Last Updated on August 3, 2021
When Paramount was gearing up to put their "slasher with a twist" project APRIL FOOL'S DAY into production, Tom McLoughlin was in the running to direct the film. The version of APRIL FOOL'S DAY that ended up reaching theatres at the end of March 1986 was directed by Fred Walton, but don't feel too bad for McLoughlin. After he lost out on that gig, he ended up writing and directing a different genre project for Paramount – JASON LIVES: FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VI, which the studio released on August 1, 1986. With this year's April Fool's Day approaching, I decided to take a look back at both of these 1986 Paramount movies – the one McLoughlin could have made, and the one he did. When they're put up against each other, which one turned out better?
Written by Danilo Bach, who previously worked on Paramount's BEVERLY HILLS COP, APRIL FOOL'S DAY is an '80s slasher take on Agatha Christie's novel And Then There Were None, and it seems to be a straightforward story about a mysterious killer working their way through a group of college kids who have gathered together on a private island. By the end we find out that the movie has – very appropriately, given the title – been pulling a clever trick on its audience and characters. The reveal of that trick is the make or break moment for viewers, but I have always been on the side of loving it. APRIL FOOL'S DAY is the perfect slasher for the notable day it takes its title from.
Tasked with bringing slasher Jason Voorhees back from the dead, Tom McLoughlin made his FRIDAY THE 13TH stand out by blending the established "killer in the woods" set-up with supernatural elements, a Universal Monsters homage, and a strong dose of humor. He also widened the scope, working high speed chases and an epic RV crash into his campground slasher. While the other movies had mainly focused on characters getting knocked off in one location, JASON LIVES follows three storylines on the way to that situation: the counselors working at a newly opened camp, Jason's trek through the wilderness to reach the camp, and a troubled hero's quest to stop Jason's new rampage (after he accidentally started it).
The group of college kids invited to spend April 1st weekend at a mansion on a private island owned by the extremely wealthy St. John family are some of my favorite characters ever to appear in a "slasher" movie. They're a fun bunch to watch banter and joke around. In basic description, they don't sound like anything special – the oversexed couple, the horny goofball, the reasonable heroine, etc. – but they were written well and brought to life by one of the best casts a movie like this ever had.
This movie sets Jason loose in an open camp populated by little kids for the only time in the franchise, but he's really out to get those teenage counselors. McLoughlin did a good job of making Jason's potential victims a likeable, memorable group. In over their heads, they stumble through the first day at camp and then have an even worse night. The standout is the local sheriff's rebellious daughter, who sees past her father's negative assessment of the hero and becomes a valuable ally.
These college kids are out to have a good time on their vacation, and that sense of fun is infectious as we watch them pull pranks on each other and crack jokes. Bach gave them some humorous lines to deliver and some naturally funny actors were cast in the roles of funny characters. The movie is kind of front-loaded with its humor; as the story goes along, the characters' good-time attitudes are replaced with fear and paranoia.
McLoughlin amped the humor up to a level far beyond what was present in the previous movies, so it's understandable if some fans don't appreciate this one changing the tone so much. It works for me, though. Moments of cartoony sight gags come to the edge of going too far, but for the most part I find the comedic dialogue and situations to be genuinely amusing. It's a lighter movie that knows when to take things seriously.
It's rare for things to get outright creepy in APRIL FOOL'S DAY, but it has a couple creepy moments in there, like a scene set at (and inside) an old well and the climactic chase sequence. The movie does have a nice mystery to it, as it keeps you wondering who's out to get these kids and why. At times things get very strange, like in a sequence where the guests are finding odd items in their rooms, which isn't exactly creepy but gives the film a bit of an off-kilter feeling.
McLoughlin made JASON LIVES a horror comedy, but he wisely chose not to make Jason Voorhees the butt of any jokes. In the midst of the lighter moments, Jason is a relentless killing machine that is even more powerful now that he has been resurrected by a lightning strike, able to crush heads and tear off limbs with ease. Some of the death scenes are on the sillier side, but there are still some effectively creepy stalk and slash moments involving the hockey masked horror icon.
Fred Walton didn't bring anything fancy to the way APRIL FOOL'S DAY was shot, but he did make sure to take advantage of the Pacific Northwest locations he was shooting in. Exterior scenes were shot at the perfect time of day to show off the beauty of the water, trees, and mountains in the shots. Night is presented in a natural and very dark way, with sets smoked up slightly to help us see moonbeams and beneficial flashlight beams. The visuals aren't dazzling, but they do the job.
JASON LIVES is one of the most stylish films in the FRIDAY THE 13TH franchise, boasting some terrific cinematography. While the previous movies were more naturalistic presentations of terrible things happening out in the woods, this one is a step outside our reality. As you would expect from a movie that begins with a slasher being resurrected by a lightning bolt. Set on foggy, rainy nights with flashing lightning and blue moonlight, this movie is very nice to look at.
JASON LIVES pulls off the win in this Face-Off, but I rank both of these movies among my favorites. I just have a bit more appreciation for the Jason movie. In the end, I think things worked out perfectly for both of these projects. Fred Walton turned the APRIL FOOL'S DAY script into a great movie, and if McLoughlin had directed it instead we wouldn't have gotten JASON LIVES at all. I'm sure we still would have gotten a sixth FRIDAY THE 13TH in 1986, but it would have been something completely different. This is a situation where the best possible outcome actually happened.
Do you agree with the results of this Face-Off, or do you think APRIL FOOL'S DAY should have won over JASON LIVES? Share your thoughts on these films in the comments section below.
If you have any suggestions for future Face-Off articles, you can contact me at [email protected].
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