Customer Reviews

Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI [VHS]

5 star:		(113)
4 star:		(77)
3 star:		(30)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

After the stylistically flat, albeit somewhat entertaining, Part 5, the Friday the 13th series roared back to life with what is arguably the best movie in the series (albeit one cut to shreads to receive an R rating).

Tommy Jarvis (well played by Return of the Living Dead star Thom Matthews) is still suffering from hallucinations and violent outbursts as a result of his killing of Jason in 'Final Chapter'. Enlisting the aid of a buddy (Horshack from Welcome Back Kotter of all people), Tommy heads out to Forest Green (formerly Crystal Lake) to dig up the serial killer's corpse and completely destroy it and, hopefully, his trauma for good. I guess a different body was mistakenly cremated in Part 5. Things go bad when an electrical storm reanimates Jason's corpse and the now killer zombie strides off into the forest to look for victims while the guilt plagued Tommy runs to get help for the quite understandably disbelieving police.

While writer/director Tom McLoughlin's script is witty and self-deprecating in tone, and some of the jokes are pretty good, it is nonetheless more of the same. However McLoughlin does give this series entry a strong visual style - something almost all the others lack - Jason standing atop a crashed motor home being a good example. This is one well worth seeing, both for fans and non-fans alike. Recommended.

WARNING! -SPOILERS AHEAD! This is without a doubt one of the coolest teen slasher films i have EVER seen! The acting,humor,scare factor and a ton of other things make this film simply incredible! C.J. Graham ( who plays Jason) is REALLY good almost as good as Kane Hodder, who was Jason in parts 7-9.The direction is also very good,and the scare factor, WOW! This is one of the few films that actually frightened me( sure, it"s more funny than scary, but still, I don"t know why it scared me so much.)Jason"s costume looks VERY VERY cool as well ( he looks AWESOME with that bullet riddled shirt and commando belt, and those gloves he wore look real nice too.The special FX are also very impressive ( I was stunned at the scene where the RV flips over and him standing on top of it.)I only have two complaints about the film-1, Jason"s mask doesn"t come off like in previous films( you can see it at the beginning,but not very well because of the rain and dark lighting),and 2, the film is WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY too short ( it doesn"t even last two hours!).I was also a bit sad at the fact that it could have been much gorier, but that doesn"t ruin the fun.Overall,an EXTREMELY well done movie. Rated R- contains gory violence and strong language.

You'll wonder why the lead man does what he does to unintentionally revive Jason Voorhees but hey, the movie's gotta start somehow. A couple of bloopers, but nothing that serious, especially for its time. It's basically "Jason's Playtime", as he mauls his victims viciously. Considering Jason's a living dead guy stronger than ever, and this movie timewise looks like it was made after 2 of its sequels, it's worth picking up especially with its pricetag. Some real good spots in it and a rememberable horror flick. They don't make em like this anymore. :(

FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VI: JASON LIVES DVD

*** ½ Out of 5

THE MOVIE
This was a really fun sequel and in my opinion the last great Friday the 13th movie; this one goes in a slightly different direction without straying from the formula; this one is sort of the Scream before Scream and the movie while a legit horror movie also spoofs itself and other horror movies while still paying homage to the series and horror flicks.

PACKAGE DESIGN
Not as cool as the original artwork, but far better than the old DVD, but that isn't saying much since the old DVD cover was horrid and this one isn't very good either.

AUDIO COMMENTARY- Tom McLoughlin, Bruce Green, Vincent Guastaferro
This is a newly recorded track and not the same as the one on Crystal Lake to Manhattan; Tom McLoughlin appears on the previous commentary and records a new one with the editor Bruce Green and co-star Vincent Guastaferro. This track is entertaining and a lot of fun it's informative and there aren't any lulls on the track, which sometimes happens.

LOST TALES FROM CAMP BLOOD PART 6- 7:16
Directed by Andrew Ceperley and I know a lot of people dislike these features, but personally they don't bother me. I'd rather this space be used for something with the movie, but it's not too bad.

THE CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE MASSACRES REVISITED PART III- 9:34
This is a spoof of the series done in a documentary style, but doesn't make fun of the movies; this one covers the events of Jason Lives and is a really fun feature, while not great it does serve its purpose and again is a solid feature.

JASON LIVES: THE MAKING OF FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 6- 12:55
Good behind the scenes look at the movie, but nothing new is really stated from other interviews in the past; like I said it's a good feature, but nothing great, but does cover pretty much the whole movie despite the running time, some good info here, but I'm sure most fans probably already know everything stated; interviews with Tom McLoughlin, Nancy McLoughlin, Bob Larkin, David Kagen, Gabe Bartalos, Chris Biggs. When David Kagen appears on screen Sheriff is spelled with two r's kinda funny if you ask me.

MEETING MR. VOORHEES- 2:45
The original ending had Jason's father make an appearance, this feature is of storyboards and Bob Larkin who played the caretaker Martin provides the voiceovers. Even though this was only storyboards and no actual footage its still an interesting feature.

SLASHED SCENES- 6:03
This is mostly gore that was cut out and this is a carry over feature from the Crystal Lake to Manhattan set; the footage is a little rough looking, but enjoyable, since the footage is available I wish Paramount would have reinserted it into the movie or provide an option like My Bloody Valentine where you can watch the uncut version or the standard R version.

ORIGINAL THEATRICAL TRAILER- 1:40
No need to explain this one, but this is more of a teaser than an actual trailer.

TRANSFER
Jason Lives was mastered in High-Definition and the new transfer is a very mixed bag; I have the first 3 on Blu-ray and the rest on the Deluxe Edition DVDs, which are mastered in Hi-Definition and in my opinion part 3, had the worst transfer and Jason Lives probably comes in 2nd. Here's the thing though by no means does the movie look bad or anything in many areas it's an upgrade over the previous DVD releases. The picture is sharp and clear and some of the color is restored to the way it's meant to look; the blood in some parts looked like jelly where as on this DVD release the blood is the proper color of red; clothes are also another spot where it's been improved, some of the shirts lose their color in the old DVD and here they look proper and the leaves and grass are a sharp green and not dull looking like the old DVD. But where the transfer fails is it's actually quite dark; for instance go to chapter 8 where the Sheriff is lecturing his daughter, behind the sheriff is a coffee maker and we can see the coffee pot where as in the new DVD you can barley see the coffee pot and this problem happens quite a few times. Like I said in some areas this disc improves quality over the old disc, but in some areas it hurts the movie. Grain and dirt are kept very low in fact I barley noticed any grain and at the time of the DVD release the movie was 23-years old. Like I said I'd rate this as the 2nd worst transfer, but by no means does that mean it's bad. In my opinion it's far better than the HD of Friday the 13th Part 3, but besides that transfer this one was the weakest. The transfer does look good though so 2nd worst doesn't mean that it's bad it's just too dark at times. So that's why I say it's a mixed bag in some areas the transfer improves over the old and in some areas the old transfer is better.

AUDIO

5.1 Surround
2.1 Surround

The new sound mix is alright, but doesn't really enhance the movie.

FINAL WORDS ON THE DISC
Overall Jason Lives was a fairly good release; like I said the transfer is a mixed bag, but I think most fans will be pleased with this release and odds are this will be the best we ever get. The Deluxe Edition is an upgrade over the old DVD since this one at least has features, but with the transfer being mixed you might wanna still hold onto your old DVD.

In Friday the 13th part 6, Jason would be brought back to life in effortless fashion. I remember even as a child watching this film and saying "well of course lightning would bring him back!" and shaking my fist at the silly pretenses of Friday the 13th part 5: The New Beginning. This film was the new beginning! Jason lived and would be appropriately placed into the horror movie hall of fame next to Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolfman, the Creature from the Black Lagoon and the Mummy.

Tom McLoughlin is not a well known film maker but he wrote and directed this little gem. I suspect that he is very much a fan of classic and contemporary horror, from The Bride of Frankenstein and Black Sunday all the way to Critters 2: The Main Course. This is a film that understands our craving for a horror icon not be taken too seriously. Its dark and wry humor is served to us as sort of a self-parody. It is exploitation to the max. The moment Jason is resurrected by Tommy, basically our hero in the parts 4 and 5, we know we got what we wanted and Jason is even more unstoppable than before. Jason is free to run amuck and does he ever. He goes on a huge killing spree and we are basically asked to root for him and laugh all along the way. Things play out in normal formula from here and the movie is basically the same as the others except that Jason is no longer the villain. He is an anti-hero and Friday the 13th part 6: Jason Lives is a comedy.

As it turns out, the series switch over to comedy and abandoning the ideas of part 5 didn't turn out to be as good a decision from a profit standpoint, as part 6 still managed to make less money than part 5 and profitability of these films begins to diminish from here on. Nevertheless, it is still refreshing while it managed to please fans and critics alike. Well, critics were not necessarily pleased but it is the most acclaimed of the series for the most part.

One of my complaints about part 6 is that I was tired of these films and I'm not just talking about Friday the 13th movies but the slasher sub-genre in general. Also, why am I being compelled to root for an undead murderer? The biggest problem for me is that it is camp, but it's trying to be camp. Campy movies are not supposed to make an effort to be campy. It is supposed to be unintentional. If it's intentional, like Friday the 13th part 6, then we have to assume that the film makers are working below their level. Not to mention, this kind of comedy makes me feel like I'm getting an elbow to the ribs a little too frequently. I get the joke; it's just not that funny more than once or twice so please stop making these movies. Then again, at least Jason Lives is consistent.

In the prior movie "Friday the 13th: A New Beginning" we found out it wasn't Jason doing the killings but the paramedic Roy (Dick Wieand) doing the murders out of revenge for the death of his son.
Tommy (now played by Thom Mathews) must be sure that Jason is still in his grave. With his friend Allen (Ron Palillo) they go to the cemetary where Tommy digs the grave up. Sure enough Jason (C.J. Graham) is a corpse. Tommy has been so distraught by Jason. Real messed up. Tommy grabs a pole from part of the fence and stabs Jason's dried body. He prepares to set fire to Jason when suddenly lightning strikes the gothic pole and resurrects Jason. He kills Allen and goes after Tommy. Tommy finds temporary safe shelter at the police station.
Cystal Lake was renamed "Forest Green" so people can forget the horrible stories. Tommy knows Jason will still go back to his place.
This film goes back to its original formula of a group of young people camping out for rest recreation and sex. We all know Jason hates to see sex.
Body Count: 17

Renee Jones as "Sissy" is the 13th victim. Currently she can be seen on the NBC serial "Days Of Our Lives".
Michael Swan you may have seen on "One Life To Live".
Jennifer Cooke you may recognize her from the CBS serial "Guiding Light" in 1981-83 or the "V" tv series in 1984-85.
Thom Mathews also appeared in Return of the Living Dead (1985) and Return of the Living dead Part II (1988).

The story continues in the next film: Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988).

A new "Friday The 13th" movie was released in 2009.

Update: The 13th movie, Friday the 13th part 2, will be released in 2013.

This review refers to the Paramount DVD edition of the film.

THE WHO'S WHO: Starring Thom Mathews, Jennifer Cooke, David Kagen, Renee Jones, Kerry Noonan, Darcy DeMoss, Tom Fridley, Tony Goldwyn, Ron Palillo. Score Composed By Harry Manfredini. Written and Directed By Tom McLoughlin. (R) For Violence, Gore, Profanity and Mild Sexual Content; 87m.; 1986.

WHAT'S GOING ON IN HERE?: For the first time since "Friday the 13th Part 2", it's the camp counselors who have to be on the lookout for everyone's favorite hockey-masked terror. After surviving years of torment from the memory of Jason Voorhees (C.J. Graham doing a commendable job), Camp Crystal Lake has changed its name to Camp Forest Green and is trying to start over. But you can't keep a hideously deformed psychopathic killer down for long. Barely surviving his own memories of Jason, Tommy Jarvis (Thom Mathews) has returned to make sure Jason stays down. But when he digs up Jason's body to perform a cremation, he winds up accidentally resurrecting Voorhees. Now, he has to find a more permanent solution that will end Jason's reign of terror once and for all. Director Tom McLoughlin ("Sometimes They Come Back") helms this film with assured skill, surrounding himself with the best crew and most adaptable mid-eighties cast he could find. Ron Palillo brings his "Welcome Back Kotter" role of Horshack back to the screen in an ever so slightly grown up version (as Allen Hawes) during the early scenes of the film (accompanying Tommy to Jason's grave). Tony Goldwyn's brief appearance as Darren foreshadows the talent he would go on to display in such films as "Ghost" and "The 6th Day". The likeably arrogant Tom Fridley brings some charm to the film as Cort. However, the ones to watch are Renee Jones and Thom Mathews. Jones, future co-star of the "Days of Our Lives" soap opera, got her mainstream start here in this horror classic after making numerous guest appearances on television shows like "The Jeffersons" and "WKRP in Cincinnati". Mathews was already a veteran horror star, appearing in "Return of the Living Dead" alongside "Friday V" alumnus Miguel A. Nunez Jr. and "Nightmare on Elm Street 2" actor Clu Gulager. Like the "Nightmare" crew would do the following year, the filmmakers here decided to inject bits of humor into the horror. This added levity moves the momentum of "Jason Lives" along nicely and is a welcome change to the standard "Friday" formula. Two of the best segments include the pre-credits "Jason Voorhees as James Bond" moment and the scene in which Sissy (Jones) and Paula (Kerry Noonan) comfort a little girl (Courtney Vickery) after she has a nightmare...coincidentally, the little girl's name is Nancy! Trivia buffs take note: we now know that Renee Jones would go on to co-star in "Days of Our Lives", but what other future "Days" co-star would figure prominently into the "Friday the 13th" films first? See my review of "Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood" (coming soon) for the answer. Overall, this film delivers most of the thrills and chills "Friday" fans have come to expect from the Voorhees franchise. There are a few lapses here and there, but it's still a solid entry that will satisfy hardcore horror buffs and their cravings for butchery.

THEY SAY THEY'RE SPECIAL BUT...: The 1.85:1 widescreen presentation for the film is a bit dark from time to time and color tones appear marginally greyed. Fortunately, most of the grain that accompanied the first four films has been obliterated and we're left with a clear transfer that does its best to deliver good definition. The annoying vertical blue line is back, located down the right side of the screen on high definition monitors, though its not as prominent as it was on the disc for "Friday V". For the first time in the series, Paramount has given this disc a 2.0 Dolby surround sound. While a 5.1 would have been appreciated, this 2.0 is still relatively thunderous and bright with good separation and even dialogue. English subtitles are also available for the film. They are a yellow, easy to read color and have been placed within the frame of the movie. The front cover for this DVD, like its immediate predecessor, has been changed by Paramount. Unlike the cover for "A New Beginning", this change is an unforgivable sin that Paramount never should have committed. This case is a horrific, multi-colored example of what atrocities can sprout up when creative execs are given too much free time. The original video release cover was perhaps the single most blood-tingling video cover in horror history...the blue-hued painting of a hockey mask rising above a tombstone that read "Jason Lives". The back cover is another chromatic mishmash that almost ridicules the film itself. This also carries over to the one sheet insert that displays the sixteen chapter stops for this ninety minute movie. The disc is painted with a cut down version of the abominable front cover. Extra features on the disc are limited to a "teaser" trailer (1:40) that is fairly entertaining...if all you want to do is watch a tombstone explode and see an empty grave rise from the ground.

THE YOLK'S ON YOU: Paramount has never been known for plying their releases with additional footage, let alone hiding anything on the disc. You're more likely to get up and tap dance after Jason shoves a knife through your skull than you are of finding hidden easter eggs on this one.

THE LEWD AND NUDE ALERT: This is probably the most disappointing "Friday" film thus far for the "Lewd and Nude" category. We get a nice upskirt of Steven's (Roger Rose) new fiancee Annette (Cynthia Kania) as they begin to fool around in the woods. Cort (Tom Fridley) and his girlfriend Nikki (Darcy DeMoss) have sex in a Cobra Camper. Sissy (Renee Jones) spends some time flaunting her buns in a pair of form fitting grey sweat pants. Tommy (Thom Mathews) gets an extreme close-up of Megan's (Jennifer Cooke) jean-covered inner thighs. But there seems to be something missing. For a cast filled with such magnificent women, there's an appalling lack of any actual nudity. A surefire disappointment for the prurient film goers.

THE GORE REPORT: Early on in the film, Jason shoves his arm through a guy's chest and we, the lucky viewer, get to see the guy's heart being held in Jason's hand. Speaking of arms, Jason rips one paintball player's (Wallace Merck) arm off later in the film, though it's not even half as bloody a segment as it should be. We also get to see a cabin filled with blood which is by far the best scene for gorehounds.

SAY AGAIN: "Why'd they have to go and dig up Jason? Some folks have a strange idea of entertainment." - Martin, Caretaker of the Eternal Peace Cemetery (Bob Larkin)

THE FINAL SAY: Yes, I recommend buying this DVD. It's a step down from parts two and four in the suspense department. There are some drawn out sequences scattered through the first two thirds of the film and the suspense that finally materializes in the finale isn't as gripping as it could have been. However, the film is a notch above parts three and five in the screenplay department and is worthy of numerous viewings on dark, spooky evenings.

PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM: "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)" Performed By Alice Cooper. "Teenage Frankenstein" Performed By Alice Cooper. "Hard Rock Summer" Performed By Alice Cooper. "Animal" Performed By Felony. The Three Alice Cooper Songs Can Be Found on "The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper" Available on Rhino Compact Discs.

Yes, I was pretty happy when I heard that Paramount were expanding their released Friday DVD's to include Parts 5 and 6. Especially six, as it has a special place in my (bleeding) heart. This was the first Friday the 13th I ever watched and to this day still remains my favourite. Argueably, this is the first friday the 13th where the film openly makes fun of itself and the genre yet includes all the gore a horror enthusiast could want :)

Some of the deaths are downright humorous (Breaking a guy in half - literally), but a ROCKING Soundtrack from the Immortal ALICE COOPER (He's the best!) definately makes this a necessity for the home collection.

The only reason this DVD gets 4 out of 5 is due to the Severe (!) lack of Bonus Features and the Sound. PARAMOUNT: Could we please get 5.1 mixes?!?!?! If not, at least some Deleted Scenes / Interviews / Commentary for the Bonus Features section? Let's make a little EFFORT here guys, and stop stiffing us on the Discs, because we all full well know that in a year or so, you'll probably release a box set with enough features to make you gag, rendering these discs obsolite. :( Not good.

Well, back to topic, this film was great; my personal favourite Friday the 13th and DEFINATELY worth a view... or two ... or three ... etc.

this movie was the best of the friday series higth body counts lots of blood and scary. it has all the elements of a great horror movie. i though that this film captured the essicence of jason. this movie showed that jason was truely immortal and the it takes a lot more than a blade to kill him. the movie also had some humor like the people playing paint ball in the woods. also the way the brought jason back was great a bolt of lighting reanimating the dead killers corpse. the other thing that i liked about the movie is that you see more of jason. in comparison to the other movies such as part VIII what were they thinking, com on when you cut a persons throught there is suppodse to be blood coming out.i did not like the fact that it took place on a ship then in new york because it just takes the fun out of people getting lost in the woods or chased trew the woods by jason. i give part VIII 2 thumbs down and part VI 2thumbs up. know as for the other 7 i think they are all equally good in there own way and i hope that jason X is a good as the other if not even better, and am looking foward to it's release to the theaters in 2002. let the blood keep spilling and the body count rising, long live jason

I've seen Friday the 13th Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. Without a doubt, so far my favorite of them is "Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives." It's not the scariest or the goriest of them all, but it has a great storyline and it's a great horror movie. Tommy Jarvis, who was a kid when he killed Jason, is back in this captivating sequel to make sure that Jason Voorhees is really dead once and for all. He goes to the graveyard and digs Jason up only to find that he's still alive and is now on the loose again. He tries to convince a cop that Jason is still alive, but the cop thinks he's insane. Tommy has to get past the cop who won't believe him if he wants a chance to kill Jason and save some people from getting killed.

Anybody who likes the Friday the 13th movies should like this one. I recommend it to anybody who likes great horror movies, it's one of the best ones that you could get.