Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives

From its spectacular, squirm-in-your-seat opening to its exciting finale, "Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives" delivers. Still haunted by his killing of the masked maniac two films ago, our hero Tommy Jarvis (Thom Mathews) ventures to Jason Voorhees' grave just to be sure he's really dead. When a lightning bolt strikes the metal fence post Tommy uses to puncture the corpse, Jason is resurrected (remind you of someone?) and ready to hack his way through another terrified group of campers and innocent bystanders. But with no one ready to believe that Jason is indeed back, it again falls to Tommy to put evil in its place.

The "Friday the 13th" series got back on track with this installment following a Jason-less fifth entry that remains a bitter disappointment for many horror buffs. Director Tom McLoughlin struck a magnificent balance between breathing a new life into the franchise and maintaining the look and feel of what fans have come to expect. The picture is fast-paced, smart and, at times, legitimately scary. Jason suddenly seems more evil and terrifying given his newfound strength as a member of the Walking Dead Club. McLoughlin's oft-praised attempts at humor are rarely successful, but at least he chose (wisely) not to mock the zombified star, as the most recent Jason films have.

"Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives" is not Hitchcock, but it is a highly-entertaining effort that never once reveals its low-budget limitations. Horror fans and those looking for a good scare will be pleased.