’t rely on chance, there’s a well drafted plot to tie everything together. Speaking of well drafted, the characters in this flick are crafted with care and time. There’s none of this paper thin crap that several of the earlier sequels were shoving at us. Here, we’ve got actual people portrayed by quality actors. Likewise, the slasher stereotypes aren’t the focal point of this flick. The final girl isn’t virginal, the hero isn’t perfect, and even the no nonsense sheriff is accessible.
And sure, not everything is perfect. We’re still slaughtering 18 folks over the course of 100 minutes, so some pieces are a touch out of place or not quite fully developed. But the majority of this flick falls right into line and makes this episode one of the strongest in the series.
Acting:
The cast in this puppy is very solid, which really helps bring the story together. While I was sorry to see John Shepard go, Thom Mathews is fantastic as Tommy Jarvis. His performance is natural and he gives a wonderful air to what’s going on. Likewise, I dug Jennifer Cooke’s against type portrayal of the final girl. No paper thin troubles here. Even the tough-as-nails sheriff, played by Kagen, comes through as layered. In the hands of a less competent actor, he could easily be one note. Not here. Grade A across the board!
Directing:
McLoughlin is, at the time, the strongest of the F13th directors. He builds style and tension like a champ, delivers on his quality script, and manages to add a huge amount of humor into this slasher. Furthermore, he brings back the focus on characters and suspense that was slowly fading throughout the series. Horary!
Script:
While McLoughlin’s work on the script isn’t quite as strong, it’s still severed heads above the rest of the sequels. His work takes time to build characters while never being boring or straying too far from what makes the series work.
Effects:
Once again, the MPAA gets in the way and clipped way too much out of this puppy. We still get a bunch of groovy bits – stabbings, heart-punching, bones breaking – but we’re cutting away several times. Also, the final kill of this puppy is, by far, the one of the most original Friday the 13th moments you’ll ever see. For the win!
Highlights:
Sheriff vs. Jason. Awesome! No, wait… Paintball. Awesome! No, wait… RV. Awesome! Heck, it’s just all of it.
Lowlights:
Little thing here, what happened to the other survivors from A New Beginning? I would have loved to include them here.
Friday the 13th-iness: 
By far and away the most Friday the 13th of the Friday the 13th’s, Jason Lives is exactly what the series is all about! This puppy manages to capture the essence of what the franchise is all about. Every aspect finally works together!
Final Thoughts:
By far and away, the best of the sequels and a solid flick to boot. There are folks out there who say that this puppy is better than the original and, surprisingly, I find it hard to argue with them.
