After the disastrous Part V, it was time to return to good stalking form for the man from Crystal Lake. This time he returns from the grave and begins his murderous zombie rampage thanks to Tommy Jarvis and Mary Shelley.
Tommy Jarvis (Thom Matthews) is still haunted by the ghost of Jason Voorhees. He and fellow patient Allen (Ron “Horshack” Palillo) are going to the cemetery where Jason is buried so that Tommy can exorcise his internal demons. Tommy has a face-to-face confrontation in mind though and digs up Jason’s coffin and stabs the corpse with a spike from the cemetery’s iron fence before he’s about to burn the body.
A thunderstorm rolls in and lightening strikes the iron post and brings Jason back to life (It’s alive!). Tommy flees the cemetery (Horshack isn’t so lucky) and into the town of Forest Green, formerly known as Crystal Lake and changing the name to not be associated with the slaughters of the past. A reanimated Jason (C.J. Graham) is about to cause them a flashback to those bad ole’ days.
Jason Lives might be my favorite Friday the 13th. That being said I have to say that on watching it again it does have some of the things that I complained about in Friday the 13th 3D, namely the comedy. I nearly groaned aloud when Jason apes the James Bond opening.
However, the comedy of this film is better handled than 3D and it looks better shot than it as well. The comedy is reserved for the other characters as Jason is never featured in a funny light. He’s the same killing machine that we’ve come to know and love. This sequel does cause the supernatural to rear its head as Tom Savini pretty much did Jason in by slicing his head in half in The Final Chapter.
So the only way to bring the big brute back after that was to bring he back from the dead (especially after the disastrous “New Beginning”). Since Colin Clive and Mary Shelley did it best, Jason is resurrected spectacularly by a lightening bolt to stalk Crystal La….um Forest Green once again.
The local yokels have changed the name of the town to hide its bloody past but those tales of bad blood always have a way of bubbling to the surface. The kills are numerous and creative and the comedy doesn’t grate too much. All in all I’d still say that Jason Lives is still my favorite in the long-running series.
Jason Lives is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include a commentary with director Tom McLoughlin, editor Bruce Green, and actor Vincent Guastaferro (“Deputy Rick Cologne”). The 7 minute “Lost Tales from Camp Blood Part 6” continues the tale inspired by the series.
The 9 minute “Crystal Lake Massacre Revisited Part 3” also continues the faux documentary as if the events of the films actually happened. The 13 minute “Jason Lives” chronicles the making of this entry. The 3 minute “Meeting Mr. Voorhees” has director McLoughlin introducing the alternate ending of the film featuring Jason’s father and has storyboards as to how it would’ve been shot.
There are also 6 minutes of “slashed” scenes (extended scenes in VHS quality) and the 2 minute theatrical trailer.
Your mileage may vary, but Jason Lives is still my favorite in the series. This “Deluxe Edition” adds some delightful special features sure to please the Friday fan.
Friday the 13th, Part VI: Jason Lives (Deluxe Edition) is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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