Friday the 13th, Part VII: The New Blood (Deluxe Edition) – DVD Review

The Film:

By the time Friday the 13th-Part VII: The New Blood came around, Paramount wanted the filmmakers to do something different. Part V was a disaster, giving us a copy cat Jason, so they gave us him back in Jason Lives, a reinvigorating take on the character. That film was also a key turning point for Jason, marking his first outing as a “zombie”. I think the “zombie” version of Jason is his most famous time, mostly due to the character’s ever growing popularity.

Keeping with that “let’s shake up the formula,” Friday the 13th-Part VII: The New Blood gives Jason his most dangerous opponent, but also, in my opinion, is the most far-fetched film in the series. In this, Jason goes one-on-one with a reluctant teenager with the power of telekinesis. Essentially, Jason versus Carrie, I just find the whole thing ridiculous, even more so than him in space. Yeah, I said it. Tina (Lar Park Lincoln) is trying to recover from a traumatic past with the death of her father, and is at Crystal Lake with her doctor, trying to figure out her ability, and help her with her turmoil. But as the doctor sees an opportunity to exploit Tina, her rage allows the telekinesis power to go awry, awaking a seemingly dead Jason, who was forced to the bottom of the lake at the end of Part VI. Jason lives, and kids die.

I might seem down on this entry, and I’ll admit is far from my personal favorite, but I think each film in this series has ample charm to love, and is a key reason for fans, and even, myself to revisit the film. John Carl Buechler drops the humor from the previous entry, but gives us a lot of gory fun. Of course, this film, like many of the other Friday the 13ths were cut and almost hurt by the MPAA-Jason’s greatest rival, but we do get some sweet kills. The formula is pretty much the same, here, but the film goes bonkers with Tina’s showdown with Jason. In fact, it’s a lot of fun, even if it is kooky. Jason takes a licking this time out, perhaps his most vicious beating, until Freddy decided it was time to throw down. Tina gives Jason a lot to defend against, using her power to throw objects at him. There is a clever, yet subtle bit of confusion in Jason’s face in their final fight together, like the King of the Kill is even helpless against her.

Even with some plot holes, pacing issues during the middle of the film, and the overall wackiness of Jason battle a Carrie character, you cannot talk about this film with out talking about Kane Hodder. This was Kane’s first appearance as Jason, and he would continue to pick up the machete for three more pictures. He brings an intensity to Jason, not really ever seen before. With other Jason’s, they seem to lurk in the shadows, and stalk. Hodder is a bulldozer who crashes right through those horny teenagers. His presence is so iconic here as Jason, you can see a direct lineage from how Hodder crafted his Jason, into the newer killers from the remakes today. They’re all huge, mean, wrecking balls-of-a-man, err, killer. Also, the Hodder years had the best Jason masks.

The DVD:

Audio/Video: Paramount is continuing with their new Deluxe Editions of the Friday films, and each film is looking better and better. Picture quality is as good as Part VII has ever looked. Bright colors, sharp detail, very little source damage, making this a nice upgrade from the previous bare bones release, and a mild improvement over the version in the box set. With no Blu-ray set for this film, this is the best it will look. The audio is just as good. Nice sound separation and some bass. The new Dolby Digital 5.1 track is also probably the best its sounded on home video.

Commentary: Sporting a new track with the director and stars Lincoln and Hodder (on the phone), all is fun and light hearted. You’ll get some fun tidbits, especially from Hodder. While not the most informative or thorough track, it’s a pleasure for fans of the film and the series to check out once.

Jason’s Destroyer: Making of The New Blood: I enjoyed this feature more than the commentary, as they round up everyone for interviews. By doing this, they keep it all on track and get the good stuff fans want.

Mind Over Matter: Truth on Telekinesis: This is a fun tangent piece on the nature of telekinesis. I really enjoy when film’s bonus material take a side step into something unique and rewarding, that still relates to the film.

Slashed Scenes: Screw you, MPAA! We got DVD! Here are the deleted gore scenes, once deemed to brutal for a R-rating, with an separate intro to them. They’re in rough shape, but Friday fans will rejoice. The must watch extra on the disc.

Makeover Maddy: Um, well, girls are getting made over with make-up. Odd…

Conclusion: Friday fans will have their favorites from the series, and while it features Hodder’s first appearance as Jason, some neat make-up FX, and a kooky idea for a story, it’s not exactly the Friday I’ll immediately pop in. That should sway you away from this awesome new Deluxe Edition from Paramount. Fans, this is a must own.

The Film: Rating:

The DVD: Rating: