Friday the 13th - The New Blood

Back in black
I hit the sack
I've been too long I'm glad to be back
 - AC/DC

We're up to Part 7 - most commonly known as "Jason meets Carrie" among the fans, which is probably the most accurate description I must say. It's also among the silliest concept in a Friday movie but here's the weird part. This is my favorite of all the F13 movies. I know, I know, it should be Part 1 or 2 but, as messy as it is, I am thoroughly entertained by this movie.

This time around we begin with flashbacks of other F13 films and a narrator who tells us that Jason is still out there in the water. Then we cut to another flashback of a young Tina (our protagonist) getting PO'd that her Dad was beating up on her Mom and using her psychic powers to knock the boat dock out right from under him. He dies. Years later, she grows up into teen Carrie..er...Tina, and goes with her Mom and her therapist to visit the site of her Father's death to get some closure I guess. There she meets the hunk next door Nick, who is partying with a bunch of other young adults that emcompass all the stereotypes including the bitch, the nerd, the stoner, etc. During a traumatic moment, Tina manages to "accidentally" psychically revive Jason, who's been in the water all that time, and hilarity ensues, along with vast amounts of violence.

I LIKE this movie. Just plain like it. And for the longest time I couldn't figure out why. The psychic stuff is kind of silly and seriously borrows so much from Carrie they should have named the character of Tina "Sissy" in her honor. The sterotypes are pretty broad with the exception of Nick, who has a nice chemistry with Tina. And the ending is just plain stupid. But....

Jason is TERRIFYING in this one. This is the one F13 movie where I looked at Jason and went "Whoa. Creeped OUT." It could be that this is the first time we get Kane Hodder playing Jason and I have to admit, he adds a lot of physicality to the role with his threatening stance, sharp jerky movements that chest heave that says "Yep, you're dead."

But what terrified me even more than Kane's performance was the look of Jason. Yep, our boy Jason has come a long way since his start as a monogloid and a mountain man. This Jason is neither of those things. Nope, this time we have Zombie Jason. He has a partial ribcage showing. His hockey mask isn't pure white, it looks like it has been through hell (which it probably had, this is Jason we're talking about). His clothes are black, torn and tattered. At one point he reaches out an arm to kill a lad and you can see dark rivulets of black gunk oozing out of his exposed forearm. And let's just talk about Jason with his mask off, shall we? It's scary, it's horrifying, it's a death mask and it. looks. wonderful.

Oh and this one had the sleeping bag kill. Need I say more?

So it's a little cheesy. The kids aren't likeable (except for Tina and Nick), the psychic powers seem more like an afterthought than anything else, the ending is implausible to say the least (and the movie ends abruptly) but you know what? I enjoyed it. The atmosphere was creepy, the music suited the film, the kids are just there to die but watching them die is tons of fun. And Jason? Well, he's just doing what Jason does, except he's doing it better. And he looks terrific doing it.

Sadly, I know it's all downhill from here. I remember hating Part 8,9 and 10. But I'm going to re-watch them again and review. I'm no quitter. But then again, neither is Jason.

Favorite Moments (may contain spoilers):

• Sleeping bag death scene!
• Tina using her powers to make Melissa's pearls explode. Take that, bitch!
• Skeevy Terry Kiser (Tina's therapist) using Tina's Mom as a human shield against Jason. Boo. Hiss.
• Any scene with Jason. Did I mention I really love this version of Jason? I really love this version of Jason.

Fun Facts Kids!

• If the narrator at the beginning of the movie sounds familiar, he should. It's the voice of Walt Gorney (Crazy Ralph) from the first and second film.
• In the infamous sleeping bag kill, Jason actually hit the bag several times against the tree but it was cut down as one hard hit made the death seem even more brutal.
• Lar Park Lincoln (Tina) kept her real age a secret (she was 28) in case people would think she was too "old" to play Tina.
• The working title of the film was "Birthday Bash".
• Kerry Noonan (Paula from Part 6) auditioned for the role of Tina, not knowing that it was a Friday the 13th film. Obviously, she didn't get the part.
  

Agree? Disagree? Or just have a random string of curse words you'd like to share? Comment!