Review of Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) by Cody C — 09 Oct 2016

After a brief diversion to clear out/escape from the nearest morgue, Jason returns from his machete-assisted hibernation to resume slicing and dicing the denizens of Crystal Lake. This time we shake up the formula a bit, introducing a relatively innocent single-parent family to the mix, though the vacationing kids across the street are more than happy to continue with the sex, drugs and rock'n'roll that's so familiar.

It's a grab bag, really, a bunch of randomly-associated (or, often, not associated whatsoever) snippets that float around in the wash and occasionally bump into one another. I found it curious to spot a few name actors in the crowd this time: Crispin Glover is his usual awkward self and Corey Feldman plays the same mouthy, bratty kid you might expect given his early '80s stardom.

Kevin Bacon's appearance in the first film may have set this stage, but it's still a little strange to see recognizable faces in the midst of such a transparent, genre-specific story, especially when one of them suddenly catches a grievous head wound near the climax.

Every bit as indulgently gore-soaked, under-written and simple-minded as the previous chapter, with an even looser grasp on reality. It's roll-your-eyes bad, but not quite change-the-channel bad.