Starring:Thom Matthews, Jennifer Cooke, David Kagen, Kerry Noonan, Renee Jones, C.J. Graham, Darcy DeMoss.
Director: Tom McLoughlin.
So, Jason Lives. The "funny" one. No, really, it actually is kinda funny. Writer/Director Tom McLoughlin fills the whole thing with bits of offbeat humor and tongue-in-cheek, self-aware laughs that range from being genuinely funny to eye-rollingly dumb. Lots of references, too.
Tommy Jarvis returns one more time, this time played by horror-comedy star Thom Matthews, now seemingly mostly sane and put together. His plan of unearthing Jason so that he can destroy the body and "stop his hallucinations" is probably the only real tip-off that Tommy isn't entirely well. Of course, the plan actually causes Jason's return via a Frankenstein-esque lightning strike. Funnily enough, Tommy doesn't tell anybody that when he's trying to warn them about the undead force-of-nature that's hacking his way across the region. Way to take responsibility, Tommy.
The credits sequence opens with a James Bond reference, which is cute. Tommy fails horror hero 101 by running into the Sheriff Station howling about the resurrection of a dead killer to a pair of very-unamused (and VERY aggressive...almost absurdly so) law enforcement officers. Then he runs and grabs a shotgun without asking. There's some nice, subtle world building happening, though: The Sheriff mentions that the town changed it's name to "Camp Forest Green" in hopes of erasing the horrible historic narrative the region has attached to it.
The first real death sequence is actually pretty good and oddly logical in some ways. The head counselors are driving along when they run into Jason. The Girlfriend says "I've seen enough horror movies to know a man in a mask is never friendly" and attempts to leave. The Boyfriend is dumb and suggests playing chicken and, when that doesn't work, attempting to brandish a handgun. It's a cute scene with some cute dialogue (The Girlfriend actually has some pretty nice lines- "We're gonna scare him?!" "You ain't Dirty Harry, so stop it!" Really, if he had listened to her, they might have been okay.)
Paintball sequence is...paintball sequence. There is at least some funny dialogue here and there-a nerdy exec says "Death is my business" unironically, and it's wonderful-and some nice feminism (the female exec is clearly winning the game, and the anti-female rants of her "victims" come off as silly and like sour grapes). The nerdy Woody Allen guy is annoying, but he was about to win(until Jason shows up), which is cute. That seems to be the name of the game here: Cute.
"Hit the noise and the cherries!" The Cops are beginning to be my favorite thing about this film. They are so strangely over-the-top for a pair of small town cops. Kinda makes sense, though: one would assume a pair of bored hicks would probably overcompensate with some tough talk. "Wherever the red dot goes, You're Bang."
The Gravedigger is a nice reference to Macbeth. I think. He seems to be a lot like the Night Porter, as well as the, well, gravedigger in Hamlet. I might be giving it more credit than it deserves, but considering how many references this film presents, as well as those offbeat gags, it's clear that McLoughlin is big on popular culture.
Two of the girls discuss playing a card game called "Camp Blood" that has a lot in common with the old, impossible-to-beat, NES game. Remember that game? It was so friggin' hard. Cort, clad in extremely holey jeans, is having sex with a girl who I thought was supposed to be an older woman(he would be her boy-toy), but apparently she's actually his age. Anyway, her hair is pretty extraordinary. She does some pretty solid physical comedy as Cort puts the camper in gear and drives around. The camper sequence is actually pretty good: it ends with a wonderful shot of Jason standing atop the flaming wreckage.
I will say that the chase scene, where Megan forces Tommy's head into her crotch(smirking and saying "That's what I want") as she attempts daring turns to outrun the police. It ends with a nicely delivered "Oh, shit" when Tommy picks his head up out of her crotch to see the Sheriff(who is her dad) pointing a shotgun at him. It's a fun scene.
Call back to "Wherever the red dot goes, you're bang." That oughta be a bumper sticker.
While it would be Kane Hodder who ultimately makes the "no kids, no animals" decision for Jason as a character, it is notable that Jason doesn't kill the kids in their cabins despite absolute opportunity. It's hard to say whether or not he was GOING to, though, considering he is looming over a childs bed before the police show up...and Jason just kills all of them.
While Tommy's plan is pretty sound: trap Jason underwater with chains so that he can't hurt anyone else. The fire just seems to add more danger to Tommy himself than Jason, though, I question that decision. Also, of all the insults you can think of...Maggot head? Really? I mean, sure, he adds Asshole and Pussy but...Maggot head. Really, Tommy.
Final Thoughts: It's probably the cutest installment of the series. It's not the best, but the comedy element does add something to the mostly by-the-numbers entries that were the series hallmark. Thom Matthews and Jennifer Cooke are charming enough leads-at the very least we get a sense of personality from them-and there's some cute dialogue. The sheriff is a fun character, too, and I'm always glad to see a normal human get a few shots off on supernatural opponents.
Final Rating: Three Stars.
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