Movie Info
Movie Name: Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Genre(s): Horror
Release Date(s): May 13, 1988
MPAA Rating: R
I learned this from my cousin down in Texas
Tina Shepard (Lar Park Lincoln) has had a hard life. As a child she accidentally killed her abusive father at Crystal Lake when her telekinetic powers exploded. Now, Tina is trying to get control of her life and her abilities with the help of her mother (Susan Blu) and Doctor Crews (Terry Kiser) by returning to Crystal Lake. Unfortunately, when reaching out to her father, Tina raises Jason Voorhees (Kane Hodder) from the depth of the lake where he was trapped, and Jason is back to killing. As he slaughters the members of a house party, Tina and her new friend Nick (Kevin Spirtas) find themselves fighting Jason, and Tina’s powers might be the key to stopping him.
You know I’m using psychic powers because my head is tilted a little
Directed by John Carl Buechler, Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood continued the popular horror franchise. Following Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives in 1986, the movie like its predecessors received negative reviews, but fared decently due to the low production costs.
This Friday the 13th was meant to be the big Freddy vs. Jason film that everyone had hoped for in the ’80s…unfortunately, plans fell through and the movie became essentially Jason vs. Carrie from Stephen King’s story. I do think that the superhuman zombie Jason battling another superhuman is interesting and I actually think this is one of the better films after the first four films.
Yeah! Tina’s long-dead abusive father is the saves the day! Wait, what?!?!
Friday the 13th Part VII at least attempts to change things without moving too far away from the core “Jason” storyline. Friday the 13th Part V was another Jason, Jason Goes to Hell was a weird Jason “spirit”, and Jason X made robo-Jason…Here, you get the real Jason killing and the bonus of superpowers. It doesn’t push it far enough with Tina’s abilities, but it is better than just a regular victim (the movie also gets a bonus “What the Hell?” when Tina’s dead father shows up to stop Jason in a deus ex machina fashion).
Friday the 13th films rarely get an all-star cast, and Friday the 13th Part VII is no different in that sense. the movie does feature the first appearance of Kane Hodder as Jason Voorhees. Hodder maintained this role through Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, and Jason X, and many feel he was the best Jason with his imposing size.
Brains!!! Waiting, I’m not a zombie…
The movie features lack-luster special effects. The first half of the movie is pretty bland. You have the typical Jason killings but the movie was toned down from the original editing to prevent an X-Rating so the kills aren’t as gruesome as they were originally intended. The movie does feature an extended “mask off” sequence for Jason and this Jason is much more zombie like than previous entries. It is a rather good mask.
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood is most likely more of the same if you aren’t a fan of the series, but as a fair weather fan, I do find this one more entertaining than other entries. It does surpass the much touted sequel Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan in 1989 which helped doom the series.
Related Links:
Friday the 13th Part 4: The Final Chapter (1984)
Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1985)
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
