by Brett Hardel

Created on: March 08, 2009   Last Updated: March 09, 2009

After the dismal reception to "Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning" - not to mention the negative fan response of having a copycat step in for Jason Voorhees - Paramount Pictures decided to rise Jason from the dead for the next entry in the series. Tommy Jarvis (Thom Mathews) is still tormented by hallucinations of deranged killer Jason Voorhees, whom he killed as a child years before. Accompanied by friend Allen Hawes (Ron Palillo) Tommy descends on the cemetery where Jason is buried intending to exhume and destroy his corpse, hoping this will stop his terrifying visions. After a bolt of lightning strikes a metal fencepost Tommy has driven through Jason's body, Jason resuscitates and kills Hawes while Tommy makes a beeline for the sheriff. Sheriff Garris (David Kagen) is none too appreciative of the fanciful story, reminding Tommy about how Crystal Lake is now renamed "Forest Green", as the locals want to leave the Jason Voorhees nightmare behind them. After a desperate Tommy grabs for a rifle, Garris locks him up for the night. Meanwhile, Garris' daughter Megan (Jennifer Cooke) and several friends are planning to re-open the original Camp Crystal Lake and drop by the station in the morning to advise the sheriff that two counselors due to arrive are missing. Megan takes a shine to Tommy; he warns her Jason may be responsible for the missing counselors. Sheriff Garris runs Tommy to the city limits after they visit Jason's grave, now covered over by the drunken caretaker who believed it was an incident of vandalism. Soon after, bodies are discovered and Garris believes Tommy is responsible. While ducking the sheriff, Tommy meets up with Megan who agrees to help him stop Jason, and the two of them head for Camp Crystal Lake, but are they too late?

Filmed in Covington, Georgia, and released on August 1, 1986, the film grossed $19,400,000 on a budget of $3,000,000 and was more enthusiastically received by fans than it's predecessor. Fans were glad to have Jason back, and some mainstream critics took notice of the slick new look given to the series from director Tom McLoughlin, as well as some black comedic bits and one-liners. Three songs were contributed by Alice Cooper, including "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)" which was distributed to fans as a 45 single on opening day. There was a 1986 novelization by Simon Hawke, which at present is out of print. The novel includes a scene that was actually shot, but not used, of Jason's father, Elias, visiting Jason's grave. Death scenes trimmed for content can be found uncut on the extra features disc of the box set "Friday the 13th - From Crystal Lake to Manhattan."

Learn more about this author, Brett Hardel.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.