Clarky's Review: Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood & Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan

I'm not sure how to review these films. To be honest I think I enjoyed Part V and VI more than these two outings. Sometimes a film is so bad that they are good, sometimes they are so bad they never come back round to being good. That's kind of how I feel about Parts VII and VIII. Maybe I had just had too much Jason Voorhees in the past few weeks.

These films are the film definitions of guilty pleasures, like an Entenmann's chocolate cake washed down with a large vanilla coke. The thing is, you can only really handle that once every now and then. If you were to have it every day you would be classified as a sex beast.

Last Thursday I think I had finally gorged myself on Jason. Jason must now be in his 60's given the time line of the series, and at times his age shows! That's not to say that I didn't take some joy out of these films, it was Jason Voorhees after all. But I think it was too much of the same thing. Each of the films hit the same beats that those that came before with some added twists. Part VII has a Carrie rip off in the form of Tina Shepard and in Part VIII Jason moves to Manhattan. I say he takes Manhattan, he's there for all of 5 minutes, but thats enough to name the film after it. It should really be called Jason takes a cruise.

Jason's diseased body is one of the highlights in Part VII, along with some of the great fashion. And his face is also getting more diseased!

Not great additions to the series (but then none of them really are) but more of the same. If you love Jason, you will love these.

Ally's Review: Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood & Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan

Hmmm... I think I overdid the fix of Jason Voorhees. It turns out that you shouldn’t do back to back weeks of Friday the 13th double bills. After watching Part 5 and 6 last week, we wanted to watch the next two and it was too much. Like a kid who wants more sweeties and then feels a bit sick afterwards...

I’ll try to put that aside and rate the films against the rest of the franchise. You can’t really rate these films as independent subjects because they are uniquely - and wonderfully - awful. By part 7 we have a new foe for Jason: Tina Shepherd. She has telekinetic powers that come out when she is stressed. So her psychiatrist decides to try to induce it by taking her to Crystal Lake. As you would. It’s a nice twist on the franchise, and mixed in with the usual elements, it gives this film a bit of originality.

Part 8 is basically Jason on a boat. It has some nice touches and a few good laughs - but it’s probably the worst sequel since part 5. It’s worth seeing for arguably the best Jason kill in the franchise (Jason as the pugilist) and it depicts Manhattan as literally the worst place on Earth. I could do without the near rape scene, and the drug sequence is ludicrous. It's like the director wanted to take the film into a gritty drama for about 10 minutes and it falters badly. Overall, it’s a decent film (relatively speaking), but it ranks quite low in the franchise for me.

For the record... if I had to rank the sequels in order it would be Part 4, Part 2, Part 6, Part 3, Part 7, Part 8 and (bringing up the rear) Part 5. I’ve not seen Jason goes to Hell, and Jason X is kind of its own beast (although I do love it). Perhaps next season we might get round to reviewing the rest of them. But for now, I think we all need a little break from Jason.

Fin's Review: Friday The 13th: A New Beginning & Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives

We had our last horror club meet up of the 2011 season on Thursday and by way of celebrating the year past, we finished where we started by once more visiting the Friday the 13th saga. For the first time we had a double bill starting with Friday the 13th: A New Beginning and following up with Friday The 13th: Jason Lives. I'm going to keep my review pretty short this week for a couple of reasons: firstly, I figure if you are considering watching the fith and sixth instalment in this franchise you are probably a big fan already and therefore don't need a big review, and secondly the quality on show in Part V is seriously poor and probably doesn't warrant a proper review.

Friday the 13th: A New Beginning

The fifth film in the Friday the 13th saga is undoutedly the worst film in the series, something which is not helped by coming after Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter - to my money, the best film in the entire series. This film is really really bad. It combines a poor story, poor acting, lame humour and a twist ending which until I watched Switchblade Romance was the worst I had ever seen. A New Beginning continues the story of Tommy Jarvis, Jason's main nemesis, to whom we were introduced in the fourth film. Tommy, due to his horrific experience as a child, is sent to what must be the worst psychiatric unit maybe ever and madness ensues.

In fairness to Danny Steinmenn, he does attempt to bring a new direction to the franchise. However, it ultimately fails. As a result of this change in direction the film makes little sense in relation to the rest of the saga and you would not be missing anything if you went straight from Part IV to Part VI.

Friday the 13th: Jason Lives

Just when you were starting to worry about the quality of the franchise, things get back on track in Part VI. Unlike Part V, Jason Lives is a strong addition to the franchise. Director Tom McLoughlin makes a wise decision to disregard all that happens in Part V and the film works because of this.

We start with our old friend Tommy Jarvis digging up the remains of Jason Vorhees in a graveyard, in the middle of the night, during a thunderstorm - an incredibly misjudged move. Jason is resurrected, in the best opening scene in any of the films, when his long-dead corpse is struck by lightning. As a result of this lightning strike, Jason's powers are taken to a new level and as a result some of the kills in this film are truly inventive, a plus point for any fan of the series. On top of the usual mahyem we are introduced to fast-cracking and ultimately noble Sheriff Michale Garris, a fine addition to the cast of characters that inhabit this particular horror universe.

Part VI ends with Jason chained to the bottom of Crystal Lake, but it doesn't take a genius to realise he won't be trapped for long. Neither of these films are going to win any awards, but buy into them (particularly Part VI) and you will enjoy the strange, endearing charm of this enduring horror frachise.

Clarky's Review: Friday the 13th: A New Beginning & Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives

These may well be two of the best "worst" films I have ever seen.

Whilst it has been noted that A New Beginning, the fifth film in the canon, tries to take a different approach there is enough stuff here to keep it enjoyable. First of all there are more 2 dimensional characters than you can shake a stick at, some of whom don't even get a line, who are introduced to the proceedings with the sole purpose of being fodder for "Jason". The director, Danny Steinmann, was instructed to do two things with this film - deliver a shock, scare or kill every 8 minutes and turn Tommy into the new Jason, and he certainly delivers on kills, and there are a couple of shocks (mainly due to the fact that you're not expecting them given what has come before).

The film opens with Corey Feldman reprising his role as Tommy Jarvis. The film was apparently originally written for Feldman, but he was unable to film it due to his commitments with The Goonies. I don't think he will ever have had a better career move since! From this opening dream sequence we get or first unintentional laugh with the coffin barely buried 6 inches under, never mind 6 feet.

And the laughs keep coming. Whether its by inventive death, shocking dialogue, a ridiculous mental institute and lack police chief or the even more ridiculous twist ending, you can't help but smile at how bad this all is.

Probably the worst film, but I think I enjoyed this more than the first outing in that at its so bad it is good. However, I did feel like it was a missed opportunity to set up Tommy Jarvis as the successor to Jason from the start of the film and look into his character more. Its hard to tell who the main character is in this film, Tommy Jarvis only says 24 words but Reckless Reggie has the bulk of the screen time! (even if he does scream like a girl)

Second up was Jason Lives. He's back (the man behind the mask) and he's out of control. He's back (the man behind he mask) and he's crawled out of his hole.

The first death this film blows is to the storyline set up in the last film. Due to a fanboy revolt (they even had fanboys in the 80's, although without the internet I'm not sure how they vented their frustration, there must have been a lot of angry letters to Paramount) the idea of Tommy Jarvis becoming a killer was binned and the last 5 minutes of A New Beginning written of as a dream sequence (so it was a dream within a dream!). To be honest, you could just miss out part 5 altogether.

To be fair, the re-introduction of Jason gives the series the jump start it needs after part 5. Like a lightning bolt to the heart it resuscitates the series and like Jason its back bigger and stronger than before. With his machete back in hand Jason racks up no less than 18 kills in the film, its more than any of the others that have come before.

Sure there are some ridiculous plot points and storylines, but there is some cracking dialogue

"Hit the noise and the cherry's"

and

"You'll be wearing your testicles for earrings"

Being two of my favourite ones of the entire series so far.

There are also some genuinely inventive shots and the series is back to what it does best. Sure there are some unintentional laughs, but you genuinely cheer with every death (writing this down I am taking a long, hard look at myself. I think I may have seen to many horror films, I'm looking forward to the summer break).

Another worthy addition to the canon if you like all things Jason. If you've not enjoyed whats come before then I would avoid these bad boys. But if you revel in the ongoing saga of Jason Voorhees then Jason Lives will have you cheering for more. The only negative being that it is the only Friday the 13th to feature no nudity. All we get is a comedy sex scene in a camper van and a full blown camel toe.

In conclusion I can't wait for the last 7 and 8 next week!

Ally's Review: Friday the 13th: A New Beginning & Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives

We decided on a double header of parts 5 and 6 for this weeks viewing. What can I say about these films? The Friday the 13th franchise is a guilty pleasure of mine. It's hard to review these films because they are pretty awful, but that doesn't change the fact that I really enjoy them. The only way to review it is by way of comparison to what has come before. Although if you are seriously thinking about watching parts 5 & 6 then chances are you have a good idea of what to expect.

Part 5 sees Tommy Jarvis return as a haunted adult, who moves to the worst psychiatric facility in the world. For some inexplicable reason 'Jason' returns to kill lots of the patients. Even for a Friday the 13th film the premise is flimsy. They attempted to resurrect the franchise by going in a different direction and it falls completely flat. You could actually just take part 5 out because 4 and 6 fit together much better. However, if you did that then you'd miss out on some great characters such as Reggie 'Reckless' and his big brother Demon. 2D characters such as these are what makes me enjoy the franchise so much. So in that regard, part 5 has some merit.

Part 6 decides that Part 5 never happened and the real Jason returns. Thank goodness. 2 shots of lightning to the chest not only resurrect Mr Voorhees but give him even more strength. His kills in this film are particularly swift and ruthless. It follows the same premise as pretty much every Friday film - Jason kills a lot of people at a Summer camp. If I had to place it in the franchise I'd say that it's better than part 3 but not as good as part 4. However it is worth it just for the kill in the RV. There are also some actual proper nice shots in this film too.

These aren't films that I can necessarily recommend, if you have seen part 4 then there is probably a good chance you are a big enough geek to watch more. Part 5 is really awful and unnecessary (but still funny)… Part 6 is a good addition to the franchise.

Fin's Review: Friday The 13th The Final Chapter

Jospeh Zito is not a name that immediately springs to mind when you think of great film directors but after watching The Final Chapter that might change. The fourth instalment in The Friday The 13th series is by a long shot the best of the 10 films. This film may not be a better film than the original Friday The 13th but it is definitely more entertaining. Zito continues with the usual staples of attractive 80s girls, imaginative kills from Jason and amazingly shallow characters but ramps the story up to another level by adding a number of fascinating story developments.



Far and away the most important development in The Final Chapter is the introduction of the Jarvis siblings. Tommy Jarvis is a horror movie fanatic with a talent for making amazing monster masks, a skill which he uses to great effect in the stunning climax of the film. Trish Jarvis, Tommy's sister, is one of the toughest characters in the entire series and she provides Jason with a serious ass kicking - a very rare event.

The final climax of the film offers more questions than answers. Despite the fact that Jason has been 'killed' before, it is in The Final Chapter that it feels like he is properly dead, as evidenced by the close-up of his head sliding down Tommy Jarvis's knife before Tommy's maniacal knife assault on the incapacitated Jason. If this is the case, what is suggested by Tommy's creepy look to camera in the final shot?

Other interesting things to look out for are the increasingly disgusting look of Jason with his mask off, an aspect of Jason that worsens over time. Also look out for one of the coolest shots in horror, when Jason is placed in the morgue tray and before the door shuts you see a tiny wisp of breath... awesome. 

Clarky's Review: Friday The 13th The Final Chapter

It was my choice at horror club this week and whilst I had a variety of options the continuing saga of Jason Voorhees was back up, after part 3 had piqued my interest last week.

Friday the 13^th : The Final Chapter (even though it is only the 4^th film of 8 in the box set) sees more of the same, yet is more enjoyable than what we have seen previously. Pulling off the rare trick of a sequel being as good as, or better than, the original is not an easy task. Yet rising to the challenge, Joseph Zito achieves the impossible, with the 3^rd sequel surpassing what has come beforehand. He joins the ranks of such luminaries as James Cameron and Francis Ford Coppola.

The Final Chapter is also notable for early appearances of some future film stars (and I use the word stars in the loosest possible term). Firstly we have Axel played by Bruce Mahler who is best known as Sergeant Fackler from the Police Academy films. You know the guy who is incredibly specky and accident prone. The laughing stock of the series (again I use the word “laughing” in the loosest possible term when referring to Police Academy). Well in The Final Chapter he plays a mortician named Axel who is one of the great sex pests, yet is somehow a hit with a nurse named Lainie (the first of many 80s lovelies in the film).

There are so many things wrong with this I don’t even know where to start. Axel. Really. Maybe I’m being harsh. In hindsight, given how much of a sexual predator he is, maybe he used to be in the gang with Loco, Ali and Fox (from part 3) and left them to reach his dream of looking after dead bodies.

Secondly, the guy from Police Academy is a winner with the ladies?

Thirdly - the guy from Police Academy is a winner with the ladies, who shows them a good time in a morgue. The mind boggles.

The next future “star” is Crispin Glover. Who, you’re asking? George McFly, Marty’s dad from the back to the future films. And if you thought George was bad with the ladies, you’ve not seen anything yet. Incredible given his dance moves......

George goes out on a high after finally scoring with a girl (hard to believe those moves worked) whilst his friend goes out high – literally. The obligatory stoner, Jason makes short work of him (as he does with most of his victims in this film. It's relentless. You barely go 5 minutes without a death.)

Finally, the real star in the making. Little Tommy Jarvis, played with aplomb by Corey Feldman. Easily the best actor in the film (not hard, granted) but the scene where he goes buck wild at the chance of seeing a set of wappers again is so true to form it is stunning. (While part 3 had a severe lack of breasticles, The Final Chapter corrects this wrong, and some!).

Now to the actual review of the film! This is a film that follows the age old horror rule that sequels have to be bigger to be better. There are more “dead f*cks” (each death more inventive than the last), more 80s lovelies (and wappers as noted before), more lovely knitwear, some stunning 80s hair jabs and more comedy (however unintentional). There are also some genuinely stunning shots here – the hint of Jason's breath in the morgue when he gets placed in storage, and the lightning strike backlighting Jason as he prepares to attack one of his victims. As discussed previously, these films are a “guilty pleasure” and you often lose out on some of the tension due to the fact that you are enjoying the sheer 80s-ness of it all. But when there are genuine jumps (of which there are a couple), these are bigger than they would be otherwise as they are so unexpected. Added to this the opening monologue / catch up for those uninitiated with the series from a group of kids you never see again, and you know that you are onto a winner.

Jason meanwhile is on sterling form. Given that this film follows on directly from 3*, which in turn followed on from 2, he has undergone one of the most incredible transformations over the few days. His hands are now black and his fingernails grow at an extraordinary rate, whilst his face has become more and more deformed. I like to think that this is a social and moral commentary from Zito reflecting the fact that with each killing Jason becomes more unattractive, only in his case it is physical. Not really, I love the fact they just wanted to make Jason more balls out and totally mangled his puss until it looked like a melted welly.

The real strengths of the film however are Trish (who has legs to high heaven and is constantly just wearing a shirt as if it constitutes a whole outfit) and Tommy Jarvis. Taking the fight to Jason, they last longer than all of his other victims (pathetic attempts at fending him off) added together. Tommy, who is more of a man than I’ll ever be – who the hell knows how to fix a car engine, he can barely even reach under the hood!) – is quick on his feet and presents one of the most balls out / freaky deaky endings you will see for a while. There is plenty to postulate on as to what happens in future instalments, and I for one can’t wait to find out.

*this film carries on from part 3 with the ambulance and police coming to pick up Jasons, and all his victims, bodies. However, this means that Chris from part 3 is left out on the lake / pond until the morning. Poor girl.

Ally's Review: Friday The 13th The Final Chapter

The word masterpiece should probably not be bandied about when discussing films like Part 4. However, Joseph Zito’s 1984 sequel was the most satisfying addition to the franchise, and since I adore this franchise surely the word masterpiece can be used? Okay possibly not, but this movie is still absolutely fantastic. It takes all the elements that made Part 3 so much fun and cranks it up several notches. The characters are more annoying and ridiculous than ever. The quality of 80s lovelies is superb. The ruthlessness of Jason (who is physically more monstrous than ever before) hits dizzying new heights – watch out for his creative way of blocking the front door of the house!

It’s difficult to know what my favourite element of this film is but I think you have to begin with the Jarvis family. Tommy and Trish are two of the best characters in any of the films and certainly give Jason all that he can handle. Corey Feldman is a delight as the impish boy-genius who would put Rick Baker out of work. I also loved the addition of the bereaved brother who is hunting Jason (albeit incredibly poorly) through the deepest, darkest woods... actually he is kind of just camping in Jarvis’ garden but that still takes guts.

Other highlights include the finest collection of cut off shorts imaginable, the appearance of George McFly, and the most extraordinary dancing ever captured on the silver screen.

Slasher movies don’t get more enjoyable than this.

Fin's Review: Friday The 13th Part III

As a massive fan of the whole Friday The 13^th saga – yes, even Jason Takes Manhattan - I love every one of the films in the series. If you accept that the original Friday The 13^th stands alone and is far and away the best of the series, it helps you view the rest of the films in the series for what they are: some of most enjoyable horror films ever made. If you can watch these films with your friends and not have a good time then you are as dead as Mrs Vorhees .

As much as I love Friday The 13^th Part II and some of the new ideas introduced - Jason’s shrine to his dead mother complete with her mummified head, his mega creepy sack mask and of course the fact that Jason is introduced for the first time - it is Friday The 13^th Part III where the franchise really takes off.

It is in this film that some of the most iconic staples of the series are established: an intoxicating mixture of 80s babes with bodies and hair to match; comedy potheads; just plain annoying douchebags; and most importantly the hockey mask, which has become one of the most recognisable images in the history of horror films (I mean, even your Mum could probably tell you that Jason wears a hockey mask).

It is also the film in which we begin to see the full gamut of Jason’s creative ways of killing people, my favourite being squeezing a guy’s head until his eye pops out for a stunning early 80s 3D money shot. Jason’s dead eye shooting with the fish harpoon alone makes the admission worth paying. All in all this is a very funny and endearing entry into one of the longest-running and most-loved series in the history of horror.

(First image via here, second image via here)

Clarky's Review: Friday The 13th Part III

Carrying on where the second film left off, Friday the 13th Part III sees Jason becoming the iconic figure we now love. The rancid sack with a hole for his left eye has gone. Not only has this improved his depth perception, and hence his efficiency in killing (with the exception of Ali who must be one of the hardest men alive to take a 30 second clubbing from Jason only to pitch up at the end of the movie with a trickle of blood on his forehead!), but it allows him to later don the iconic hockey mask after seeing off Shelly. This is a series that is iconic for Jason Voorhees. Yet he appears briefly in the first film, and doesn’t get his hockey mask until this film. Knowing what Jason looks like. it is with giddy pleasure that you see Shelly donning the mask (after playing yet another practical joke to impress the girls!) and knowing that he is next on the chopping board!



Eye-popping 80s 3D



Shelly – surely one of the most annoying characters in the series (until the next one). Friday the 13^th loves to give us characters that we cannot wait to be dispatched off as fodder for Jason, and Shelly is no exception. A prankster, and a total prick, you loathe him from the moment he steps on screen. Sure the screenwriters try to make you feel sorry for him, but you can’t. He’s a twat. And here is my biggest criticism of Part III – you never see Shelly being killed, only him showing up after Jason has slit his throat. That should have been a moment that we cheered after seeing in “eye popping” 3D, but of which we are unfortunately deprived.

There is lots to enjoy here though, the knitwear (with the exception of Mrs Voorhees tattie old sweater at the start), some incredibly funny death scenes (with tongue firmly in 3D cheek), a stoner couple smoking so much that the car appears to be on fire (they must have been high as balls – not what you want with a serial killer on the loose), and a couple genuine scares and tense moments. Most memorable is the scene where Jason is hanging outside the barn. This would be a stunning addition to any horror film.



First apperance of the famous mask



There are also some nice nods to the first film in the canon, with the hammock scene (including a reference to the make up artist Tom Savini from the first film) closely resembling Kevin Bacons iconic death in Friday the 13^th, and the final scene in the boat. Although quite what Debbie was thinking getting in a boat into, what can only be described as a knee deep pond, to escape Jason is beyond me. The dream within the dream is a bit too much, but I dare anyone to watch this film and not have a smile on their face afterwards. Sure it could be seen as another cut and paste effort of the first films, but to focus on that is to miss the joy of Jason. This weakness may also be the greatest strength of these films, they do exactly what the say on the tin. And I can’t wait for the next 7 tins of Jason!

(First image via here, second image via here)

Ally's Review: Friday The 13th Part III

Part 3 in the celebrated slasher franchise finally finds Jason hitting his stride. For the first time in the series, Jason gets his hands on the iconic machete and hockey mask. Originally made in 3D this film has a glut of unnecessary shots that make absolutely no sense when watched on a normal TV, but it all adds to the fun. I love the franchise because of its incredibly dated look, 80s breezies, predictable story and the host of annoying – 2 dimensional - characters (who are creatively cut down one by one) . This film delivers on all those fronts. Particularly enjoyable are the multi ethnic biker trio (Ali, Fox and the unforgettable Loco) and the “Springsteen is the Boss” bumper sticker. Not my favourite in the series, but a strong addition. Can’t wait for part 4 next week.