Book #43: Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives

 

Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives

Simon Hawke

 Released: January 1st, 1986

My 13th book (how fitting?) for 2024 was Simon Hawke's “Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives” novelization.

I was given the opportunity to read this by a fellow fan Aaron.  Special shout-out to him for helping me obtain the text to read the novel.

If you've been following along the last few blog entries, you're probably wondering why I would skip from Part 3 straight to Part 6.  The truth is, Parts 4 and 5 were never novelized.

This has been my understanding of the situation over the years.  In 1986, the producers hired Simon Hawke to write a novelized form of their newest Friday the 13th film, which was Part 6.  The novel did reasonably well, and as a result, Hawke was asked to go back and novelize the previous entries in the series.  He did Parts 1 and 2 which released over 1987 and 1988.  He then did a second novelization of Part 3 in mid 1988 (Part 3 had originally been novelized at the time of the film's release by Michael Avallone).  The sales began to dwindle, and the plans to novelize parts 4 and 5 were abandon.

I don't remember the first time I saw Jason Lives, but remember it being somewhere around 2003/2004 much like the rest of the series.  It was very good, and since Part 7 was my first original Friday the 13th film, it bridged the gap for how Jason ended up chained underwater in more detail than the short summarizing scenes.  Generally speaking, it carries a high reputation and is arguably the best of the "zombie" Jason era.  Most people consider it to be the last truly great Friday the 13th film, as Part 7 is often panned due to the MPAA's cutting of all the horrific imagery, and Part 8 is lambasted for containing very little of New York, despite Manhattan being in its title.

The other intriguing thing is that it returns to the summer camp theme of Parts 1 and 2.  This might be the reason it was such a success.  The only real difference is that the story explained how Crystal Lake was eager to shake the stigma of the Voorhees massacres, and so they voted to change the name to Forest Green.  After the burial of Pamela and Jason, and the renaming of the town, they seem to push to forget the Voorhees were ever a thing in the town.  This is reminiscent of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise where Springwood works to forget Freddy Kruger was ever a thing.  The fact that this worked so well, that they agreed to reopen the summer camp is a testament to just how calm the town became following Jason's death.  It's ironic, because as the series goes on, you really see the different approaches Crystal Lake takes to save it's dying town.  Where Part 6 goes to the extreme to completely change the name of the town, the later entry, Part 9's "Jason Goes To Hell", builds it up as a sort of tourist attraction, with hockey mask-shaped burgers for sale.  Personally, I feel the best name for that would be "Eat and Get The Hell Out" but that seems to be reserved for the Outer Banks in North Carolina. 

There are various things that fascinate me about the Friday the 13th franchise that make this novelization more intriguing.  I see Friday the 13th broken up into various trilogies.  If Part 1 plays out more like a prequel in the modern context, then Parts 2-4 comprise the first trilogy.  Jason unleashes a massive reign of terror over a matter of days culminating in his death by Tommy Jarvis.  Which leads into the next trilogy, despite overlapping.  Parts 4-6 make up the Tommy Jarvis trilogy.  The only true person to ever fully stand up to Jason (and his imposter).  The third trilogy is the Chained Zombie Jason trilogy.  Jason is kept at bay by being chained to the bottom of Crystal Lake.  We see this in Parts 6-8.  The last trilogy is more a loose collection of unrelated stories based on the New Line films which are generally shamed in the F13 community.  A lot of people feel that New Line really dropped the ball when it came to the films, and other than some backstory elements, surprise cameos, and out-of-this-world (literally) elements, the films are generally on the weaker end of the series.  The point is, when Paramount ran the series, every 3rd film began a storyline that expanded over the next 3.

To that notion, it's strange to see the Tommy Jarvis trilogy only novelized in the conclusion of his appearances in the official series.  With as revered as he is by some in the fan base, you would think they would have built around the character a bit more.  I think it was a mistake to not have Hawke novelize Parts 4 and 5.  Then again, hindsight is 20/20.

It's interesting to see Allen Hawes' thoughts as he and Tommy drive to Jason's grave.  He is terrified out of his mind, and you see the influence of friendship playing out in Tommy convincing him to go along with the plan.  

There are some interesting things that compare well to the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise.  One is the previously mentioned motion to hide the history of Crystal Lake.  The other is how the book dives deeply into the psyche of Sheriff Garris.  He shows parallels to Nancy Thompson's father in the original Nightmare story.  He wants to protect his daughter and keep her safe, but also struggles to keep the memory of the villain under wraps as more and more people end up murdered.

Martin is an interesting character that takes the Crazy Ralph characterization.  He is a bumbling alcoholic, obsessed with keeping his job so that he can score more alcohol.  He has thoughts in his mind obsessing about how he needs the job to fund his alcoholism.  I can easily see him, Ralph, and Amos being friends at a young age, but having their mindsets warped by the tragedies of Crystal Lake.  In an odd way, I sort of wish that Crazy Ralph had survived Part 2 and went on to feature in the other Friday films.  Imagine him picking up various jobs in places.  He could be found passed out in Part 3, taking the place of Amos.  Part 6 could have him doing Martin's job maintaining the cemetery.  Part 8 could feature him as a deckhand onboard the Lazarus.  I think if they ever redid the series, having Ralph appear as a sort of Stan Lee figure would be a nice touch, as well as a nod to the original character.

The other thing that makes this novelization stand out is the long-await introduction of Elias Voorhees, Jason's father.  According to the book, he and Pamela were married.  It's a wonder if they were still married at the time of her death, or if he had married her, realized they had issues, and left her.  The reason I question this is because the book implies that he personally paid for their burials.  It's hard to picture someone paying for their divorced spouse's burial if there were serious problems.  Judging by the wad of cash he gives to Martin at the end, he seems to be independently wealthy.  Perhaps he was simply unaware of Pamela's actions, or he knew she had issues, but was unaware of her killings until after she was killed herself.  I feel his paying for their burial was to put an end to the pain and suffering that had long plagued not only the family, but also the worn-down community.

The book reads exceptionally well.  I feel almost like I enjoyed it more than the film.  It was engaging, and I completed the entire thing in one sitting.

Here is what I learned:

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• The novel indicates that Alice Hardy was found brutally murdered in her home, yet according to the previous novels, Jason Voorhees murdered her and drug her body to his mother’s shrine in his shack.
• The book suggests that Higgins Haven was rented to vacationers, yet Part 3 indicates that the Higgins family owned and used it for years.
• The halfway house from Part 5 was called Pinehurst Sanitarium.
• Tommy Jarvis was once under the care of the Unger Institute of Mental Health.
• “Life is just something that happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” - John Lennon.
• Tommy drives a battered Ford pickup truck.
• “Life doesn’t just wear you down; it pounds you relentlessly into the ground and smashes you flat into a bloody pulp.”
• Allen Hawes is traveling with Tommy to Jason’s grave.
• Like Tommy, Allen has also spent time in various mental institutions.
• He likes to smoke cheap cigars.
• “Jason belongs in Hell.  I’m gonna see he gets there.”
• Allen has been given various tranquilizers over the years such as Thorazine, Mellaril, Haldol, and Stelazine.
• Tommy is Allen’s only real friend.
• Jason is buried at the Eternal Rest Cemetery.
• Allen once watched a really old film called “The Mummy” on late-night TV. (Blogger’s Note: Not the Brendan Frasier one.)
• Allen keeps reminding himself “You do things for your friends.”
• Ironically in his rage, Tommy resurrects the person he wants dead the most.
• Jason rips out Allen’s still-beating heart.
• Jason steals Tommy’s abandon gloves.
• Crystal Lake has renamed itself Forest Green in an attempt to shed the Voorhees legacy that has plagued it.
• Michael Garris is the new Sheriff of Forest Green.
• He was a Vietnam War vet.
• He enjoys smoking his pipe and fishing.
• His daughter Megan Garris is eighteen.  She had long lovely legs, gorgeous hair, and a smile that seemed to light up the entire room.
• His wife Melanie has passed away.
• Rick Colone is one of the department’s deputies.
• An unknown person paid to given Jason and Pamela a decent burial.
• VW Bugs are evidently very popular in Crystal Lake.
• Masked weirdos are never friendly.
• Darren keeps a .22 revolver in his glove compartment.
• In his new zombie-state, Jason no longer feels the need to rest.
• Sissy is an 18-year-old girl who is described as black, sexy, and vivacious.
• Paula was a little punky, short spiky hair that was dyed jet black, and earrings that were shaped like upside-down crosses.
• Cort was a headbanger with long hair and heavy metal t-shirts.
• Darren and Lizabeth were in charge of organizing the new campgrounds.
• Sheriff Garris hated when Megan acted sexy.  He wanted his baby girl back, but now she had grown into a woman.
• Stan has taken his sales team paintballing to instill a "killer" instinct to them.  He is a bit macho, and if he loses, would rather see any of his male colleagues win than get beaten by a woman.
• Colone is a sleazy man who ogles Megan.
• Burt is a strong intense man, who feels image is everything.  He feels it is "better to look good than feel good."
• Martin was the caretake of the Eternal Rest Cemetary.
• He bears similar personality traits to Crazy Ralph and Amos.
• He is an older man who suffers from alcoholism.
• His drink of choice is Wild Turkey.
• He drinks cheap red wine by the gallon.  It doesn't matter the style, only the cheapest price.
• He carries a pint bottle of whiskey in his coat pocket.
• Katie is a corporate executive who is very confident and plays paintball almost expertly.
• Rory is a very timid mad who is jumpy, clumsy, and out of sorts.
• He is the sole survivor of the paintball game...until Jason arrives.
• Colone carries a Smith & Wesson .357 caliber magnum revolver with a laser scope attachment.
• Colone has a fascination with firearms.
• He really wanted a Colt .45 semi-automatic long slide, but Sheriff Garris had forbidden it.  He feels the gun should neutralize the situation, not cost the target their limbs permanently.
• Garris feels that Colone doesn't have real experience because unlike Garris, Colone is not a war vet.
• Some guys in Vietnam would slice off human ears and keep them as souvenirs.
• Sissy loves playing murder games such as "Clue" and "The Consulting Detective".
• Sissy says the word "shit" around the children because she believes they probably hear worse at home.
• Nikki drives a Black Honda CRX.
• Nikki's stepfather Horace owns the RV she is "borrowing".  She has a disliking for him.
• Tommy calls the Police Station from the payphone at Howie's Service Station and Feed Bag Shop.  It's roughly a 30-minute drive from the station.
• "You had to trust people sometimes. You had to go by your gut instincts. You had to take a gamble and give people a chance, especially if you wanted them to take a gamble and give you a chance.  You could go around acting paranoid and not trusting anybody, but if you were always looking to get shafted, you'd wind up just like Megan's father.  I would have to live thinking the worst of everybody, always suspicious, blind to the good in people."
• Sissy reads Playgirl magazine.
• Megan drives a bright orange 1982 Chevy Camaro.  Her father chose this color so that his deputies would be able to keep him up on her whereabouts at all times.
• Megan always drives fast because she knows the sheriff's deputies would never be brave enough to bust her.
• Sheriff Garris is not a "number cop".  He prefers informal speak over the radio.
• Megan gets stopped by her father and his deputies at "Cunningham Road", a nod to the series original producer/director Sean S. Cunningham.
• When Paula was younger and she got scared, she would close her eyes and say a little prayer.
• Camp Forest Green is beautiful during the day, but at night it becomes really creepy.
• Evidently the camp management has a history of forgetting to pay the phone bill.
• Colone hates paperwork.
• Sheriff Garris does not tolerate sloppy paperwork.
• Colone hopes that busting Tommy would lead to a job opportunity with a big city department in LA, San Francisco, Chicago, or Miami.
• Colone fantasizes about busting Megan for something that which her father could never know, and then taking her out to the lake to have his way with her in exchange for his silence.
• Officer Pappas spends his off-duty time drinking at Bill's Meadowbrook Bar and watching late-night shows on the big screen.
• Officer Pappas carries a Ruger Speed Six.
• Megan performs CPR on Tommy to revive him.
• Elias Voorhees is Jason's father.  He wears a dark suit and has long darker red hair with streaks of gray.
• Elias has some kind of wealth and is the one who paid for Jason and Pamela's burials.  He pays Martin to maintain the graves.  There is a sense that he can tell Jason is not in his grave, but somewhere deep in the lake.
• Unlike in the movie where he continues to wear it, at the end of the book, the hockey mask floats to the top of Crystal Lake as it bobs around.

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Overall, a very nice read for a horror book.  I feel it struck the tone of the movie very nicely, and I can certainly see why Hawke was asked to come back and novelize Parts 1-3.  My only gripe is that they never let him finish the series.  Here's a million-dollar idea for someone out there, let's start a Kickstarter to raise money for him or a similar author to write out the missing novelizations for Parts 4, 5, 7, 8, and JGTH.  I would very much enjoy reading them if they were in the same tone and style as Hawke's writing.

Now that I've read all the Simon Hawke books in the series, I will probably take a break from the others.  I plan to come back at some point and read the original Part 3 novelization by Michael Avallone, as well as Jason X and Freddy vs. Jason.  I'm grateful for the opportunity to read these original texts and see the series through a more mythological way than the ways the films have been torn apart by critics over the years.  They were exceptional reads.  Hats off to Simon Hawke for his compelling writing, descriptive nature, and breathing life into characters that might have only existed briefly but live on in the lore of the series.

If you love horror, or Friday the 13th, this is a very good read, and I highly recommend it.

If you're not into horror, probably best not to read.

Time to Re-re-re Ma-ma-ma :)

On to Book 44: "Wayne's World: Extreme Close-Up" by Mike Myers and Robin Ruzan.