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

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)

The New Blood follows Tina Shepard, who, after going to Camp Crystal Lake at the behest of her doctor, accidentally unleashes Jason from his watery tomb, driving her to use her telekinetic powers to get rid of him for good. 

Originally meant to be Freddy vs Jason, Friday the 13th Part VII instead went a different route and took all of the supernatural elements from the previous three and went full send here, giving us what most fans now call Carrie vs Jason. While not actually Carrie, it’s hard not to notice the similarities between her and Tina, an emotionally compromised teen with telekinetic powers that kill. With her introduction however, marks the distinct moment in the Friday series where the franchise jumps shark and never goes back, relying on cheap gimmicks and lousy concepts to tell Jason’s story, though it isn’t bad here. 

The film’s only real fault, aside from a little too much needless conflict in Tina’s story, would have to be the violence. Part VII is infamous for the MPAA forcing them to cut back on the gore and it really shows, leaving us with some of the weakest kills in the series, when in reality, they were some of the best before they got cut to bits (the original uncut deaths, along with John Carl Buechler wonderful commentary exist online). Having such a gnarly Jason this time around, only to have him bonk people on the head and kill them is just a real disservice to Kane Hodder’s menacing portrayal and the character in general. 

Part VII sports a decent cast, starring Diana Barrows, Jon Renfield, Elizabeth Kaitan, Susan Blu, Susan Jennifer Sullivan, Terry Kiser, Kevin Spirtas, Kane Hodder, and Lar Park Lincoln. Lincoln’s Carrie portrayal actually works quite well, turning her into more of a good, misunderstood character who only uses her powers in the face of evil. And what an evil to act opposite her, with Hodder’s take on Jason acting as one of the best yet; a serious highlight of this film. 

The New Blood, directed by John Carl Buechler, is a surprisingly solid Friday film, that while a little campy and seriously lacking in the kills department, still manages to be a fun follow up and a major change for the series towards the way of gimmicky concepts and supernatural nonsense. 

7.3/10