Friday the 13th, Part VI: Jason Lives (Deluxe Edition) – DVD Review

The Film:

Friday the 13^th Part 6: Jason Lives continues the series with Tommy Jarvis now fully grown up, going back to Jason’s grave to make sure he is still dead. In doing so, he inadvertently awakens Jason and reanimates him after having stabbed him several times with a sharp metal rod from a piece of the graveyard’s fence that is hit by two strikes of lightening. Jason has risen back from the dead, a scene that pays a little homage to Frankenstein.The sixth entry into the Friday the 13th series is one of my favorites, partly because I felt that the acting in Jason Lives is very entertaining, and there are quite a few doses of humor thrown into the script. Thom Matthews (Return of the Living Dead) portrays Tommy Jarvis and did a marvelous job, one of the reasons I enjoyed this entry so much. As far as the level of violence and the kill factor goes, it was on par with every Friday the 13th film up to this one. My only tiny complaint probably would have to be that this film did not have any nudity like most of the other entries in the series did. Compared to parts 4 and 5, this film was extremely wholesome. There is one sex scene in the film, taking place in a motor-home, but there is not any skin shown. Director Tom McLoughlin chose to film this sex scene with both partners almost fully clothed. But where the film lacks in sex appeal, it more than makes up for in interesting kills and gore.

Jason Voorhees seems to be angrier and sporting way more attitude than in the films prior to Jason Lives, and that may be due to the fact that Jason got his ass whooped by little Tommy Jarvis in Friday the 13^th: The Final Chapter. I felt that this film sort of re-ignites the franchise, as Friday the 13^th: A New Beginning does not have Jason as the killer in the film and sort of takes a hiatus in the series.

Some of the high-points in the film for me were when Jason kills the horny teenagers in the motor-home, smashing the boy’s head into the wall of the bathroom, making a full indentation of the head against the wall, as if it was a jello mold. The soundtrack to Jason Lives is also pretty rad, having some ’80′s glam-metal thrown into the mix, Alice Cooper being the biggest artist to grace the soundtrack. There were quite a few more larger stunts in this film, beginning with the lightening striking Jason and fire and sparks flying all over then moving on to the monstrous Motor RV doing a flip mid-air and crashing to the ground, with Jason surviving the crash and climbing out, standing on top of the overturned vehicle, in a very triumphant pose.

Director McLoughlin went with a very attractive cast and it was quite a bit disappointing that there was no clothing shed throughout the film, but the aforementioned scenes made up for the less than average mutilations in the film. Jason was portrayed by C.J. Graham this time around, who was a quick replacement for another actor that did not bring enough conviction to Jason’s character. I felt that Graham’s very large and intimidating physique was a perfect fit for Jason.

Jennifer Cooke plays one of the main leads in the film, Megan Garris, opposite to Thom Matthews, and you may or may not remember her from the Sci-Fi television series V (1984-1985) and is the daughter of Sheriff Michael Garris (David Kagen), who also did a wonderful job as the disbelieving hard-ass sheriff. His performance really gave the film more of a serious edge and really balanced out the comedic elements throughout the film. Manfredini’s creepy soundtrack made so many average-looking scenes ten times more creepier, as his soundtracks’ always have done throughout the whole series.

The DVD:

Audio/Video: The sound in the film was good. It really brought the crushing of brains, gunshots, and slicing and dicing by Jason to full effect. The picture did not seem as crisp or as vibrant as some of the other earlier entries, but that may be due to this film being a new print and not requiring much work to be done on it.

Commentary with Director Tom McLoughlin, Editor Bruce Green , and Actor Vincent Gustaferro (Deputy Rick Cologne): The commentary was fairly decent, but not as amusing as others that I have heard. The director goes into what scenes he payed homage to in, especially showing his love of the Universal horror films. I found it interesting that the opening credits scene to Jason Lives payed some homage to the James Bond movies with its view of Jason through the eye-hole of the mask, after Jason tosses his machete.

Lost Tales from Camp Blood- Part 6: Again, I have not seen any prior parts and am not a huge fan of fan-films. But, its something extra. When I eventually get all the deluxe versions of the slasher classics, I will be able to watch them in chronological order.

The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited Part 3: As I stated in my review in The Final Chapter, I did not enjoy this hokey little segment. It was extremely cheesy and unnecessary. A dud in my opinion. 9 1/2 minutes in duration.

Jason Lives:The Making of Friday the 13^th Part 6: Again, hosted by Director Tom McLoughlin, the viewer is taken into the thought process of how and why scenes were filmed the way they were, the shots that were picked or discarded, etc.. Having a few cameos by actors and actresses Bob Larkin (Martin), David Kagen (Sheriff Michael Garris), Special Makeup FX artists Gabe Bartolos and Chris Biggs, and Nancy McLoughlin (Lizabeth) offering insight here and there. It is also revealed that Frank Mancuso wanted John Shepard back again to take the role of Tommy Jarvis again and found that Thom Matthews was the perfect candidate for the look and role. 12 minutes long.

Meeting Mr. Voorhees: Hosted by Director Tom McLoughlin (who looks nothing like I envisioned!) talks about a part in the film that was cut from the final version where Jason’s father was to be introduced and it is just accompanied with dialogue and storyboard artwork with music. Almost 3 minutes long.

Slashed Scenes: Most of these cut scenes were dark and really grainy, much to my demise. About 3 minutes worth of scenes in total. It looks like a bootleg print of the film and I really wished they could insert the scenes into the film so it could be watched all together, in better quality. The triple decapitation and the heart removal scene were my favorites. Most of the cut scenes seem very tame in comparison to today’s modern horror films. Roughly 6 minutes long.

Original Theatrical Teaser Trailer: I remember this trailer from when I was a kid and it ruled then and it rules now!

Conclusion: This entry into the Friday the 13^th films is still one of my favorites and this deluxe edition of the film is, again, packed full of extras and is a must-buy for any fan of horror, slasher films, and Jason Voorhees! The film is filled with unique kills, above-average acting, a wonderful score by Manfredini, and superb direction and casting. Although it does not adhere to the horny teenagers having sex will be massacred rule, it still has some really great killings in it and C.J. Graham really gives Jason a new edge to his style and implementation of killing tools. Director Tom McLoughlin made a film that Jason fans all over can be proud of . Friday the 13^th part 6: Jason Lives is most definitely a killer film!

Rating: