Friday the 13th Part VII is also known as the New Blood. It’s so-called because it’s a new story with new characters. Unlike the past two movies, Tommy Jarvis doesn’t return. It instead focuses on a young woman with a special set of skills that may make her deadly against Jason Voorhees.
Directed by John Carl Buechler, the New Blood is 88 minutes and stars Lar Park-Lincoln, Terry Kiser, and Susan Blu. It also marks the first time Kane Hodder portrays the infamous hockey mask killer. So far, this is the most brutal Jason, and most disgusting.
Friday the 13th Part VII the New Blood seems like a paint-by-numbers kill fest. Make no mistake, it is, but that doesn’t make it bad. This entry sees Lar’s character Tina return to Camp Crystal Lake with her mother and a Psychiatric Doctor.
However, Tina isn’t another run-of-the-mill character with mental health issues 80s Horror love using as tropes. She becomes a match for the supernatural Jason since she also has her own supernatural abilities.
She’s telekinetic and has precognitive powers.
The script follows the same beats as the others with unlikeable characters, over-the-top deaths, and shaky dialogue. Although, the deaths are some of my favorite in the franchise so far.
The third act battle is also one of the best from the series. This comes down to the inventive ways in which Tina fights Jason. At one point she tries to electrocute him. She also calls on a spirit to fight Jason.
Friday the 13th Part VII the New Blood isn’t a favorite among the critics. While I can’t say I disagree with everything they say, I think it’s an enjoyable movie. Sure, there are moments that are over gratuitous, and the dialogue could be sharper.
But it’s a horror movie from the 80s. You’d think even critics back then know what to expect. There was a formula and every horror in that decade follows it. I won’t agree with them on the third act. I still think it’s fun. It’s seeing something different.
It’s Jason, the supernatural behemoth against a teenage girl with special powers who won’t back down.
