Now we come to the divisive entry in the series, which has become a bit of a tired issue to be honest so I'll be brief with it. Part V is known for being 'That one without Jason' and like 'Halloween III' the film has been the punching bag of the franchise for decades now. However, like 'Halloween III' it now has it's own little following among 'Friday' fans, giving it a sort of cringy hipster aspect to it. Let me be upfront with this: I was unaware of this supposed hatred for 'A New Beginning' for many years and grew up watching it just as much as any other entry and now looking at the film critically, it's more of a highlight than many of the later films. That being said, it's also not this amazing experience the hipster fans would have you think either. It's just another 'Friday the 13th' but it's a fun 'Friday the 13th' with ridiculous and funny characters, random silly moments, grindhouse sleaze, and the highest body count of the series (even with the many edits thanks to the MPAA). You're already at a disadvantage if you are going into these 'Friday' films expecting anything but cheesy fun so it's best to just sit back and watch the silliness unfold.
'Jason Lives' was my absolute favorite in the series when I first saw them all during one big weekend marathon and it's aged pretty well since. While meta humor in film is really nothing new, this is one of the better examples in the horror genre long before 'Scream' would claim the term for itself nearly 20 years later. When the movie opens with Jason being resurrected by a bolt of lightning like the Frankenstein monster and the title sequence is a parody of the famous James Bond gunbarrel opening you should probably not be taking this too seriously. The meta humor is shown even through Jason's kills like a man being thrown against a tree and his blood smearing onto a smiley face carved into it. You also have the fourth wall breaking, the references, and taking the tropes and having some fun little differences with them. 'Friday Part VI' is the party movie of the franchise, a movie that's just there to entertain the audience and have a fun atmosphere while still delivering on what you'd expect. It's easily in the top list of the movies.
'Friday the 13th Part VII' is a popular entry for many and I can see why. It's the first to see fan favorite Kane Hodder playing Jason for the first of many times and he does elevate the movie somewhat. However, in my opinion I think Kane just got the raw end of the deal with these movies and stars in the weaker or outright bad sequels. Now 'The New Blood' isn't terrible really and the final fight between Jason and Tina is an awesome display of special effects work, but sadly the film's problems are down to the troubled production and of course the damned MPAA once again. Every single kill in this movie is cut to the point where they have no impact or memorability whatsoever. The producers also caused drastic script changes and an alternate ending that just feels rushed. It's just not a good movie compared to others in the series, but I can't really blame the director or Kane Hodder and I don't but I have to review the final product as is and it's a low point for me.
I used to really love this movie as a kid, and I remember renting it a lot more than others. I don't really know what I saw in this one because while not as terrible as others would tell you 'Jason Takes Manhattan' is easily the worst of the original Paramount series and a super weak climax to a decade long streak. I do really enjoy the look of this film compared to others in the series and it's easily one of the best visually. I also don't really hate the idea of the film taking place on a ship, and really given the film's low budget is what they should have done. Like 'A New Beginning', this one gets a lot of crap due to false advertising and being overly ambitious despite a low budget slasher. The kills are also almost 'PG-13' levels and even when you see the uncut footage on the disc this is a tame movie when compared to the others. The worst thing of all however is Jason's design, which is easily the cheapest and laziest incarnation especially when the previous film's makeup was so impressive. He has a muppet face and green slime thrown all over him. And then of course the film's ending is probably the dumbest and most non-sensible finales of any film. 'Jason Takes Manhattan' isn't the worst and I can sit through it once in a blue moon or during a marathon but man it's just a goofy bore. The whole issue with a lack of New York City isn't even the top three of this flick's biggest issues.
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (B+)
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (A)
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (C+)
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (D)
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