Title: Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood
Director: John Carl Buechler
Writer: Manuel Fidello, Daryl Haney
Release Date: May 13, 1988
Cast: Lar Park Lincoln, Kevin Spirtas, Susan Blu, Terry Kiser, Kane Hodder (AKA the stuff of legends!)
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood Cliff’s Notes
Telekinetic/psychic teen Tina heads to the scene of her father’s death at the behest of her morally corrupt psychiatrist in order to find resolution/awaken her inner Carrie White. While she’s there, she meets up with a bunch of teens having a massive party. And then… Ch-ch-ch Ah-ah-ah.
Lecture
So, this is new… What really makes the story here work is the focus on the Tina / psychic side of the plot. Here, we get a solid actor actively trying to overcome her situation. Because this is the focus of the plot, we’re allowed to travel with her as she changes to victim to survivor, something that a number of the other F13ths don’t even try.
It also leads to one of the craziest Act Threes in all of the franchise. This is where all of the set-up of The New Blood pays off and we finally see Buechler’s strengths. The final act is a series of crazy ass set pieces that really up the ante in terms of the final girl vs. the killer set up that has dominated the series since the beginning. Here, Tina fights back hard, really showing off a set of skills that give Jason a run for his hockey money.
Alas, it’s not all hunky-dory. The first and second acts are a little uneven, so the pacing seems a little off from time to time. That combined with the fact that the teens in this house party are so poorly drafted that, even if the actors were up to the task, they’re just not interesting. Most of them read more like a collection of traits as opposed to people, and that really hurts the flick. Add to that the mucho annoying Dr. Crews – seriously, how does this man have a medical license! If he had a mustache, he’d be twirling it! – and you see a flick that starts off slow, seems lost in the middle and the explodes at the end. Not bad at all, just wish it was a little stronger getting there.
Acting
Lincoln is, by far, one of the strongest of the final girls in the franchise. Her performance manages to be both sympathetic and kick ass. There’s something really awesome about her throwing down the Jason at the end. The rest of the cast is hit or miss. Most of the characters are either obnoxiously undefined, Spirtas is probably the strongest, or just obnoxious. I couldn’t wait for Kiser to kick the bucket. Special props go to the best of the Jasons, Kane Hodder. He shows a command with the role that others just haven’t had.
Directing
When Buechler is focusing on the effects and kills, he’s hitting home runs. The integration of technique with gore effects and practical work is very well done. Alas, when he’s out of his comfort zone, it really shows. Things seem sloppy and poorly paced. Furthermore, while a few of the characters seem well developed, it’s obvious that Buechler doesn’t want to spend time with the disposable teens, so they seem like after thoughts.
Script
Hit or miss. The structure and design of the Tina story line are solid – giving plenty of time for Lincoln to shine in the process – but the supporting characters are almost paper thin. Where the most successful of the F13s hang their hat, creating a team of characters that are interesting and at least partially fleshed out, The New Blood instead focuses on developing a few smaller threads. The result is Tina and her struggles seem much more real than any of the disposable teens. Eh.
Effects
This one is kind of a mixed bag again. The MPAA gets in the way, limiting the amount of red stuff we get to see on the screen. Luckily for us, there are also a ton of well-done telekinetic bits that really shine. The chick even gets a house to fall on old hockey face! Also, the zombie Jason look is fantastic and looks fantastic.
Highlights
Tina vs. Jason. The final fight of this thing is more fun than you can swing a stick at.
Lowlights
The solution to Jason at the end of the film is, by far, the most anti-climactic of the series. Furthermore, it also creates a terrible line of reasoning about Tina’s abusive father and her relationship with him. Ho-hm.
Friday the 13th-iness
Pretty Friday the 13th–y. We’ve got the best Jason around combined with dumb teens and a few awesome cats to care about. Just about sums up the series right there.
Final Thoughts:
As a Friday the 13th movie, this is pretty standard stuff. As a nice twist on the horror genre, and a dry run for Freddy vs. Jason, this puppy is a resounding success.
Grade: B-
