Directed by:John Carl Buechler
The popular, money-making slasher series continues with Lar Park Lincoln (possibly the best leading actress in all these films) as Tina Shepard, a troubled blonde with telekinetic abilities (she can move things with her mind a la CARRIE), who is trying to come to grips with her powers with help from her mother Amanda (Susan Blu) and psychiatrist Dr. Crews (Terry Kiser). As a young girl, Tina caused the death of her abusive father, so her shrink has suggested she come back to Crystal Lake in hopes that forcing her face her past will help her overcome the trauma. At least that what he claims. Instead, Tina accidentally uses her powers to release Jason (Kane Hodder) from his underwater grave. Thankfully Mr. Voorhees finds plenty to do as a large group of young people have just rented a nearby cabin to host a birthday party. Included in that group are hunky nice guy Nick (Kevin Blair), mega-bitch Melissa (Susan Jennifer Sullivan), nerdy Sci-fi writer David (Jon Renfield), sexy Robin (Elizabeth Kaitan) and her frumpy best friend Maddy (Diana Barrows) - who are both vying for the attention of annoying stoner Eddie (Jeff Bennett), snobby yuppie couple Sandra and Russell (Heidi Kozak and Larry Cox) and bickering black couple Kate and Ben (Diane Almeida and Craig Thomas).
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So then, you want the scoop on the gore scenes? We have a decapitation, a hand thrust through a chest, a party horn stuck in an eyeball, an axe to the face (twice), a drowning, a body thrown out a window, a head crushed, a chest sawed open and, the best murder, well I won't ruin it by saying it involves a sleeping bag and a tree, but it's a hoot. The Jason design itself is excellent (this is probably the best that Jason has ever looked) and the gore FX are also very good, but unfortunately the majority of them ended up on the cutting room floor as the censors came down particularly hard on this entry. You can get a good idea of the exact damage done by checking out the extras portion on the DVD release, which shows that nearly every murder scene has been trimmed. In fact, Scream Queen Kaitan's entire murder scene had to be changed to reduce the carnage. Chances are, if these gore scenes had been passed as filmed, this entry would have a better reputation than it does. The show-down between Tina and Jason at the end is well done, though how she ultimately puts Jason down is pretty pathetic.
Aside from the telekinetic angle, this is still business as usual, though it does boast a decent and nice-looking cast. This was Hodder's first of four appearances as Jason and he would go on to become the only actor who played Jason to receive a little fame for this thankless role. Part 7 was also the number one box office draw at movie theaters the week it debuted. Director Buechler is best known as a special effects artist. Future writer and director William Butler has a small role as the unlucky birthday boy and Walter Gorney (Crazy Ralph from the first two in the series) narrates the opening recap.
So then, you want the scoop on the gore scenes? We have a decapitation, a hand thrust through a chest, a party horn stuck in an eyeball, an axe to the face (twice), a drowning, a body thrown out a window, a head crushed, a chest sawed open and, the best murder, well I won't ruin it by saying it involves a sleeping bag and a tree, but it's a hoot. The Jason design itself is excellent (this is probably the best that Jason has ever looked) and the gore FX are also very good, but unfortunately the majority of them ended up on the cutting room floor as the censors came down particularly hard on this entry. You can get a good idea of the exact damage done by checking out the extras portion on the DVD release, which shows that nearly every murder scene has been trimmed. In fact, Scream Queen Kaitan's entire murder scene had to be changed to reduce the carnage. Chances are, if these gore scenes had been passed as filmed, this entry would have a better reputation than it does. The show-down between Tina and Jason at the end is well done, though how she ultimately puts Jason down is pretty pathetic.
Aside from the telekinetic angle, this is still business as usual, though it does boast a decent and nice-looking cast. This was Hodder's first of four appearances as Jason and he would go on to become the only actor who played Jason to receive a little fame for this thankless role. Part 7 was also the number one box office draw at movie theaters the week it debuted. Director Buechler is best known as a special effects artist. Future writer and director William Butler has a small role as the unlucky birthday boy and Walter Gorney (Crazy Ralph from the first two in the series) narrates the opening recap.
Score: 4.5 out of 10
4 comments:
very much back to basics after the OTT insanity of #5 and too-clever (?) #6, i enjoyed NEW BLOOD more than ever this time around! two houses/party set-up recalls PART 4. terry kiser's "bad news" crews might be the first true villain in the series (i forget already). best finale since FINAL CHAPTER, even if tina's super-powers mean she's never really in peril.
Ah this review is so old that it was done before I converted over to my star system! These all need replaced at some point!
I think this may have been the first F13 film I EVER watched as a kid. I honestly think it would be considered one of the top ones had they not butchered all of the murder scenes, some of which were downright brutal if you've ever seen that reel of cut footage. Can't remember any human villains prior - just some unpleasant minor characters. Been a long time since I watched Part 6 but I remember the Sheriff being a complete ass, though I don't know if he'd be considered an outright villain or not.
i think the sheriff from #6 was just the usual stubborn authority figure.
[forget that they never fished tina's father's body out of the lake, my main question was why bitchy cruel melissa would be in that friend-group!!]
I think Melissa would have played better in a high school setting where her having money and being good looking would have still made her popular regardless of her being an awful person but I don't think many 20-somethings would willingly put up with her! I do remember most of them weren't very nice to Tina, except Nick and maybe Maddy. The sci-fi nerd guy felt REALLY out of place with that group as well.
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