Thursday, March 12, 2015

FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VI - JASON LIVES

FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VI – JASON LIVES is the funnest entry in the whole bunch. And it's probably my second favorite film in the franchise. That's right I said this film is fun, as horror movies should be. There are times to be serious (THE EXORCIST) and times to enjoy the roller coaster ride. This film is a roller coaster ride!

Part VI marked the return of Jason Voorhees. In the last movie the killer was a copycat and not Jason. The majority of fans hated this idea so the suits at Paramount told the producers to get Friday The 13th back on track. And they did. Director Tom McLoughlin introduced fans to my favorite iteration of the Jason character. Zombie Jason, or better yet Frankenstein's Monster Jason.

Now I normally don't root for the killer in these type of movies, but this isn't your typical slasher film. FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VI – JASON LIVES is a monster movie. And in monster movies you root for the monster. This is why I consider it my second favorite of the series.

It's been years since Tommy Jarvis hacked Jason to death at the end of FRIDAY THE 13TH – THE FINAL CHAPTER. Now an adult Tommy wants to face his fears and make 100% sure that Jason Voorhees is d-e-a-d dead. So he goes to Jason's grave to make sure. Not convinced, Tommy takes a metal rod and stabs the maggot infested corpse. Unfortunately it starts to rain and lightning strikes the rod and brings Camp Crystal Lakes favorite resident back to life.

Tommy escapes and runs to the Sheriff station for help. They think he's crazy so he gets put in cell for the night to sleep it off. The legend of Jason is nothing more than a faint memory for the town of Forest Green. Yeah, they changed the towns name to help people forget. And Sheriff Garris would like to keep it that way by giving Tommy a ride out of town. Tommy escapes the jail and goes on the hunt for Jason alone.

Meanwhile Jason has been out and about doing what he does best. It's just too bad the audience doesn't get to see it very well. Ever since Part 5 the MPAA have been a thorn in the side of this series. Critics and mom groups across the country have had enough of the gory slasher genre. So the MPAA obliged them and started rating these movies X unless the gore gets toned down. I'm not outraged by this like a lot of fans are, but some inventive kills do get edited down to awkward shoving matches. It wouldn't be until Part 7 that I actually care about the excessive editing. That film screams 'Director's Cut'.

As I was saying, Jason is killing teenagers and some grown ups. It's up to Tommy and his new friend Megan to find a way to stop Jason once and for all.

I won't totally spoil it for you but I love the final battle in this film. It's a classic monster movie climax. Tommy finds a way to stop Jason and it involves sending him back to the lake where he belongs. It's one of the better endings of the entire series. Gone are those retarded jump scare dream sequence things that don't make a lick of sense.

While I personally love the film I can only honestly recommend it to movie buff horror fans. For the new generation of horror fans I'd point them toward something like the Hatchet films. Those slasher films are definitely a response to the MPAA editing the gore out of slashers. But if you are into horror movie history and love a good monster, then by all means check this one out.

No comments: