Main Cast: Jennifer C. Cooke, David Kagen, Rene Jones, Darcy de Moss, Kerry Noonan
Release Year: 1986
Country: US
Run Time: 87 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
This impressive entry in the popular horror series brings back the relentless killer Jason Voorhees, this time as a supernatural zombie. Tommy Jarvis, now played by Thom Matthews, accidentally resurrects Jason when he impales the killer's corpse with a metal pole during a lightning storm. Numerous murders follow, beginning with Tommy's friend (Ron Palillo) having his heart torn out of his chest by the zombie killer. Implicated in the crimes by a mean-spirited sheriff (David Kagen), Tommy is freed from jail by the sheriff's daughter, spunky Megan (Jennifer Cooke). The cast converges on Camp Crystal Lake, which has been renamed "Camp Forest Green" by superstitious locals, in time for Tommy to send Jason back to the bottom of the lake, if only temporarily. Harry Manfredini's score is among his best, and the makeup by Martin Becker, Gabe Bartalos, R. Chris Biggs, and others is outstanding. Cooke makes an appealing heroine as Megan, although Matthews' Tommy has lost the interesting mental disturbances of previous entries and becomes just another bland hero. Tom McLoughlin's direction is effective, and the film has a memorably funny supporting turn by Bob Larkin as a grumpy drunken caretaker. Alice Cooper sings the title song, "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)." Although no classic, this is a solid horror film with a witty script and engaging characters. Jason would rise again to face a telekinetic teen in the disappointing Friday the 13th, Part VII: The New Blood. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
Review
In their quest to pepper this horror sequel with self-reflexive humor, fright-flick in-jokes, and obscure references, the producers of Friday the 13th, Part VI: Jason Lives don't eliminate the tedium of a tired formula so much as distract their audience from the pointlessness of their enterprise. It's possible to make it all the way to the final reel of this retread without paying too much attention to the mechanics of plot or character. From the amusingly exaggerated titles sequence to the Alice Cooper theme song, this film celebrates the ubiquity and instant familiarity of its source material. The result is a deeply cynical exercise, but one that's far more enjoyable than the installments that bookend it. True, the once-interesting Tommy Jarvis -- now two actors past his best incarnation (as played by Corey Feldman) -- has become an interchangeable teen protagonist. But that's because the filmmakers wisely realize that any further attempts at psychological acuity would distract from the gleeful mayhem at hand. Later installments, particularly the leaden seventh and 11th entries, would attempt to wrest pathos and drama from the material. But Friday the 13th, Part VI: Jason Lives represents the first flowering of the parodic impulse that would power the superior ninth and tenth episodes in the franchise. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
Cast
Jennifer C. Cooke - Megan
David Kagen - Sheriff Garris
Rene Jones - Sissy
Darcy de Moss - Nikki
Kerry Noonan - Paula
Tom Fridley - Cort; C.J. Graham - Jason; Vincent Guastaferro - Dep. Rick Cologne; Tony Goldwyn - Darren; Ron Palillo - Allen Hewes; Alan Blumenfeld - Larry; Matthew Faison - Stan; Cynthia Kania - Annette; Thom Matthews - Tommy; Nancy McLaughlin - Lizbeth; Wallace Merck - Burt; Roger Rose - Steven; Whitney Rydbeck - Roy; Ann Ryerson - Katie; Courtney Vickery - Nancy; Michael Swan - Officer Pappes; Temi Epstein - Little Girl; Bob Larkin - Martin; Sheri Levinsky - Bus Moniter; Michael Nomad - Thornton; Justin Nowell - Billy; Tommy Nowell - Tyen; Turas O'Har - Little Boy
Credit
Pat Tagliaferro - Art Director, Fern Champion - Casting, Pamela Basker - Casting, Maria Mancuso - Costume Designer, Martin Walters - First Assistant Director, Tom McLoughlin - Director, Bruce Green - Editor, Frank Mancuso, Jr. - Executive Producer, Harry Manfredini - Composer (Music Score), Alice Cooper - Songwriter, Kane Roberts - Songwriter, C.J. Spry - Songwriter, Jeffery Spry - Songwriter, Tom Kelly - Songwriter, Christopher Swift - Makeup, Brian Wade - Makeup, Bill Foertsch - Makeup Special Effects, Joseph T. Garrity - Production Designer, Jon Kranhouse - Cinematographer, Don Behrns - Producer, Jerie Kelter - Set Designer, Martin Becker - Special Effects, James Thornton - Sound Mixer, Lonnie R. Smith, Jr. - Stunts, Diane Hetfield - Stunts, Michael Nomad - Stunts Coordinator, Tom McLoughlin - Screenwriter, Daniel Aguar - Grip, Christopher Kennedy - Music Editor, Cathy Gesualdo - Second Assistant Director, Dane A. Davis - Supervising Sound Editor, Blake Leyh - Supervising Sound Editor, Debra Rubinstein - Casting Associate, Jonas Thaler - First Assistant Editor
Jason Voorhees is dead and buried. However, Tommy Jarvis, who successfully killed the murderous Jason when he was 12 years old, is haunted by the memories of Jason and after he and his friend Hawes escape from their mental institution, they set out to exorcise his demons once and for all by digging up and finally destroying Jason's body. In a fit of rage, Tommy stabs Jason's corpse with a piece of the cemetery's iron fence. Instead of being sent to Hell, Jason is revived via a jolt of electricity when a lightning bolt strikes the metal post. Hawes is brutally murdered when Jason tears out his heart and his body falls into Jason's coffin and the door slams shut, as Tommy flees the cemetery in his pickup truck. Now even more powerful than before, Jason travels back to Crystal Lake—renamed Forest Green to disassociate itself with Jason and his murderous past at Crystal Lake—killing everyone he meets along the way. First he kills two of the camp's counselors (Darren and Lizbeth) driving in their car. Then he kills five people (Burt, Larry, Katie, Stan, and Roy) who are involved in a paintball war. Then he kills Martin the cemetery caretaker and a couple (Steven and Annette) making out in the cemetery's woods. Then he kills Nikki (Darcy DeMoss) and her boyfriend, Cort (Tom Fridley), one of the camp's counselors, in Nikki's dad's RV
Tommy desperately tries to warn the authorities about Jason, but they are reluctant due to the nature of Tommy's claims and his troubled past. The only person willing to listen to him is the sheriff's daughter, Megan. With her father ready to pin several recent murders on him, she helps Tommy as he devises a plan he believes will finally stop Jason once for all. As Jason preys on the last remaining counselors (Paula and Sissy) of the recently re-opened camp, Tommy lures him out into Crystal Lake, "the place where Jason originally drowned". By now, Jason has killed two police officers and Sheriff Garris, Megan's father. At the risk of his own life, he ties a pair of chains to a large rock and wraps the other end to Jason's neck, and sends the rock to the bottom of the lake. When Megan swims to rescue Tommy, Jason grabs her by the leg trying to pull her down. She starts the motor to the boat and the propeller shreds Jason's face and breaks his neck in the process. Once safely on land, Tommy observes the waters where he left Jason and believes that Jason is finally "home."
The film ends the next day, where it is sunrise and Jason, still alive, is chained at the bottom of the lake, waiting to be released.
"He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)" had an accompanying music video, combining clips from the film with new footage featuring Cooper. It is not present on any home video release of the film, but can be viewed on YouTube.[1][2]
An official soundtrack has never been made available for sale.
Reaction
Mainstream critics generally reviewed the film less harshly than the other entries. The bulk of reviews, especially among fans of the series, consider it the best or one of the best entries in the franchise.[3][4][5] This is largely attributed to the use of humor,[6][7][8] though some were put off by this approach.[9]
Negative criticism of the movie includes general fatigue with the slasher film genre, and the implausibility of Jason's resurrection.[10] The film however did earn some positive reviews, and received a score of 52% at Rotten Tomatoes.
Cuts
Some of the violent moments were either cut back or re-filmed in order to avoid an X rating, including:
Allen was originally disemboweled. The kill was re-filmed with Jason ripping his heart out. A few minor seconds of this were edited out in the final cut.
When Jason rips Burt's arm off, the scene originally continued slightly longer, showing Jason sliding Burt's arm off the machete.
The triple decapatation of the paintballers was severly cut. Originally, their headless corpses were shown slumping to the ground.
The female camp counselor's death was slightly longer, showing more blood and bubbles coming to the surface of the water after Jason stabs her.
Cort's death originally showed the knife going right into his head, rather than the sloppy cut seen in the final version.
The cabin was originally filmed with more gore and blood all over, but was cut back.
A few brief moments were cut from when Jason throws the knife into the officer's head; originally, the camera lingered on his corpse a bit more.
Jason crushing the 2nd officer's head was re-filmed with no blood; the original cut showed a fountain of blood spurting from his head.
Officer Pappa's death was originally much longer, showing several extra seconds of him screaming and Jason slowly breaking him in half. The current version is far shorter and less graphic.
Other media
A novelization of Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives was written by Simon Hawke in 1986; notably, the novelization features an appearance of Elias Voorhees, Jason's father who was originally meant to appear in the film, but was cut. The book also includes various flashbacks to Jason's childhood and the backstories of characters such as Tommy and Sheriff Garris are also expanded.
