Lumbering Invulnerability: Friday the 13th Part VII - The New Blood (1988)
My dear readers, though steady progress is by far the most satisfying result of one’s labors, there are still those undeniable moments when a diligently crafted effort must be laid to rest so that something greater can grow in its place. I, for example, recently had the opportunity to start fresh after spending a year or two dabbling in a little non-critical prose. I was distressed to learn that the entirety of the narrative I had been building in my spare moments had been covered by Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women (*) and though it took a bit of time for the waves of rage and jealousy to pass, the relief I felt after disposing of the manuscript and setting fire to the wing of the house in which it was composed was positively purifying. I suspect I will be able to revive my efforts on a new subject in the very near future.
Tina using her tremendous superhuman gifts to ignite a combustable product
I am sure the producers of the formidable Friday the 13th series felt that same jubilation when embarking on their own fresh start, The New Blood. Despite having already produced Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, the seventh installment in this series distinguishes itself from the rest by introducing the franchise’s most capable heroine. As a youngster, Tina Shepherd (Lar Park-Lincoln) was a gifted telekinetic who had yet to reign in her impressive powers. While still not quite in control of her emotions or her latent psychic abilities, she manages to make manifest a child’s petulant wish for their parent’s demise and inadvertently dooms her father. This unfortunate incident makes quite an impression on the young Ms. Shepherd and the psychic scars linger well into early adulthood.
Years later, Tina returns to the scene of her father’s death and hopes to shed some emotional baggage with the aid of portable psychologist Dr. Crews (Terry Kiser). Unfortunately, Crews takes a scientific interest in his patient that tests the bounds of professionalism and his agitating techniques turn Tina’s unchecked abilities to their full volume. Her psychic discharge unwittingly unshackles noted fornication opponent Jason Vorhees (Kane Hodder), who soon resumes the sort of violent behavior that powered the franchise through six previous chapters. Many bodies later, Tina and Jason emerge ready for a showdown where her telekinesis is tested against his lumbering invulnerability.
Jason's time under water has not favorably affected his complexion
Rumor has it that by this point in the series, the producers were a bit put out by the lack of critical acclaim and sought to make the first Jason movie that would win an Oscar. Though the Academy did not come calling, there are, nevertheless, merits heretofore unseen in the series. The teenage fodder have distinguishing personality traits and the script features several jokes, both novel additions for a series that had developed a reputation for both interchangeable characters and a lack of levity. It also features the introduction of Kane Hodder, the man who turned playing Jason Vorhees into a serious craft.
Sadly, Mr. Hodder performance is truncated due to an impassioned censorial campaign launched by the Motion Picture Association of America and his first murder scenes have been edited down to mere blips. Though it does significantly reduce one of the film’s greater pleasures, the filmmakers can hardly be faulted by this philistine assault. Like Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons, it stands as a powerful testament to the film that might have been if it had avoided being marred by malevolent interference.
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood runs 88 minutes and is rated R.
(*) Alcott's version has fewer scorpions but otherwise they were identical - Penny Dee, Ed.
