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31 Days of Horror Movies - Day 13

 

Unlucky 13! Or in our case, lucky 13! Not only is today a Friday but it also happens to be Friday the 13th... in October! The amount of excitement at that sentence cannot be overstated, as this day on this month feels perfect, it just feels right! So without any further ado, there's only one movie we can choose for today and it is...

Day 13 - The Eras Tour

.............

Totally kidding.


Day 13 - Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives

We have all seen the original Sean S. Cunningham film and its great sequences, including its all timer ending, but for today I wanted to spotlight an entry that maybe doesn't get as discussed as Parts 1 - 4 and that is Part VI. Written and directed by Tom McLoughlin, Friday the 13th Part VI pulls a 180 and pushes the franchise completely into the realm of the supernatural complete with an imposing and frightening undead Jason. While the Friday franchise has been one to introduce comedic relief characters and funny moments, Part VI is the one that fully becomes a horror/comedy, to the point of it having meta humor and a delightful self-awareness. You might even want to thank McLoughlin for this decision because it is one that influences Kevin Williamson to add more of the comedy into his script for a little slasher groundbreaker known as Scream. Part VI feels like a complete package when it comes to the franchise as it has all of the staples of the previous films while adding a touch of fun to them, including car chases, beautiful moonlight sequences that give Camp Crystal Lake a visually poetic look, and characters that you actually care about and want for them to survive. The final entry in the Tommy Jarvis Trilogy (which is comprised of Parts IV, V, and VI), Jason Lives also feels the most like a classic Universal Monsters movie just with Jason Voorhees. Here Jason, played perfectly by C.J. Graham, is a towering presence of fear that is slow, methodical, and brutal to his victims. McLoughlin makes sure to frame him, especially the shots when he's in the shadows, with a sense of importance that bring to mind the way James Whale would shoot his Universal Monsters. It also doesn't hurt that the cast is great and the Harry Manfredini score is a great compliment to the film - big, brassy, and filled with ominous synths and loud horns. While Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (that would be 4, even though they made more than 6 movies after that) still remains the quintessential Friday movie with its creative kills and amazing practical effects by the legendary Tom Savini, it is Jason Lives that deconstructs the whole thing with an entry that is entertaining, hilarious, and scary. A perfect watch for spooky season that delivers on all fronts. Plus, its the only entry where the camp is actually running as an organization - the presence of undead Jason stalking children somehow makes him even more terrifying. 


*All of the recommendations that we make can be found at the El Paso Public Library Catalog!

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