Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood

Dir: John Carl Buechler

1988

**

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood isn't the worst Friday the 13th film but it's really not the best either. The story taps into a recurrent theme in horror films of the late 80s, the ability of telekinesis. Much like all the other horror films that feature the mythical ability, the makers really didn't understand how it worked or what it meant. It's possibly the most contrived way they could have found to resurrect the series' familiar foe. I love Mr. Kane Hodder, I've met him in real life and he is a lovely man. However, I found Jason in the Friday the 13th far more frightening. Jason had lost that bulky clumsiness that made him human and a bit more real, now he is just like Hulk Hogan in a mask. I guess it's only fair, given that he's no longer a man and more of a supernatural force, but still. Tom Savani does a great job as always but even he can't make up for what is possibly the worst ending to a film ever. The telekinesis story-line was bad enough but the way the film makers try to recreated the only aspect that made the first film great was tacky and bordering on sacrilege. Even for a cheap 80's horror sequel, it lost the little integrity it had. Thank goodness they got the hell out of Crystal Lake for the next chapter.