Review #857: 'Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood' (1988)

With the idea of Jason Voorhees as a supernatural presence firmly established in the previous film, Friday the 13th Part VII introduces a new foe for the masked brute in the form of Tina Shepard (Lar Park-Lincoln), a young girl with telekinetic abilities. The character of Tommy Jarvis, who has been played by a multitude of actors such as Corey Feldman and Thom Mathews in previous instalments, sadly doesn't return, so Jason once again 'meets his match'. The telekinesis angle, however, is the only change to the formula. So, for a sixth time, we get to watch the same film all over again for a tedious 90 minutes.

After watching her father drown when her then-unknown abilities causes the dock he is stood on to collapse into the water, Tina returns to Camp Crystal Lake with her mother (Susan Blu) and Dr. Crews (Weekend at Bernie's (1989) Terry Kiser) years later to undergo psychiatric treatment. Crews claims to be helping Tina overcome her emotional abilities and uncontrollable powers, but his questionable methods raise her suspicions. Naturally, a bunch of horny teenagers arrive to party, only to be on the receiving end of Jason's (Kane Hodder) wrath after he is accidentally resurrected from the lake he was left in by Tommy Jarvis at the end of the previous film.

While the sixth movie, Jason Lives (1986), was probably the most entertaining entry into the series thanks to its tongue-in-cheek humour and inventive bloodshed, Part VII plays it straight but manages to be neither scary or particularly gory. The geek, rich bitch, jock and virgin stereotypes are all here as expected, and watching them get bumped off one-by-one is usually the only bit of enjoyment to be squeezed out of this franchise. But here, the pay-off is never satisfying enough. Newcomer Hodder (who would go on to be the first to play Jason more than once) certainly has the physical presence, but his Jason is more clinical and less fun (although the sleeping bag death is a corker). If you have seen any other entry into the series, then you've pretty much seen this one too.


Directed by: John Carl Buechler
Starring: Lar Park-Lincoln, Kevin Spirtas, Terry Kiser, Kane Hodder
Country: USA

Rating: **

Tom Gillespie