Review of Friday the 13th Part VII - The New Blood (1988) by James C — 01 Sep 2012

As a child Tina exhibited psychic abilities and as a result caused the death of her abusive father at Crystal Lake. Now, many years after she returns with her mother and Doctor as a part of her treatment, and she finds out that the lake holds other secrets as well.

With the introduction of zombie Jason in the previous installment, this pretty much gave the filmmakers carte blanche to do what ever they want with the character, but with that in mind, this entry actually feels a little pedestrian. The story has a very promising start, but as things go along, the story becomes weaker and weaker and only picks up again at the end. All the characters are pretty generic (even for a horror movie) and only serve as fodder for Jason. But, a special mention must go to Kane Hodder who really manages to bring some character in his portrayal of Jason which isn't the easiest thing to do. As this is a pretty bloodless movie, the special effects are well done, even though they are only seen fleetingly. There is still a feel of tongue in cheek and the idea of Jason finding the tool shed did make me giggle, especially as he then offs his victims with a slightly more outrageous weapon each time. All in all, this entry does not add anything new to the franchise and even though it is enjoyable, the ideas it has could have been utilized much, much better.