Review of Friday the 13th Part VII - The New Blood (1988) by Tim S — 26 Oct 2012

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood was originally meant to be Freddy VS. Jason, which is maybe why there are vague similarities with the film that eventually came later. However, Paramount Pictures didn't own the rights to A Nightmare on Elm Street or the character of Freddy, and when they couldn't reach an agreement on character rights and distribution with New Line Cinema, the project was scrapped and re-purposed.

The story was instead changed to incorporate some of the elements from that script, but with a telekinetic girl instead, who can use the power of her mind to throw objects at Jason to defend herself. While The New Blood has some very sparse character development, its the lead actress that really makes the film take a nosedive.

She's constantly weeping and in a near catatonic state throughout the entire film. She's also socially awkward and hung up on the death of her father, but these things go hand in hand in nearly every scene in the film, and it gets old really fast.

By the time she learns to harness her mental abilities and stop Jason, I'd already grown tired of her and would've gladly cheered on her demise. The rest of the characters don't have much to speak of, other than the double-crossing psychologist who claims to be trying to help Tina, but is really out to exploit her abilities.

It's rather fitting that his character gets the most over-the-top and ridiculous kill in the film. Overall, the film has some pretty decent moments and some genuine suspense in spots, but it pales in comparison to the entry before it.