Review of Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) by Daniel C — 14 Apr 2009

The film that traumatised me when I was little now happens to be quite dated. Poor story, poor editing, but great special effects and music. Tom Savini is the man and it's his effects, along with Feldman, that keeps this boat afloat. The 80s style is just so kitsch that it's cool. It's amazing what time can do to a film and what time does to a film-goers attitude so many years onward. I was compelled to watch this, perhaps to overcome my child-hood terror, but more so because I knew how to watch it (or so that's what I think).

What sets the Friday the 13th series (arguably the first 3 before it descended into a twisted laugh-a-minute who's next pattern) is its utter brutality in conveying its horror style. Where Halloween focused on suspense and Nightmare on Elm St had a twist on the moralistic fairy tale, The Friday the 13th series completely demolished its subjects into violent set pieces. It wasn't the sadistic voyeurism shown in Saw and Hostel where the violence suspensefully built itself to a bloody climax, but it came in strong, quick bursts across the screen. Despite its length as a series, the subtext was quite shallow. It's any wonder how, as a piece of work, it could have much artistic merit. But I suppose you have to have a necessary piece of trash to help make the better ones great.