Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
Warning! Mature Content!
This following work contains material and themes that may include coarse language (albeit censored due to New Qualitipedia rules), sexual references, and/or graphic violent images that may be disturbing to some viewers. |
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 "This Friday the 13th, Jason meets his maker."
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Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter is a 1984 American slasher film directed by Joseph Zito, produced by Frank Mancuso Jr., and starring Kimberly Beck, Corey Feldman, Crispin Glover, and Ted White. It is the fourth (and originally intended to be the final) installment in the Friday the 13th film series. Picking up immediately after the events of Part III, the plot follows Jason Voorhees (White) as he escapes from a morgue and returns to Crystal Lake to continue his killing spree. The film also introduces Tommy Jarvis (Feldman), a young boy who serves as a major foil to Jason and returns as the protagonist of the following two installments.
Plot
A carefree lakeside vacation is interrupted by the re-emergence of serial killer Jason Voorhees (Ted White). After he escapes from a morgue, leaving bodies in his wake, Jason travels to Camp Crystal Lake where a group of friends is staying. The teens meet some locals: Tommy (Corey Feldman) and Trish (Kimberly Beck), as well as secretive hiker Rob (Erich Anderson). As the group of teenagers engages in drunken debauchery, their numbers begin to dwindle, and pieces of the past resurface.
Why It Rocks
- The film is a huge improvement from parts II and III.
- Jason is still an awesome villain and is more terrifying than ever.
- For once you care about the characters that aren't just Jason Voorhees himself.
- Tommy is a great protagonist, and Trish is a decent secondary lead.
- Lots of memorable minor characters like Rob, Jimbo, Axel, and the twins.
- The suspenseful and creepy moments are still pretty effective.
- Tom Savini returns to deliver some awesome kills and gore effects.
- The atmosphere is still very eerie and well-done.
- Harry Manfredini's musical score is great yet again.
- The storyline is well-written.
- The climax is just as awesome as it was in the previous three films.
- The performances are very well-acted.
- Because this film has a recap of the first three films, you can watch this one on its own without having to watch the others.
- "Hey, Ted! Where the hell's the corkscrew?!"
Bad Qualities
- There are still a few boring filler moments.
- Some of the characters, specifically Doug, Sara, and Samantha, are quite forgettable.
- It never explained how Jason survived an axe to his head, and his death, which was originally supposed to be his definitive end, is more so the same kind of thing.
- "Oh god, he's killing me! He's killing me!"
- Weird nonsensical scenes such as the Aerobicise: The Beautiful Workout.
Reception
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter received generally negative reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter holds a 23% approval rating based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 4.27/10. The consensus reads: "As lumberingly single-minded as its homicidal star, Friday the 13th - The Final Chapter adds another rote entry to an increasingly labored franchise."
Despite the negative reviews, the film received positive reviews by fans alike, with a 3.2 score on Letterboxd.