Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives

1986

Right off the bat, with the opening credits spoofing the iconic James Bond logo, "Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives" isn't just another Jason Voorhees sequel. It's a slightly parodic take of all that came befor e it, and therefore, one of my favorites of the entire series.

Writer/director Tom McLoughlin quickly revives our villain "? having sat out of "Part V" "? from death's door with one hell of a lightning bolt. Jason crawls out of his grave and back into his groove of murdering mostly anyone who dare tread on the ground of Camp Crystal Lake. This time around, that group amusingly includes paintball enthusiasts way in over their heads (for the brief amount of time they keep them).

McLoughlin fills the screen with creative kills and visual gags that really energize the proceedings, making them something special when compared to the usual hack-and-hike formula. He knows what he's doing "? not making art, but not giving up on trying "? and he's a ball to listen to on the disc's commentary. He also dishes on the mostly happy shoot on the 12-minute documentary (on which Paramount has done a consistently excellent job on these "Deluxe Edition" reissues).

The sixth episode of "Lost Tales from Camp Blood" completes the story arc from this wave of  "Friday" discs, and McLoughlin introduces his original ending, rendered through illustration and voiceover. Outtakes and a trailer round out the extras on this rather enjoyable release.

"?Rod Lott

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