EARLY ACCESS ~ Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) isn’t just the best Friday the 13th sequel—it’s Kevin’s favorite for a damn good reason: it’s the one where the franchise stops dicking around, digs up Jason’s corpse, and says, “Let’s make a horror movie that actually knows it’s fun.” Lightning bolt resurrection? Gothic cemetery intro? Jason punching someone’s heart out with his bare hands in the first five minutes? We are so back.

This is the first film in the series that fully embraces what Jason Voorhees has become: an unstoppable, undead horror movie juggernaut. No more “maybe it’s not really Jason” twists, no more slow-burn whodunits. Nah. This is reanimated, zombie Jason in full slasher superhero mode—walking with purpose, murdering with flair, and racking up a double-digit kill count like he’s got a quota to hit before the credits roll.

Writer-director Tom McLoughlin came in hot and injected this film with a heavy dose of style, wit, and actual filmmaking. It’s got foggy graveyards, campy lightning strikes, brutal kills with a comedic edge, and characters that feel just grounded enough to care about but goofy enough to cheer when they get speared through the face. There’s even a James Bond-style Jason intro sequence—because if you’re gonna bring back the king, give him a crown and a spotlight.

Tommy Jarvis (now played by a perfectly frazzled Thom Mathews) is back and finally not hallucinating Jason like a sweaty basket case. Instead, he’s hellbent on putting him down for good. Problem is, digging up the corpse and stabbing it with a metal rod during a thunderstorm turns out to be a terrible idea. Who knew?

The kids are actually at camp this time, adding real tension for once (even if Jason mercifully skips the child murder). The jokes land, the pacing flies, and the Alice Cooper soundtrack is doing the Lord’s work—especially “He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask),” which slaps so hard it should’ve been Jason’s official walkout music.

Jason Lives is everything you want in a horror sequel and nothing you don’t. It’s scary and funny. Slick and stupid in the best way. Self-aware without being self-important. It’s got heart, guts, and like, fourteen machete kills. If Jason was ever going to peak, this was it—immortal, pissed off, and metal as hell. Kevin’s not wrong—this is the one.