August 1st, 1986
Nothing this evil ever dies…
How unfortunate that that tagline seems to be apparently true as filmmakers continue to douse us with more and more Friday The 13th sequels that features a reanimated Jason Voorhees.
When I first heard of this film (via Fangoria), I was extremely excited. Director Tom McLoughlin talked about how Jason was going to be the new Frankenstein’s Monster. I loved that description! And I’d been quite depressed with the series since Jason’s “death” at the end of The Final Chapter. Now we were getting him back on the big screen! What could be better?
Well, as most of you already know, I’m not a fan of “Zombie Sultan,” and probably never will be. And it all began with Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives.
Strangely, there wasn’t a long line to get into this film. The auditorium was packed with fans, but there wasn’t a waiting period like there had been with the previous two entries. I have to admit that I missed the banter between fans while waiting in one of those arduous lines. But one can’t have everything, can they?
I knew the film was in trouble when Ron Palillo looked at the camera and made a quirky remark. Of course, that was followed by an “homage” to James Bond when Jason walked out in the eye slit of the hockey mask and slashed the screen. And things didn’t get much better.
The audience was a mixed bag. There were laughs at some of the comedy attempts, and straight horror fans got their just dues with some interesting kills, but the vibe of earlier Friday The 13th audiences was gone. I guess I have to realize that the early eighties were over, and that a new breed of Friday The 13th fan was being weaned on Jason’s return. It’s the only thing I can think of to justify that strange audience.
Anyways, I’m not here to lambaste the film. Everyone knows I don’t enjoy it, and that’s that. And the audience appeared to like it, too. Or some of them did, anyway.
During the final scene, when the camera dips beneath the waters of Crystal Lake and we see Jason peering back at us, a black man seated behind me said: “I’ll never go see another of these.” That was the first time I’d ever heard anything negative in a Friday The 13th audience. Even though I agreed with the man, I knew I’d still be dragging my tired butt back to see further sequels.
Now, all of this may lead you to believe I didn’t have a good time with the film. Well, you’re wrong. Yes, it’s true that I’m not a fan of Friday The 13th Part VI, but the best part was still to come.
As Alice Cooper was singing along to the final credits, the audience began to pour out of the theater. I slipped into the slow moving line and started making my way to the exit.
And that’s when it happened.
A man in front of me gently put his hands on a young child’s shoulders and stepped around him. As I was wondering who’d bring such a youngster to a Friday The 13th film, the apparent father of the child grabbed the man by the shirt and got right in his face.
“Don’t you ever touch my fucking kid!” he bellowed.
When the man attempted to reply, the father hauled off and punched him right in the stomach. The man doubled over and went down to his knees. Honestly, I didn’t know what to say or do. I stood there for a moment, looking at the man, as people filed out of the theater around me. Nobody was stopping to ask the man if he was okay or even if he’d shit his pants. It was unbelievable.
I did the Good Samaritan bit and bent down to him. I put a hand on his shoulder and asked if he was okay. He was still sucking wind, but he managed to nod his head. I helped him get back on his feet and walked him out of the theater. Thankfully, we didn’t see the enraged father or his child in the lobby.
Even though I didn’t particularly care for the film, I still went back and watched it a few times at the theater. And each successive time there were fewer and fewer people in attendance. Not to mention that there were no further one-sided fistfights.
Jason Lives is a film that I rarely watch at home. It’s simply never struck a chord with me. I can watch the later “Zombie Sultan” films with little problem, but Part VI has simply never gelled with me. However, after writing this article, I think I’m going to revisit the film. I’ll never get over the fact that C.J. Graham appears to be walking around with a stick up his butt, but maybe I’ll be less critical of the film twenty-five years later.
As I’m writing this, I have Alice Cooper’s Constrictor album playing in the background. It’s great theme music for my Friday The 13th VI article, and it’s always been one of my favorite parts of the film. “He’s Back,” indeed.
A few months after the furor over Jason Lives died down; there was an announcement in an issue of Fangoria for the next Friday The 13th film. It was originally subtitled “Jason’s Last Rites” and it got me excited all over again. The bad taste of Jason Lives was immediately washed from my mouth and I was once again excited for a Friday The 13th sequel.
Strangely, as the years pass and the sequels and refakes mount up, I still get elated each time I hear we’re getting a chance to return to Crystal Lake.
I guess I’ll never learn, huh?
Written by Trever Palmer
Nothing this evil ever dies…
How unfortunate that that tagline seems to be apparently true as filmmakers continue to douse us with more and more Friday The 13th sequels that features a reanimated Jason Voorhees.
When I first heard of this film (via Fangoria), I was extremely excited. Director Tom McLoughlin talked about how Jason was going to be the new Frankenstein’s Monster. I loved that description! And I’d been quite depressed with the series since Jason’s “death” at the end of The Final Chapter. Now we were getting him back on the big screen! What could be better?
Well, as most of you already know, I’m not a fan of “Zombie Sultan,” and probably never will be. And it all began with Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives.
Strangely, there wasn’t a long line to get into this film. The auditorium was packed with fans, but there wasn’t a waiting period like there had been with the previous two entries. I have to admit that I missed the banter between fans while waiting in one of those arduous lines. But one can’t have everything, can they?
I knew the film was in trouble when Ron Palillo looked at the camera and made a quirky remark. Of course, that was followed by an “homage” to James Bond when Jason walked out in the eye slit of the hockey mask and slashed the screen. And things didn’t get much better.
The audience was a mixed bag. There were laughs at some of the comedy attempts, and straight horror fans got their just dues with some interesting kills, but the vibe of earlier Friday The 13th audiences was gone. I guess I have to realize that the early eighties were over, and that a new breed of Friday The 13th fan was being weaned on Jason’s return. It’s the only thing I can think of to justify that strange audience.
Anyways, I’m not here to lambaste the film. Everyone knows I don’t enjoy it, and that’s that. And the audience appeared to like it, too. Or some of them did, anyway.
During the final scene, when the camera dips beneath the waters of Crystal Lake and we see Jason peering back at us, a black man seated behind me said: “I’ll never go see another of these.” That was the first time I’d ever heard anything negative in a Friday The 13th audience. Even though I agreed with the man, I knew I’d still be dragging my tired butt back to see further sequels.
Now, all of this may lead you to believe I didn’t have a good time with the film. Well, you’re wrong. Yes, it’s true that I’m not a fan of Friday The 13th Part VI, but the best part was still to come. As Alice Cooper was singing along to the final credits, the audience began to pour out of the theater. I slipped into the slow moving line and started making my way to the exit.
And that’s when it happened.
A man in front of me gently put his hands on a young child’s shoulders and stepped around him. As I was wondering who’d bring such a youngster to a Friday The 13th film, the apparent father of the child grabbed the man by the shirt and got right in his face.
“Don’t you ever touch my fucking kid!” he bellowed.
When the man attempted to reply, the father hauled off and punched him right in the stomach. The man doubled over and went down to his knees. Honestly, I didn’t know what to say or do. I stood there for a moment, looking at the man, as people filed out of the theater around me. Nobody was stopping to ask the man if he was okay or even if he’d shit his pants. It was unbelievable.
I did the Good Samaritan bit and bent down to him. I put a hand on his shoulder and asked if he was okay. He was still sucking wind, but he managed to nod his head. I helped him get back on his feet and walked him out of the theater. Thankfully, we didn’t see the enraged father or his child in the lobby.
Even though I didn’t particularly care for the film, I still went back and watched it a few times at the theater. And each successive time there were fewer and fewer people in attendance. Not to mention that there were no further one-sided fistfights.
Jason Lives is a film that I rarely watch at home. It’s simply never struck a chord with me. I can watch the later “Zombie Sultan” films with little problem, but Part VI has simply never gelled with me. However, after writing this article, I think I’m going to revisit the film. I’ll never get over the fact that C.J. Graham appears to be walking around with a stick up his butt, but maybe I’ll be less critical of the film twenty-five years later.
As I’m writing this, I have Alice Cooper’s Constrictor album playing in the background. It’s great theme music for my Friday The 13th VI article, and it’s always been one of my favorite parts of the film. “He’s Back,” indeed.
A few months after the furor over Jason Lives died down; there was an announcement in an issue of Fangoria for the next Friday The 13th film. It was originally subtitled “Jason’s Last Rites” and it got me excited all over again. The bad taste of Jason Lives was immediately washed from my mouth and I was once again excited for a Friday The 13th sequel.
Strangely, as the years pass and the sequels and refakes mount up, I still get elated each time I hear we’re getting a chance to return to Crystal Lake.
I guess I’ll never learn, huh?
Written by Trever Palmer
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