- Directed by Joseph Zito
- April 13, 1984
- Based on characters created by Victor Miller, Ron Kurz, Martin Kitrosser, and Carol Watson
A presumed-dead Jason escapes from the morgue and returns to Crystal Lake to continue his killing spree.
Something about Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (which it was not a final chapter) feels a little darker and more serious from the start. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Perhaps they had started to believe their own hype, but the aspects of the police presence and the morgue give it a smidge of weight that is then immediately undone by some people trying to get it on.
It’s amazing how much of this movie would be improbable today. Bits of technology now seen as a given in everyday life were non-existent for the cast of characters and made bits of the film possible. Like our eventual victims using a map and getting kinda lost on their way to a house not far from a massive murder scene blissfully unaware of the carnage that had happened within walking distance. GPS, news alerts, and the now readily accessible internet all make that ignorance and uncertainty of destination improbable.
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter is everything that you remember about 80s horror and probably not in a good way yet that’s what makes it kind of charming. Completely unlikable characters that often get killed during sex and an obsession with porn by one or more of them leading to a scene where them get stoned on weed while watching porn-as-comedy.
Kills tend to be wet with a little bit of blood but no real entrails. There is not a lot of money put into this one and I’m willing to bet a few direct to video horror films of the time had an equal or better budget. By this time the Friday the 13th franchise was a bankable name so they could afford to cut corners. Rather than go gory they focus on tight shots of shock. Maximize profits!
I am surprised by how tame visually this is by the standards of the day. Nudity on old film stock or just hinted at. Squishy sounds but no guts. Fingers may go into a face but miniscule ooze. They do save the best practical effect for the very end. If you must go cheap then give one good moment. Not only do we get a rather nice look at Jason’s (an uncredited Ted White) disfigured face. Not to ruin anything but you get a machete to his head that he slowly slides down. It has blood gushing out. There is an added pulsing effect which distracts you enough that you can’t quite focus to see how fake the head might be making it all look very convincing.
Can’t say the same for the bald cap on Corey Feldman’s head. Corey Feldman originated the character of Tommy Jarvis in this film who would become the de facto archnemesis of Jason. Not sure where the character came up with the idea to try to look like young Jason to distract him, but he did just that with a bald cap. Not that it’s a bald cap in the film. He is supposed to have cut his hair.
This is a sequel to the story arc of the first three films. You could even look at it as another part of that story rather than a more traditional sequel. The 80s did such things unintentionally a few times. As a story is more of the same with marginally defined horny teens that you dislike so the kills are approved of by you negating any genuine horror.
In addition to Corey Feldman as Tommy Jarvis, Crispin Glover appears as the movies required virgin Jimmy Mortimer. I didn’t quite recognize him mostly because he’s changed a little bit over the years. Some actors you can identify no matter how old they get but he definitely has a slightly different look. Famously he engages in a rather awkward dance scene in the part of the guy trying to get laid.
The acting is on par with most of the offerings of the time. By that I mean it’s bad! Glover and Feldman have demonstrated better abilities than this! I never liked bad acting in a horror movie. You needed to try. I watched for the kills but needed to be held by actors trying.
The movie proceeds as it proceeds. For a movie billed as a final confrontation not only does it have a tease for a sequel but it never feels like it’s building towards an epic climax. Four movies with an unstoppable killer should feel like something big, but it’s another day at the office-more or less.
I’m not exactly hating on it. As a slice of 80s horror cheese, it goes down smooth. It’s all the bad stuff fans recall fondly for some inexplicable reason. I count myself among those delusional individuals. Questionable acting. General cheapness. Victims who conveniently put themselves into a position to get killed. It’s all so bad yet is itself a type of visual comfort food.
If you like the badness of 80s horror, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter will certainly satisfy any hunger you may have for that era. If you’re looking for something with depth that will actually scare then keep looking.
Warren Watched A Movie 