The best Friday the 13th film in the franchise is officially hitting its 40th anniversary this year, and it’s still the greatest all these years later. Decades after the original Friday the 13th first premiered, there is still constant debate over which of the 12 films is the best, with most claiming The Final Chapter holds the crown. However, it doesn’t hold a candle to the sixth film in the series.

Celebrating its 40th anniversary, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives is easily the best film in the franchise. It not only revitalized the series by bringing Jason back from the dead for the first time, but it also set the stage for what the it would become.

Jason Lives Saw The Birth Of Jason’s Most Iconic Form

The Beginning Of Zombie Jason

One of the greatest aspects of Jason Lives is how it redefined Jason as the franchise’s slasher. Parts 2 through 4 featured Jason as a man hunting down counselors with immense strength. Once he was finally killed in The Final Chapter, the series ultimately stuck to him being dead when A New Beginning released the following year.

This all changed with Jason Lives. The film is rooted in Frankenstein imagery as Tommy Jarvis, the Jason survivor that originally killed him, brings him back to life via lightning. From this point forward, Jason becomes a ruthless zombie, and the introduction of this version of the character is undoubtedly the best.

Actor C.J. Graham brilliantly shows just how ruthless Jason can be thanks to his performance as the slasher. He’s capable of ripping arms off, pushing faces through walls and snapping people in half with ease. Bullets can’t stop him, and even the boat propellor that supposedly “kills” him at the end doesn’t work. He is unstoppable.

Jason Lives Actually Adds Stakes With A Full Campsite

Camp Crystal Lake Is Open For Business

The most common element throughout the Friday the 13th franchise is that the camp is never fully open by the time Jason and his mother show up. The Final Chapter included young Tommy Jarvis to up the stakes, but audiences never truly got to see just how dangerous the campground could be.

Jason Lives changes things by being the first and only film in the franchise to see kids arriving for the summer. The moment the audience sees a bus pull up in the window and dozens of kids pouring out, they know this will be different than other films.

There are scenes where the kids notice Jason and try to warn the counselors to no avail. In fact, one of the most harrowing sequences features Jason staring down a young girl as she recites The Lord’s Prayer in terror, hoping for him to go away. It’s a risky choice for this film to put young people in danger of Jason’s wrath, but it’s a decision that pays off tremendously.

Part VI’s Humor Makes It Stand Out From Other Friday The 13th Films

The Funniest Friday The 13th

The biggest reason why this film works as a whole is its sense of humor. The Friday the 13th franchise is no stranger to having some lighter moments to break up the tension. However, Jason Lives goes all-in on comedy to give it its own voice.

While the film never truly abandons its horror roots, director Tom McLoughlin’s choice to put the spotlight on the franchise’s absurdity is perfect. There are amazing one-liners, humorous cuts in editing, and silly characters established just to be killed off. This film is laugh-out-loud funny, and that gives it a great sense of identity.

There’s simply no film in the franchise like Jason Lives. It features the rebirth of a horror icon as he finally becomes the slasher people know him as today. It also has some of the biggest stakes and best laughs. Friday the 13th Part VI is easily the best film in the entire franchise, and after 40 years, it ultimately saved the franchise by breathing new life into the series.

Movie(s)

Friday the 13th (1980), Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981), Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982), Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984), Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985), Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives, Friday the 13th Part 7: The New Blood, Friday the 13th Part 8: Jason Takes Manhattan, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993), Jason X (2001), Freddy vs. Jason (2003), Friday the 13th

First Film

Friday the 13th (1980)

First TV Show

Friday the 13th: The Series (1987)

Latest TV Show

Friday the 13th: The Series (1987)

Upcoming TV Shows

Crystal Lake