Daily Archives: 04/26/2011
FRIDAY THE 13th PART VI: JASON LIVES
Alice Cooper
FRIDAY THE 13th PART VI: JASON LIVES-United States-1986
Thom Matthews as Tommy Jarvis
Jennifer Cooke as Megan Garris
David Kagen as Sheriff Michael Garris
CJ Graham as Jason Voorhees
Ron Palillo as Allen Hawes
Tony Goldwyn as Darren
Directed by Tom McLoughlin
Written by Tom McLoughlin and Victor Miller (characters)
After the complete debacle that was Part V, Jason Voorhees is back and better than ever in Part VI of the Friday the 13th film series. This time it’s Jason vs Tommy Jarvis-Round Two. The action begins when Tommy and the guy that played Horshack (Ron Palillo) on “Welcome Back, Kotter“ try to dig up Jason so they can cremate him and end his reign of terror once and for all. One bolt of lightning later and our favorite rotting corpse serial killer is alive once more. It’s up to Tommy and the local sheriff’s daughter to find a way to put a stop to Jason once and for all…again.
This film gets kudos from me for the little things. First of all it’s got a great theme song by Alice Cooper entitled “He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask)”. This film also marks the film debut of actor Tony Goldwyn (Ghost). The kills in this one are pretty damn cool, also. My favorite has to be the triple decapitation. But the biggest thing this film has going for it is Jason himself. It wouldn’t be until part 7 and the beginning of the age of Hodder before Jason would reach his full potential, but CJ Graham does an excellent job as Jason. It’s not easy acting under tons of make-up and not saying a word. The acting has to be purely physical and Graham pulls it off with minimal effort.
So, this film is a definite step up from Part V. It’s still no where close to part 4, but it’s definitely not for lack of trying. Part IV was a four blood drop film, Part V only half a drop. I’ll balance it all out with this one at two blood drops. It’s not the best, but it’s certainly not the worst. The cool theme song by Alice Cooper and CJ Graham’s portrayal of Jason helped this one a lot.
The movie was filmed in Camp Daniel Morgan, Covington, Georgia, a suburb about 30 minutes outside of Atlanta.
The original script contained material that alluded to Jason’s father, which, to date, remains the closest the series has ever come to shedding some light on the mysterious character. In the script, Pamela’s headstone was next to Jason’s; a reference to the fact that somebody paid to have Jason buried, which would explain why he wasn’t cremated as the mayor said in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985); and a final scene in which Jason’s father visits his son’s grave, seemingly aware of the fact that Jason is not inside. These scenes were never filmed, but they made it into the film’s novelization.
The first and only “Friday the 13th” film (including New Line Cinema’s three “Jason” films as well as the 2009 remake) which features absolutely no nudity, though there is a sex scene.
FRIDAY THE 13th PART 5: A NEW BEGINNING
FRIDAY THE 13th PART 5: A NEW BEGINNING-United States-1985
Directed by Danny Steinmann
Story by Martin Kitrosser and David Cohen
Screenplay by Martin Kitrosser, David Cohen and Danny Steinmann
Would someone please tell me why this is even a part of the Friday the 13th series? Did the producers and studio bigwigs not learn anything from Halloween III: Season of the Witch? If you are going to make a Friday the 13th movie it must have Jason Voorhees in it. Not in a flashback, not in a dream sequence. Jason Voorhees must be the machete wielding, teenager hacking antagonist. Fans of this series will not settle for just any idiot wearing a hockey mask, I don’t care what reason he has for putting it on and acting like our beloved Mr. Voorhees.
Also, would someone please tell me where they got the actors for this one? Did K-mart run a blue light special on actors? I suppose since the idiots in the studio were on a roll and decided to make a Friday film without Jason, they may as well use bargain-bin actors in it, too. I mean, hey, the real Jason got to kill Crispin Glover for crying out loud. Who does this fake loser get to obliterate but some guy whose biggest acting job was the lead in his sixth grade production of “Annie, Get Your Gun”.
So, do you get the feeling I think this movie suck? You’d be right. I do think it sucks, but I’d watch it over Twilight any day of the week. Take care and stay scared, everybody!!
Trivia
The film was originally written to have Corey Feldman as the star, reprising the role of Tommy Jarvis. However, he was already working on The Goonies (1985), so the script was rewritten to have Feldman’s appearance limited to a cameo.
Tommy’s opening dream was different in the original script, and arguably made him seem more of a suspect later on. It opens as more of a continuation from the ending of the previous film – The Final Chapter – as a young Tommy is taken to the same hospital as Jason’s corpse. Then, in a sudden fit of psychotic rage, young Tommy winds up attacking half the hospital staff trying to get to the morgue and finding Jason’s bloodied body. Once he had finally found the body, Jason suddenly rises from the autopsy table. Immediately after this, the adult Tommy wakes up in the van en route to the Pinehurst house.
This is the second movie of the series in which Jason Voorhees is not the killer.
1/2
