Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)

Years after Tommy Jarvis chained him underwater at Camp Crystal Lake, the hulking killer Jason Voorhees returns to the camp grounds when he is released accidentally by a teenager with psychic powers.

Director:

John Carl Buechler

Writers:

Daryl Haney, Manuel Fidello,

Stars:

Jennifer Banko, John Otrin, Susan Blu

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jennifer Banko	...	Young Tina Shepard
John Otrin	...	Mr. John Shepard
Susan Blu	...	Mrs. Amanda Shepard
Lar Park-Lincoln	...	Tina Shepard
Terry Kiser	...	Dr. Crews
Kevin Spirtas	...	Nick (as Kevin Blair)
Susan Jennifer Sullivan	...	Melissa
Heidi Kozak	...	Sandra
Kane Hodder	...	Jason Voorhees
William Butler	...	Michael
Staci Greason	...	Jane
Larry Cox	...	Russell
Jeff Bennett	...	Eddie
Diana Barrows	...	Maddy
Elizabeth Kaitan	...	Robin

Storyline

Lying dormant at the bottom of Camp Crystal Lake, Jason Voorhees is released from his watery grave by a telekinetic girl. And so the killing begins again. Can she use her powers to stop Jason, or is he back for good?

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Plot Keywords:

jason voorhees | telekinesis | teen | scythe | thrown through a window | 

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Taglines:

On Friday the 13th, Jason is back. But this time, someone's waiting

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

X

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 May 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Friday the 13th Part 7

Filming Locations:

Kelly Gulch - 1801 North Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Topanga Canyon, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,800,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$19,170,001 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Friday Four Films Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Original writer Daryl Haney was sacked after his agent contacted executive producer Frank Mancuso Jr. and told him that Haney would not do any more work on the project unless he received a large pay increase (even though Haney had never told his agent to do any such thing). The screenplay was completed by a second, unknown writer, who was credited as Manuel Fidello.

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Goofs

As Tina swerves off of the road after seeing her mum get killed by Jason in the middle of the road, if you look in the back of the car, you can see a camera set up, filming the shots in the back seat.

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Quotes

Nick: Melissa, just stay here with us
Melissa: It's not my style
Nick: DON'T GO OUT THERE!
Melissa: [Right before Jason appears at the door and axes her right in the face] FUCK YOU! NO, THE FUCK YOU BOTH!

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Connections

Referenced in Lightning Bug (2004)

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Soundtracks

"The Real Thing"
Written by Cameron Hawkins, Nash the Slash and Michael Waite
Performed by FM
Courtesy of Duke Street Records

User Reviews

Jason really gets his this time around.

Back in 1988, when the attempts to do a Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees title fight just weren't paying off, Jason ended up doing battle with a different foe - an unstable teenage girl with psychic visions and telekinetic abilities, and as many fans have pointed out, this may just as well have been sub titled "Jason vs. Carrie". This high concept pays off pretty well in a very amusing finale wherein Jason, like never before, is subjected to extended physical punishment. But before we get there, we get mostly the same tried and true formula, as a typical assortment of none too bright young adults meet their maker by coming to the woods intending to party. What helps in this case is the reasonably compelling story of the very troubled Tina (the sexy Lar Park Lincoln, displaying a convincing amount of vulnerability), at war with her own inner demons and with her despicable psychiatrist, Dr. Crews, who's far more interested in her abilities than with her. This would actually be a pretty good story with or without Jason's involvement. But our favourite hockey masked psychopath still adds a great bit of sadistic flair to the proceedings. The kills unfortunately are not everything they could be with the inventive and barbaric murders devised by effects expert / director John Carl Buechler whittled down to practically nothing in order to satisfy the MPAA. As a result, this respectably entertaining entry in the series isn't altogether satisfying, although it definitely has its moments. Lots of people, including this reviewer, do love that sleeping bag kill. Making his debut as Jason after working with Buechler on "Prison", Kane Hodder invests Jason with genuine physical menace and a sense of incredible rage. This is a guy aching to do some serious damage. Jason has a great look this time around, face and body alike, with Buechler doing an admirable job of creating a sort of "damage continuity". It leads up to an engaging finale where Tina throws everything at Jason that she can. The first entry not entirely scored by Harry Manfredini, it uses some of his earlier compositions as well as new ones from Fred Mollin, the composer for the F13 TV series. Some of the supporting performances are good, with Susan Jennifer Sullivan a perfect bitch as the snooty Melissa who has her eyes on Nick, played by the likable Kevin Spirtas, who understandably prefers the much nicer Tina. Kiser, best known as Bernie in the "Weekend at Bernie's" films, is superb as the psychiatrist who's just as much a villain as Jason himself. It's appreciable, also, how "Crazy Ralph" is brought back, in a way, as Ralph portrayer Walt Gorney is the man doing the opening narration. Overall, pretty enjoyable stuff. Seven out of 10.