How Jason Lives became 'bottom tier' sequel in Friday the 13th horror franchise
How Jason Lives became 'bottom tier' sequel in Friday the 13th horror franchise
JORGE SOLISSat, November 14, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTC
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Jason Voorhees' iconic hockey mask (Image: Jason Voorhees)
Friday the 13th: Jason Lives turned the human slasher into an unstoppable supernatural killing machine.
Hollywood released a slew of Friday the 13th sequels over three years, culminating in Jason Lives in August 1986. In the continuity, slasher Jason Voorhees discovered he had a nemesis in Tommy Jarvis, a young makeup enthusiast. Jason Lives steered the horror franchise in a whole new direction when Jason was given supernatural strength. The series also adopted a self-aware tone with comedic kill scenes.
In 1984, Tommy Jarvis (Corey Feldman) first met the slasher in the fourth installment, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. However, in 1985, Tommy (John Shepherd) is now older and traumatized by the events from his childhood, believing he was losing his mind in the mental asylum and turning into Jason in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning.
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Jason Lives takes place on November 13, when Tommy (Thom Mathews) returns and visits Jason's grave to make sure his arch-enemy is dead. After grabbing an iron pole, Tommy drives it through Jason's corpse. After lightning (which happens with no explanation) strikes the pole, Jason's is resurrected by the surge of electricity.
Tommy has to stop Jason's brutal but comedic killings, including a group of corporate executives wearing tactical gear, and put him back in his watery grave.
The poster for Friday the 13th: Jason Lives (Image: Paramount Pictures)
On March 26, writer/director Tom McLoughlin discussed the 40th anniversary of his movie, revealing why he decided to turn the hockey-wearing slasher into a supernatural entity.
"The collective word was that 'Hey, we really f----- up Part V and that it wasn't really Jason, and the thought was, 'Was Tommy Jarvis going to be the next Jason?' McLoughlin told Scream Horror Magazine. "Normally they'd want to wait two years before putting anything new out there, but they rushed it after only one year and wanted Jason to be brought back, so I thought, 'Well, that's simple - with a lightning bolt, what else?' They said, 'Whatever you want to do.'"
McLoughlin continued, "I had absolutely no interference with the creative direction, and it was really like the movie that I wanted to make. When I watched all the others, Part IV was the one that jumped out at me, and that one was the most thought-out and professional out of all of them, knowing that Joe Zito wanted to make the best movie that he could.
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"I went a completely different direction that I thought was going to explode in my face," he finished.
Critics took to Reddit to slam the meta-style tone and the supernatural elements of the horror flick.
One person said, "EXCESSIVE camp and cheese (by far the cheesiest of them all). It doesn't have a serious tone at all, tons of comedic moments, and it just doesn't feel like a F13 movie. Characters are unlikeable, the kills are not graphic, and Jason is just not scary or menacing."
Another individual wrote, "Jason Lives is the most 'pizza horror' of the series. It really comes down to whether or not you like that vibe."
A third wrote, "Bottom tier definitely. From Part 6, it begins to switch to just rooting for Jason, who isn't as scary since they show him too much, undercut the scariness with humor, and had to neuter most of the violence."
Despite the criticism, Jason Lives still has a supporter who shared, "It's my favorite in the franchise specifically for its campy nature, and the Frankenstein vibes."
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
