6. Friday the 13th: Jason Lives (1986)
After the likes of A New Beginning – bringing a new killer into the mix – fans were outraged! They wanted Jason Voorhees back, which meant that Paramount needed to act swift. Bringing on Don Behrn’s – the production manager of Halloween and The Fog – and recruiting writer and director Tom McLoughlin, Friday the 13th was in for an overhaul. Resurrecting Jason ala Frankenstein’s monster and endowing him with the superhuman capacity he would ultimately become known for, Jason Lives turned the stalk and slash motif of the series into a tongue in cheek meta-action adventure, featuring the foolish charm of Thom Mathews.
From parodying the 007 intro to acknowledging the camera and horror films, we’re treated to a charisma and butchering buoyancy that feels alive, even if the death toll is the third highest in the franchise; an achievement only held until Jason took an untimely trip to hell and space.