Friday the 13th Part VII - The New Blood (1988)
★★★ — Friday the 13th Part VII - The New Blood (1988)
By 1988, the Friday the 13th franchise was seven entries deep and showing its age, with Paramount having offloaded the series to Sean S. Cunningham's own production company after the previous instalment underperformed. John Carl Buechler, whose background was almost entirely in creature effects and makeup (he had worked on films like Troll and acted as effects supervisor across various genre pictures), made his mainstream directing debut here, a curious choice that at least guaranteed strong prosthetic work on screen. More significantly, the film marked the first appearance of Kane Hodder as Jason Voorhees, a casting decision that would prove unusually durable, with Hodder going on to play the role in four consecutive entries.
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) leans hard into supernatural absurdity, telekinesis, ghostly possession, and a teenage psychic unleashing Jason Voorhees from his watery grave with sheer emotional trauma. The Carrie comparisons are obvious (and intentional), but it actually works in the film’s favour, giving it a distinct flavour in an increasingly stale franchise. Instead of just another group of campers getting picked off, we get a gothic tone, stormy visuals, and a final girl whose inner rage accidentally resurrects the very monster she fears. And honestly? I quite liked it. For all it's silliness it’s one of the more entertaining entries so far. The kills are creative, the practical effects are solid, and Kane Hodder makes his first appearance as Jason, bringing a physicality and menace that would define the role for years. There’s a dream logic to the whole thing that makes it feel like a nightmare you can’t wake up from. Is it good cinema? No. But within the series, it stands out, not because it’s deeper or smarter, but because it fully commits to the madness. It knows it’s ridiculous and leans in with style. Surprisingly fun, visually bold, and weirdly memorable. Not a classic by any stretch and if you’re ranking Friday films… “best so far” might not be saying much, but it’s still something.
Rating: ★★★ | Year: 1988 | Watched: 2025-10-01
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