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

Director:

John Carl Buechler

Writers:

Manuel Fidello (writer)
Daryl Haney (writer)

Release Date:

13 May 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Tagline:

On Friday the 13th, Jason will meet his match.

Plot:

Years after Tommy Jarvis chained him underwater at Camp Crystal Lake, the hulking killer Jason Vorhees returns to the camp grounds when he's released accidently by a teenager with psychic powers.

Plot Keywords:

Crystal Lake | Telekinesis | Jason Voorhees | Teen | Stabbed In The Neck

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Kane Hodder	...	Jason Voorhees
Lar Park-Lincoln	...	Tina Shepard
Susan Jennifer Sullivan	...	Melissa
Kevin Spirtas	...	Nick (as Kevin Blair)
Terry Kiser	...	Dr. Crews
Susan Blu	...	Mrs. Amanda Shepard
Heidi Kozak	...	Sandra
William Butler	...	Michael
Staci Greason	...	Jane
Larry Cox	...	Russell
Jeff Bennett	...	Eddie
Diana Barrows	...	Maddy
Elizabeth Kaitan	...	Robin
Jon Renfield	...	David
Michael Schroeder	...	Dan

Also Known As:

Birthday Bash (USA) (fake working title)
Friday the 13th: The New Blood - Part 7 (UK) (DVD box title)

Runtime:

90 min | UK:84 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | USA:R (certificate #29206) | Singapore:(Banned) | Sweden:15 | Netherlands:16 | Brazil:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Canada:R | France:-12 | Norway:18 | UK:18 | West Germany:18 | Mexico:C | South Korea:18 | Finland:K-18

Filming Locations:

Bay Minette, Alabama, USA

Company:

Friday Four Films Inc.

Trivia:

Director John Carl Buechler stated that he clashed with associate producer Barbara Sachs continuously over many ideas that he had for the film. This included showing Jason unmasked for a quite a bit of the movie. She vetoed the idea, but he ended up going behind her back and filming it anyway. He also stated that the final sequence of Tina's father coming out of the water was to be more elaborate and feature full prosthetics and a life size dummy. That sequence was completely over ruled and he ended up filming what he considers an inferior version of the sequence.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Obvious stunt double for Tina as she drops the porch roof on Jason. Her hair becomes a smooth blonde wig.

Quotes:

Maddy: Need a little touch-up-work my ass.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005)

Soundtrack:

Take The Time To Dream

The Debut Of Kane Hodder As Jason

Viewers of this movie are witness to yet another Jason resurrection when an emotionally unstable teenager (Lar Park Lincoln) who accidentally killed her father years ago returns to Crystal Lake and inadvertently releases Jason from his watery tomb. Everybody in the cast is doomed...

An "F13" entry that runs hot and cold. At times it's pretty bad, with characters and dialog that are not merely aggravating but infuriating (and in the case of Dr. Crews (Terry Kiser), reprehensible). Yet, the idea of a female hero with telekinesis proving to be more than a match for Jason is definitely worthy. Yes, it's a high concept "F13" entry: "Carrie Vs. Jason" would certainly have been an apt subtitle for the movie.

Stuntman Kane Hodder, in his first of four appearances as Jason, proves to be the best of the Jason performers due to real forcefulness and physical menace in the role.

The showdown between Tina (the heroine) and Jason isn't quite earth-shattering but it does prove to be worth sticking around for.

The "F13" movies were getting more ethnically diverse (starting in Part V) but still weren't quite what you could call politically correct.

By the way, there is one incredibly stupid continuity error that I fail to comprehend: in Part VI, the "Crystal Lake" area was renamed "Forest Green". Now it's called "Crystal Lake" again? [Note the name on a road sign.] What did they do, change the name back?!!?

Despite its faults, it's a respectable series entry overall.

7/10