Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI , 1986
Welcome back to another installment of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! The boys are entering week 2 of their annual SNMS October Halloween Movie Extravaganza, and serendipitously this Friday just happens to be the 13th... so J. Blake and Dion Baia put their heads together and decided to take on one of the most iconic series’ in the Horror genre. And after close examination, they’ve decided on a film they feel most embodies the spirit of that franchise. So the fellas are chatting about a guy named Jason Voorhees, and more specifically Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, from 1986!
The boys start off by Dion explaining why this series is particularly near and dear to his heart, and his story about his first experience as a child with the Friday the 13th film series in general. They set up this film, Jason Lives, by recapping Part V: The Beginning, and Dion also goes on record to defend that installment, as he and Blake explain why that movie is so important to the fate of Part VI. The guys also lay out all the elements that are introduced in Jason Lives , and how these tropes help set-up the next 6 (or so) films in the series. They get into the history of the character Jason Voorhees, going back to Sean Cummingham‘s original film and sum up the other installments that preceded this one. The lads explain Jason Lives‘ director‘s vision of making this an almost gothic horror film, a kind of homage to the classic Universal and Hammer Horror films of yesteryear. They discuss the trims and extended scenes that were left on the cutting room floor, as well as the reason why there were actually 2 actors appearing as Jason in this Part VI. They also chat about the various book tie-ins that expand on Jason’s backstory, as well as the original ending for Jason Lives that introduced Jason’s father, Elias Voorhees, and why it was ultimately cut. And we also get some insight into the score by way of Blake‘s friend and the film’s composer, Harry Manfredini. So, what is the speculation of how the creators came up with the first name for the character Tommy Jarvis? Who is clearly the real hero in this story? What are the 2 connections this film has to the classic television series Welcome Back, Kotter? And what Jason installment(s) are the boys thinking of turning into a traveling one-man play? Well, make sure you don’t accompany a friend late at night to a spooky cemetery with he/she having the idea to dig up a serial killer (for the obvious fear of accidently reanimating him and inadvertently causing the deaths of scores of other helpless victims), because the boys are laying out a sad, disturbing cautionary tale in this brand new Halloween, Friday the 13th episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!
Extras:
Check out the original teaser trailer for Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI!
Here’s the Alice Cooper music video for his song, He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask)!
Have a look at the original scripted ending, that introduced Jason’s father, Elias Voorhees!
Take a look at all the extended and deleted scenes for Jason Lives!
Here is the Jason Voorhees Sideshow Statue that Dion has in his livingroom.
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The lads start off by reminiscing about their first childhood sleepovers in which they had friends attending; watching certain movies at a young age that they only learn the names of much years later in life; and the old idea from when we were all kids, that if you dig a hole deep enough, you’d make it to China– (remember that old myth?!) Blake and Dion then get down to business, discussing this horror classic. They chat about how the script got off the ground, shooting up in Canada, and how very early on it was decided to make this a horror movie specifically geared toward kids. They get into the occultism phenomenon that swept the country and world in the 1970s and 80s, giving us subgenres of horror films (like this one), music, and even things aimed at children, like Ouija Board‘s that are still mass-produced by companies like Hasbro. The fellas also talk about the excellent Special Effects in the film, particularly the amazing use of Forced Perspective, which really helped sell the Minions’ interaction with the human cast. So, what film did SFX man Randall William Cook screen for the filmmakers to sell them on this ideas for the SFX in The Gate ? How do those Effects hold up today? In what direction does the sequel go? And what’s the story with the film’s costar, Louis Tripp, and his journey from moving to Austrialia and changing his name from “Twelve Twenty“, to now Baph Tripp and releasing music under the name x.a.o.s? Well, make sure you don’t accidently read any dubious LP cover art or crudely dispose of any recently deceased family pets in any bottomless pits in the backyard, cause the guys are back with an all new, Halloween edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!
Dion and Blake jump right in as they remember their first memories of The Karate Kid and how they were originally introduced to the film. Sharing a similar story and a lot of the same themes as another sports classic of director John G. Avildsen‘s, the 1976 movie Rocky, the fellas explore the similitude between both movies. They discuss how amazing the entire cast of this film really was, as well as touch of their own recent interview with actor Martin Kove, who portrays the Cobra Kai dojo sensei John Kreese. They again utilize the novelization to explain some of the story elements that didn’t make the final cut (like Daniel‘s mom was actually sacked and was in fact working as a hostess at that Chinese restaurant they were having lunch at- whaaat?!). Blake and Dion also try and set the table of the era this film was released within, a time when a term like ‘karate‘ became almost as Americanized as ‘pizza‘ was within the cultural lexicon of the 1980s. They also analyze this story and examine why this movie is considered a classic in the annals of sports, beach/summer, and coming-of-age films. And they dissect the disgusting phenomenon of bullying in this film, and the ugly part it sadly plays in so many people’s life’s, both young and old. So how was everyone trained in preparation for this project, and how did that help contribute to each actor’s individual or group performance(s)? Was Chuck Norris really offered the role of Cobra Kai Sensei Kreese? And speaking of Kreese, how great is actor Martin Kove in his role, compared to the relatively short amount of screen time he ultimately has? Well you better do some arm and leg stretches, clean and bleach those Gi’s, and watch out for those notorious Cobra Kai leg-swipes, because here comes another all new exciting edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!
George A. Romero
We are so grateful and love the pic! Thank you so much, and please everyone