Review of Friday the 13th Part VII - The New Blood (1988) by Andy S — 23 Feb 2009

After the extremely enjoyable Part 6, the more serious tone of Part 7 is slightly disappointing and and immediately makes part 7 the inferior film. Part 6 had everything that makes a slasher film so much fun, cheesy jokes and a tongue-in-cheek tone, Part 7 tried to go back to the early days of the series and it worked well but the early films were never that good to begin with. Why they chose a more serious tone is a mystery.

The plot is a strange one, Jason is brought back to life from the bottom of Crystal Lake by a girl with telekinetic powers. She accidentally killed her father ten years previously by making the pier collapse with her mind. While trying to bring her father back she unwittingly releases Jason on another murderous rampage. Part 7 is the first film Kane Hodder plays Jason and he is by far the best of the lot. Having a trained actor behind the mask makes a huge difference as subtle body movements, such as heavy breathing, make Jason far more menacing. the make-up is the best of series, Jason looks ragged and decomposed with bones showing, he looks like a proper undead killer. The kill scenes are very good, the infamous sleeping bag scene being the best, with buckets of gore throughout. They would have been even better of it wasn't for the MPAA. Part 7 is notorious for being cut to shreds with 16 scenes having to be edited for it to get an R-Rating. This may have been the best of the series if it wasn't for the ever strict MPAA.

The supernatural element brought in by the girl with telekinetic powers just doesn't work in a Jason film. It feels out of place and more like something you would see on Elm Street. We are treated to many scenes of the girl moving things like TV's with her mind, none of which would be out of place in an X-Men film. Credit has to be given for trying something new but it doesn't work. The ending is laughable, one of the silliest endings I have ever seen and takes a lot away from what we have seen previously. the climax building up to this is excellent with plenty of action but is ruined by the last couple of minutes.

Definitely worth a watch but not as good as Part 6. Expect to laugh out lot at the ridiculous ending!

6/10.