Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood

“Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood”. It doesn’t break the mold and calling it "good" would be dubious. As far as an installment of this series goes, this one does have enough unique aspects to at least make it a noteworthy chapter. The subtitle to this film could have been “Carrie vs. Jason”, which actually makes things interesting.

It’s been years since Jason Voorhees has been sent to the bottom of Crystal Lake and he’s been staying put, so you know his bloodlust has been building. Tina Shepard (Lar Park Lincoln) has been traumatized since she accidentally killed her father with her telekinetic powers. Returning to Crystal Lake with her therapist (Terry Kiser) and her mother (Susan Blu) they hope to get Tina to take back control of her life. Unfortunately for the teenagers partying next door, the young telepath accidentally unleashes the hockey-masked killer.

This movie is better than many of the other Friday the 13th because it actually has some interesting ideas and a character that could theoretically prove to be a decent foe for the invincible Jason. That doesn’t mean that it’s good, I’m just saying that if you’ve been watching these films and you’re wondering if they just get steadily worse and worse, that isn’t the case. Yeah, Jason is a big lumbering zombie that kills without remorse. Sure, the teenage victims are the same ones we’ve seen in every other slasher movie. The overall plot? It’s just an excuse to have a bunch of dead bodies at the end. What makes me enjoy the film nonetheless is a couple of creative kills and Tina. Shooting, stabbing, incinerating and drowning Jason are all completely ineffective. If anyone is going to come up with a way to defeat Mr. Voorhees, it would be another person with supernatural powers. It makes the climax a lot more exciting than it would be normally.

I also enjoyed some of the other side characters, limited as they were. There’s a romance that builds between Tina and a boy (Kevin Spirtas) That’s standard stuff in these films, but the rivalry this crush generates is amusing. By pining after Nick, Tina has angered Melissa (Susan Jennifer Sullivan), a young woman who apparently collects men because she just wants to sleep with people left and right. It keeps the viewers entertained even when objects aren't telekinetically tossed about or teens aren't pinned to trees using knives or other sharp instruments.

I’m stretching it a bit when it comes to the praises here. Even as a slasher movie, there are parts where this seventh chapter drops the ball. I know what I’m getting into at this point in the franchise, and the last thing I want is for the camera to cut away just as someone’s going to get an ax to the face. I don’t know if the budget for this movie was tied up in all of the scenes where Tina displayed her telekinetic abilities, but I was disappointed with the majority of the deaths. I know that makes me sound like a psychopath, but come on. Three chapters ago, it was “The Final Chapter”. They’re not making any grand message about the human condition or anything, so if you’re going to do ONE thing, at least do it right. Needless to say, the acting isn’t particularly strong, the characters are for the most part not compelling and Jason is still about as charismatic as an immobile dead body. It’s a bad movie, but there are some elements in it that are so good."The New Blood" is worth taking a look at it if these kind of horror films are your kind of thing.

At least a bit of imagination was put into “Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood”, so it gets praise for that. Not enough imagination is present, but let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater right? As a regular film, I'll give it a 2.5/5. As a “Friday the 13th”, it doesn’t really have the “fun” element of part 3 or the more creative story of Part 5, so it gets a 3,5/5. Up next is part 8, so I hope New York is ready for some slashing! (On DVD, February 13, 2015)