Forty years ago, the sixth Friday the 13th film did something no one expected. It made audiences laugh with Jason, not just scream at him. And in 2026, with three Friday the 13ths on the calendar and a brand new prequel series on the way, this wildly fun entry has never felt more alive.
Tom McLoughlin Turned a Tired Franchise Into a Dark Comedy
By 1986, the Friday the 13th series was in serious trouble. 1The previous film, Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, had disappointed fans and received some of the worst reviews of any film in the series. The infamous “fake Jason” twist felt like a betrayal. Fans were angry, and Paramount needed a fix.
1 Producer Frank Mancuso Jr. hired Tom McLoughlin, who had directed the successful horror film One Dark Night but was also known around Hollywood for shopping around various comedy scripts he had written. That mix of horror chops and comedic instincts was exactly what the franchise needed.
McLoughlin was given one rule: bring Jason back. Everything else was up to him.
1 McLoughlin decided to take the film in the direction of an old Universal Monsters movie, specifically the 1931 version of Frankenstein, which portrayed Frankenstein’s Monster as a lumbering killer brought to life by electricity. He blended that Gothic sensibility with sharp, knowing humor. The result? A slasher movie that winked at the audience without ever insulting them.
In a recent interview with Scream Magazine marking the film’s 40th anniversary, McLoughlin reflected on his approach. 26He said his dad took him to the movies to see “Dr. No” as a kid, so the Bond influence was strong. He opted for an “irreverent, dark humour which incidentally turned into meta.”
Friday the 13th Part VI Jason Lives 40th anniversary slasher legacy
A Bolt of Lightning and the Birth of Zombie Jason
The plot itself is beautifully simple. 4Tommy Jarvis, played by Thom Mathews, escapes from a mental hospital and heads to the graveyard where Jason is buried, intending to dig up the body and cremate it. But a freak electrical accident resurrects Jason from the dead, and the terror begins anew.
This was a turning point for the franchise. 14Jason Lives is often cited as a turning point in the series, introducing a supernatural element to Jason’s character that would define future installments.
Before this film, Jason was just a man. After it, he became something far more frightening: an unstoppable, undead force.
Key Facts About Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
- Released: August 1, 1986
- Budget: $3 million
- Box Office: $19.5 million (U.S.)
- Director/Writer: Tom McLoughlin
- Stars: Thom Mathews, Jennifer Cooke, David Kagen, C.J. Graham
- Distinction: 5The only Friday the 13th film to feature no nudity
- Legacy: 1The first and only film in the series to receive generally positive reviews from critics
Self-Aware Horror Before Scream Made It Cool
Here is what truly makes Jason Lives special. A full decade before Wes Craven’s Scream redefined the genre, McLoughlin’s film was already playing the same game.
1 McLoughlin incorporated action film elements and postmodern metahumor. When Jason is first encountered in the woods, the character Lizbeth Mott comments that she and her companion should flee because she knows about proper conduct to survive a horror film.
There is even a gravedigger who literally breaks the fourth wall. 1Martin the gravedigger comments on Jason’s exhumation, asking “Why’d they have to go and dig up Jason?” before addressing the camera directly with the observation, “Some folks sure got a strange idea of entertainment.”
Kevin Williamson, the writer of Scream, later confirmed the connection himself. 32Years after the release of the film, Williamson told director Tom McLoughlin that the movie had a huge influence on him growing up and helped inspire him to write his meta slasher film Scream.
1 In the years since its release, the film’s self-referential humor and numerous instances of breaking the fourth wall have been praised for prefiguring Kevin Williamson’s Scream film series. That alone makes Jason Lives one of the most historically important horror sequels ever made.
Performances That Surprised Everyone
Let’s be honest. Nobody walks into a Friday the 13th film expecting great acting. But Jason Lives genuinely delivers.
1 Thom Mathews, who took over the role of Tommy Jarvis, was chosen for his work in the horror comedy Return of the Living Dead. He brings a real intensity to the role. His Tommy is not just running from danger. He is charging toward it with everything he has. 1 McLoughlin chose Jennifer Cooke for the role of Megan Garris based on her performance in the television series V. She is plucky, smart and tough. Together, Mathews and Cooke form one of the most likable pairs in slasher history. 26 McLoughlin recalled that when Mathews and Cooke read together, they captured the “30’s-40’s wise-guy humour” he had written, and “they both just seemed to nail that.”
Even the supporting cast shines. 1The role of Allen Hawes was given to television veteran Ron Palillo, famous for playing Arnold Horshack on Welcome Back, Kotter. And in a piece of trivia that always surprises people, 1Jason Lives marked Tony Goldwyn’s film debut.
2026 Is the Year of Jason Voorhees
This is a banner year for Friday the 13th fans, and there is no better time to revisit Jason Lives.
17 Because the year 2026 started on a Thursday, February, March and November all have Friday the 13ths. Three in one year is the maximum possible. 35 Not only is A24’s prequel series Crystal Lake coming, but Regal is celebrating with screenings of five installments in the Friday the 13th franchise across the three horror holidays.
Here is the Regal screening schedule for 2026:
| Date | Films |
|---|---|
| February 13 | Friday the 13th (1980) + Part 2 (1981) |
| March 13 | Part 3 in 3-D (1982) + The Final Chapter (1984) |
| November 13 | Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) |
2 Friday the 13th: A New Beginning is purposefully missing from the rerelease schedule, as Regal axed the fifth chapter due to the “fake Jason” plot twist generally disliked by fans.
The big screen return of Jason Lives on November 13 will be the crown jewel of the entire lineup. 35Regal also teases “something big planned to elevate the horror moviegoing experience on the final (un)lucky day in November.”
Meanwhile, 19Crystal Lake is the highly anticipated upcoming TV series serving as a prequel to the Friday the 13th franchise. Produced by A24 and streaming exclusively on Peacock, it dives into the origins of the infamous Camp Crystal Lake, focusing on Pamela Voorhees, played by Linda Cardellini. 19Filming wrapped in late 2025 in New Jersey, and the series is set to premiere sometime in 2026 on Peacock.
There was a time when Friday the 13th Part VI was dismissed as just another sequel in a franchise that Hollywood loved to mock. Four decades later, it stands tall as the entry that proved slasher movies could be smart, funny and scary all at once. It gave fans a thank you when most studios would have given them the same tired formula. In a year where Jason Voorhees is returning to both the big screen and streaming, this scrappy, self-aware gem from 1986 deserves its moment in the spotlight all over again. If you have never seen it, now is the time. And if you have, you already know why it still hits different on a dark Friday night.
Drop your thoughts in the comments below. Which Friday the 13th film is your all-time favorite?
