Review of Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) by Clint S — 25 Jan 2008

The hilariously dubbed "Final Chapter"(AKA part4) is the highpoint of the Friday 13th series. Easy to criticise and, conversely, easy to watch- part 4 is the first in the franchise to feature named actors(Crispin Glover and Corey Feldman) and have a sense of humour.

Outside of these distinctions it's business as usual....over the space of a week Jason Voorhees- a backwoods dwelling, mother fixated mutant with seemingly supernatural recuperating abilities-has decimated the horny teenage population of rural New Jersey and has ended up getting an axe through his face for his troubles.

Believed to be finally dead, Jason is taken to the local morgue where he summarily recuperates yet again, hacksaws the nearby morgue attendant Axel(played by the chap who was the accident prone cop in Police Academy) and guts his bit of skirt nurse who was-in time honoured fashion- just about to drop her knickers.

Hot footing it back to the wilderness Jason then sets about bloodily dispatching another group of precocious city kids. What our hockey masked maniac doesn't bank on is the ingenuity of a local family who set about him with claw hammers and machetes in the films gory finale.

It's somewhat odd witnessing Mouth from The Goonies shaving his head and then machete mauling the villain of the piece. This pales in comparison at the sight of Crispin Glover- playing the sexually frustrated, wonderfully drippy and whiney Jimbo- attempting an abortive disco dance(look on You Tube for this laugh out loud/cringe worthy moment) before getting a corkscrew through his mitt and a meat clever through the face for his troubles.

Joe Zito (Rosemary's Killer) directs with a certain gusto whilst Tom Savini is back on board to provide the gruesomely effective albeit briefly seen, Paramount approved, make up effects.