By  Professor A. Griffin 

The same dream. Always the same. Tommy rushing down the stairs, hearing his sister’s screams, his head cool from the newly exposed scalp, descending and catching sight of Trish struggling and fighting like a hellcat under a dark shape. It must be him. It must be him. Mouth full of cotton, hard to speak, must form the word…must get his attention…. he’s killing her, killing Trish! 

“JASON!”

Oh God, he heard! He’s standing up. He’s still growing, bigger, and bigger…why doesn’t he stop? God…he’s a giant. His eyes…looking at him. “Jason…Remember Jason?” He’s coming closer. Reaching out. Tommy can smell the metallic smell of blood all over him. . He’s closer now. Too close. Suddenly Jason whirls around, and from behind Tommy can see the straps of his mask come undone and fly away. The mask arches in the sky and falls to the ground. Trish had tried to attack him from behind with the machete, but only succeeded in cutting off the hockey goalie mask. Tommy sees just the side of Jason’s exposed face before the monster turns to face Trish again. Trish screams uncontrollably -a sound that betrays the horror that she must see before her and Tommy hears the sound of the machete dropping out of her hand. He’s going to kill Trish! Tommy jumps down, grabs the machete and swings with all his might just as Jason whirls around again. It feels like cutting into hard clay. Only Jason’s scream of pain betrays his mortal agony. In those last moments, Tommy sees the face fully…the face that haunts him. The face that will never leave him alone. Why did this happen to him? He was a normal kid with a Mom and a great sister. Why did this happen? Tommy cannot think any more; he can only see flashes, feel the handle of the machete in his hand, and his own voice growing louder and louder like thunder…. 

He wakes up. 

Jason Voorhees dies at the end of Friday the 13^th Part 4: The Final Chapter. His head is brutally split on the left side with a machete and his body hacked in various places. Paramount must’ve realized their mistake while counting the receipts from part 4.  

“Wait a minute? Who’s gonna be the killer in part 5?”

Answer: an ambulance driver named Roy Burns (Dick Wieand).  

Tommy’s having violent thoughts and is a potential danger to himself and others. That’s why it comes as no surprise when one of the troubled teens at the camp is brutally hacked to pieces with an axe! What is a surprise is that Jarvis had nothing to do with it. The boy, Joey, (Dominick Brascia) is killed by another of the troubled kids. The problem is, Joey’s father (Roy Burns) is a tad bit off his rocker like his son, and takes it upon himself to don a reasonable facsimile of Jason’s look (he wears blue Michael Myers- style mechanics cover-alls and his hockey mask has blue arrows not red like the real Jason) and proceeds to murder the rest of the ‘troubled’ kids. It’s a nice return to the motivation of the original film, substituting a father’s bloodlust for a mother’s crazed revenge.

I recall leaving the theatre along with other loyal Friday the 13^th fans after watching Part V: A New Beginning. We all had the same confused look on our faces and an overwhelming feeling of “huh?”. The film itself is actually well made, with brutal deaths and some good creepy scares, but something was missing. Yeah. It was the J-Man. At the time that Freddy Kruger (Jason’s arch rival) was ruling at the box office with A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, Paramount made the mistake of pissing off loyal fans with this pseudo-Jason. 

In the end, Roy is impaled on spikes and Tommy is even crazier. It seemed that the next film was going to be Tommy’s first all out psycho-slash fest. It seemed that the Friday the 13^th series would feature a killer named Tommy Jarvis from now on. It seemed that the series was going to live up to the promise of A New Beginning, and it was gonna suck. It seemed hopeless. 

But something wonderful happened. Storm clouds gathered around a grave and a bolt of lightning was about to give horror fans the return of the great one. Stand back Freddy, look out Leatherface, step aside Pinhead, he’s back. JASON LIVES. 

The return of the Sultan of Slaughter was heralded by a collectable give-away 45 record (I still have mine) that featured the one and only Alice Cooper crooning a catchy little ditty called: He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask) The song itself has such hilarious lyrics and randomness that it deserves repeating here in full.  

There was a slight problem; this was not our old friend Jason of the past. This was a different Jason, a different time. There was cleanliness to this movie that no amount of fake blood could mask. You could sense the restrictions. You could see the cuts (and not the good kind) on the screen. The return of Jason Voorhees came at a time when the MPAA was REALLY going after horror and the bare bones minimum is what made it to the screen. Still the filmmakers had some fun with the concept and added some nice elements. 

Tommy Jarvis is back as well, (played now by Thom Matthews from Return of the Living Dead) and ironically enough, the guy who put Jason in the ground, is the one to bring him back to life.  

  “Jason belongs in hell, and I’m going to see that he gets there!” says Tommy. It’s really the ultimate kind of therapy. Dig up the body of the man that’s haunting you, see it, confirm in your mind that he’s dead, and then destroy it utterly.

When Tommy opens the decrepit, cheap casket that Jason was tossed into, we see Jason again for the first time since 1984, and he doesn’t look good. The body of Jason Voorhees lies in the casket, twisted in a grotesque position, covered in maggots, and still sporting all the battle scars and wounds that we remember. Just in case you don’t however… 

Yes, our boy is a mess.  

Tommy Jarvis, upon seeing the rotting corpse, hears Corey Feldman’s voice screaming, “ DIE! DIE! DIE!” again, and goes ballistic. Ripping a long metal pole off of a fence in the graveyard, he leaps in the grave and stabs the body repeatedly, jostling the body and tossing maggots everywhere. After Tommy calms down, he prepares for Jason’s conflagration, LEAVING THE METAL POLE IN THE BODY!!! Well, that was a mistake, for this is a Friday the 13^th movie, and storm clouds are always a brewing. Lightning strikes the pole, filling the grave with an electric neon glow, and JASON’S GOOD EYE POPS OPEN!!! 

Jason (C. J. Graham this time) rises, as Tommy (amazingly keeping a grip on his sanity) watches in stunned horror as Jason punches Allen’s heart from his chest, drops his body face down into his casket, and turns to him. Tommy, losing control, (this is literally his nightmare come true) quickly doses him with the gas, and lights a match…but then the downpour begins. Jason stands in the rain (in a very poetic re-birth/baptism into the rain filled night once again as the maggots wash off him) facing the man who put him into the grave. Tommy runs screaming in terror.

Jason very calmly reaches for something recognizable, his hockey mask, and puts it on over his rotting face. He then puts on the yellow leather workman’s gloves that Tommy also left behind and grabs the sharp, melted, metal pole that gave him life, then whirls around to face the audience. The camera jumps zooms into a close up of Jason’s good eye… and then the film becomes a parody.

We are treated to a rather hilarious, but nevertheless out of place, James Bond (!) spoof as Jason does a calm, cool walk across the screen and then turns quickly to whack his victim (us?) with a machete filling the screen with blood and the title sequence. This was the first sign that something was wrong. After that very atmospheric (albeit improbable) opening sequence bringing Jason back to life, director and screenwriter Tom McLoughlin, decide to fill the film with self-referential humor. This is LONG before Kevin Smith made these kinds of parodies fashionable. Horror fans wanting to see Jason return at his goriest were disappointed BUT the film is highly entertaining, and very nostalgic.

I personally enjoyed this film greatly, even though I missed the blood and gore of the originals. It seemed like Jason LITE with a minimum of on-screen butchery, nudity, and a haunted house blue-light slickness that was a far cry from the black, grainy, deep woods horror that Jason elicited once upon a time. Regardless of the lack of familiar elements, this film is a lot of fun, and best of all, Jason Voorhees is back!! 

Jason can now officially be classified as ‘UNDEAD’.

 

Interesting to note, in his entire movie career up until this point, no one has ever shot Jason with a gun. If they had, the series wouldn’t have gone on as long as it did. However, in this film, the undead Jason is shot 8 times in the chest with a revolver, 3 times in chest with shotgun, and one time in the head with a revolver. Too little, too late guys. 

There must still be some thought process going on inside Jason’s brain, because he instinctively goes back to Camp Crystal Lake (“No matter what you call it, it’s still Camp Crystal lake to him!”) and begins murdering the seemingly endless hordes of people wandering in HIS woods.  

Meanwhile, at local Camp Forrest Green, a group of sex-crazed councilors are trying to deal with the real horror of a summer camp… kids. That’s right, for the first time in ANY Friday the 13^th movie; children are actually present at the camp. This makes for some interesting moments as the undead Jason becomes fascinated with the children and regularly pays them midnight visits to stand and stare at them. Does Jason still have the child-like memories of his days at summer camp? Is he fighting the urge to kill, just wanting to play and have fun? It’s interesting, but definitely there. Jason even bends over a little girl’s bunk to stare at her intensely (as the poor child prays like she’s never prayed before to make the monster go away). Jason does not hurt children. Ah, your wondering, what about young Tommy Jarvis? Jason did try to grab him a few times in Part 4, what was he going to do with him? I personally don’t think Jason would have killed Tommy as a child, but as he’s an adult in Part VI, all bets are off. 

This new child-friendly Jason is off set by a return to the murderous, take no prisoners Sultan of Slaughter that we remember. Up to this point, Jason’s body count is 35, but with Allen Hawes’ murder, the count is up to 36 and away we go!   

In this film, he pushes a victim’s head through the metal of a camper, rips off arms, snaps Sheriff Garrett (David Kagen) in two like a twig and in one of the most chuckle-inducing deaths, rips off Sissy’s (Renee Jones) head with his bare hands and (if the off screen sound effect was any indication) punts it like a football!

Tommy Jarvis, meanwhile has a pathetic plan, to destroy the evil living dead Jason that he brought to life, he must return him to the place where he originally died. Ok, that would be the Jarvis’ living room from Pt. 4. No, Tommy theorizes, it’s Crystal Lake where Jason drowned as a boy! Now, just a minute here. Is this film trying to tell us that Jason has been undead since part 2? I’m not buying it, and neither is anyone else. Most likely, Tommy is a little confused and very wrong. Nevertheless, Tommy sets his plan in action and plans to chain Jason to a rock and drop him to the bottom of Crystal Lake. It won’t destroy him to be sure, but it should contain him.

There are a lot of high points to Friday the 13^th Part 6: Jason Lives. The Alice Cooper music, Jason’s hilarious encounter with a group of paint ball war gamers, and his subtle message to Martin the caretaker (Bob Larkin), NO LITTERING IN MY WOODS. I also really like the shot of the rock that Jason is eventually chained to, falling to the bottom of Crystal Lake. The rock lands on an ancient yellow sign for Camp Crystal Lake, over which a vandal has spray painted BLOOD in red. A nice touch. 

In the climatic battle, Tommy’s silly little plan fails and it’s up to Sheriff Garrett’s now orphan daughter, and Tommy’s love interest, Megan (Jennifer Cooke) to save him with a well turned motor boat propeller blade into Jason’s neck. The blade takes a chunk out of Jason’s mask as well as his throat, and Jason floats quietly, chained to the bottom of Crystal Lake, like a permanent undertow.

My first job I ever had in my life was at a movie theatre. The building that housed this theatre, the Eastway Cinema 4, is still there to this day but abandoned long ago. It was this same local Cineplex (later Cinemark) theatre that I saw every Friday the 13^th from part 3 on. At the time of Jason Lives, I was a manager at the Eastway and planned a great promotional gimmick ala William Castle to celebrate the Sultan of Slaughter’s return.

(Hey, I was a horror fanatic in charge of his very own movie theatre; of course I was going to do SOMETHING!)

I dressed up a very large body builder friend of mine as Jason Voorhees, bald rotting head and all, and had him make appearances in the darkness of the theatre at the beginning of the film. It always got screams and cheers as he appeared. It was a great feeling. We staged similar promotions for A Nightmare on Elm Street, Return of the Living Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Aliens, and even Darkman. We did an even more elaborate Jason costume for his next appearance in 1988. Friday the 13^th part VII: The New Blood. 

Friday The 13^th part VII: The New Blood: John Carl Buechler, the special effects artist who created the effects for Troll, Ghoulies, and the very entertaining Deathstalker, is handed the directing reigns in the next chapter of the Friday the 13^th saga, Friday The 13^th part VII: The New Blood.  

Nothing at all. 

Tina’s psychic abilities accidentally awaken Jason from his dormant state and release him from his watery prison as she irrationally tries to raise her father from the dead. Well, no, it doesn’t make much sense, and because of it, the film takes on a science-fiction angle that doesn’t quite fit. Still, things pick up very fast after Jason rises from the lake, and boy, is he pissed!  

The influence of special effects artist Buechler is seen mostly in the new ‘look’ of the undead Jason Voorhees.

Spending several years chained to rock at the bottom of Crystal Lake has done nothing for his appearance. Any resemblance between this monster and the bald, hermit-like, man-child from the past stops at the hockey mask. Buechler’s Jason is all power and supernatural rage with rib cage heaving, exposed mandible gnashing, and moldy green-gray skin dripping with rot… his appearance is amazing!

Still sporting the chain around his neck and his clothes in tatters, this undead beast is beyond reasoning. He rises from the lake and resumes his old habit of brutally murdering anyone who happens to cross his path. There is no reasoning with him, no talking to him, no hope if you encounter him. He sees you and immediately kills you. End of story.  

Meanwhile, speaking of story, Tina’s therapy is interrupted by several distractions, some engineered by the scheming Dr. Crews and others from the handsome Nick who has rented the cabin next door with some friends for a party. Sound familiar? 

Jason Voorhees begins wasting the partygoers in classic fashion. The deaths are gruesome but once again, not graphically depicted. As awesome as Jason looks, it seems that the MPAA has snipped off his old cajones. Still there are some memorable deaths. When the bitchy, stuck up rich girl Melissa gets an axe imbedded in her skull and tossed across the room like a rag doll, although bloodless, it’s brutal fast and shocking. Finally, when Jason has disposed of all the other ‘naughty children’ just as his mommy would have done, he is faced with a very different adversary. Tina. 

The battle between Tina and Jason is well worth the wait. Tina drops porches on him, binds him with roots from the earth, electrocutes him (bad mistake as this probably only powered him up again…remember his resurrection?), fires nails at him, hangs him with wire, drops him three stories into a cellar, rips his mask in two, doses him with gasoline and sets him on fire!!! Jason gets the tar beat outta him! It’s fabulous to watch Jason’s expressions in dealing with Tina, both before and after his unmasking. His head tilts to one side and he stares at her for long periods of time trying to figure out how she does these things. When he is unmasked, his massive jaw grinds in aggravation and his one good eye stares with wonderment and frustration at Tina and her amazing powers. It’s a titanic battle and credit for making these scenes really work should go to one man. The man who finally claimed Jason Voorhees as his own, the actor who would forever be identified as The Sultan of Slaughter - Kane Hodder 

Kane Hodder started his career as a stuntman/ stunt coordinator working in films like, House, House II, and The Hills Have Eyes II. His acting credits include obscure listings such as Thug 1, Gorilla, Security guard, and older geek. But in 1988, Kane Hodder was cast as the man, Jason Voorhees. True, playing Jason did nothing for the careers of the previous 4 actors who played him, but at 6’3” tall, Hodder certainly stood above all the rest. (He has joked that at 11 pds, 9 oz. He was the largest baby ever to be born in Auburn, California.

Hodder embraced the role of Jason, going back and working out character motivations and backstory for him. He was determined to make Jason a character and not just a role that any BODY could fill. He gave a lot to his first portrayal of Jason, most of all being, his skin!!

During the fire stunt in the final battle with Tina, Hodder is set on fire completely as Jason. The fire stunt didn’t go as planned and Hodder suffered severe burns on his face and neck. (To this day, he sports the scar tissue) but Hodder holds nothing against Jason, or his work on Friday the 13^th Part VII: The New Blood. For Kane, it is indeed New Blood, or no other actor would ever portray Jason Voorhees again, Kane Hodder had claimed the part.  

At the film’s conclusion, Hodder’s Jason has been through a war with Tina but has once again proven his invulnerability. Jason seems to have the upper hand on poor Tina and is about to deliver the killing blow (knowing how angry he was, probably SEVERAL blows) when Tina’s long dead father, jumps out of the lake, wraps a chain around Jason’s neck and drags him back down under the water! This seemingly ridiculous ending actually makes slight sense as Tina has been trying to raise her father from the beginning but apparently didn’t have the power to do it. In that last moment, as death loomed near, her fear and anger and pain finally accomplished her goal and daddy saved the day. It was still a silly ending, rivaling Friday the 13^th part 3, in 3-D. 

At the theater that I managed, the Jason costume got more elaborate, with a rubber rotting chest piece with exposed ribs, a modified skull mask, shredded clothes, rotting hands, and a near perfect customizing of an actual hockey mask. A patron approached me and offered me $700.00 for my Jason costume. I politely refused. It meant more to me than money; it was a memory I’ll long cherish. Seeing my huge buddy, decked out by me as Jason Voorhees, chest heaving, carrying an axe down the center aisle about to give someone the big scare from behind, makes me smile with pride to this day.

© The Horror Host Underground