Halloween may have opened the door to the slasher films of the ’80s, but it was Friday the 13th that set the table upon which these ripoff films would feast. It took some time for the franchise to find its voice, and when it did it devolved into self parody over the span of only a few movies. There is a sweet spot in the series, and it is noticeable.
Here, now, is the definitive ranking of the Friday the 13th franchise, scrutinized and analyzed and… who am I kidding, I just watched these things and ranked them based on what I liked. And along the way, I added a few tidbits of information where it was warranted. Enjoy… or get mad. It’s up to you.
1Jason Lives: Friday the 13th, Part VI (1986)
Tommy Jarvis is back… well, the character is back, and he’s played by the third different actor (Thom Mathews) in as many sequels and years. Turns out John Shepherd, who played Tommy in A New Beginning, was a born-again Christian so he decided to pass on this one. Now, this dreamy 20-something Tommy accidentally revives Jason in his grave after a bolt of lightning hits the spear sticking out of his chest. This gives Jason some amped up super powers, and he stalks through the best entry in the franchise to this point.
Everything about Part VI is an improvement on the previous films. Jason is wreaking havoc from the get go, the kills are more creative and comedic, and production values are a notch better – which makes sense, given the budget was $3 million compared to an average of $1.5 million for the others. There’s also a few cool cameos, like Tony Goldwyn as an early victim and Ron Palilo as Tommy’s ill-fated friend in the opening scene. Having Horshack from Welcome Back, Kotter was probably a bigger deal in 1986, but I digress…
Part VI is a marked improvement in the franchise, a high point. Director Tom McLoughlin would never be confused with a great director, but his dedication to the more silly aspects of this series pay off here and make him look like John Ford in comparison.
