BUT “A new beginning” still has “the touch”, “the magic”, the suspense of the classic ones. In many ways, Part 5 is the best among the worst ones. And it’s certainly a good film that gains with years…

With Part 6 the saga begins its real declive, although Part VI is fun and very enjoyable BUT it has not “the classic touch”… let’s say something is missing in this movie and its followers. From 6 to this days Jason turns into some kind of “rock star with a machete”, he is almost a “GIJOE toy action figure that moves like an action character”, he is someone we see almost every minute of each new film… the darknees is gone, the fear is gone… magic is gone.

Even Harry Manfredini’s scores changed in many ways from Part 5 and followers… his scores turned into a “synth era” that makes them, if you know what I mean, almost TV-ish music scores. So, even in his music the magic is gone.

My hopes for 2024’s reboot was they’d bring back the classic feeling, the magic, the suspense, the “invisible Jason”, the Tommy Jarvis storyline…. but what wrong I was… they still show Jason as a “rock star GIJOE-ish action figure” that is scary no more.

To sum up, “Friday the 13th” (as I understand this franchise) are just four films… and it ends with Joseph Zito’s masterpiece.

I haven’t still understood the film ending LoL

(sorry for my english)
A fan from Italy

On the other hand, some of the touches are just sheer brilliance. The blink-and-you’ll miss it moment of the camera lingering over Violet’s “Stop the Slaughter!” poster just before *she* gets slaughtered was the perfect piece of dark humor, and it consistently makes me chuckle. I will also admit to liking Roy and his story. For something that takes up such a small part of the running time, it did pack a punch, at least for me. The characters stand out (though whether they do this in a good or bad way is up to the viewer).

However, even though I like part 5 and think it should have been made, I also think they did the right thing bringing Jason back in part 6.

Basically, like scabboy and others, I feel this was truely the last Exploitation-style Slasher entry of the series, and as a result, very operatically sleazy and old school slasher-iffic in places. But I ultimately feel it does have way too many characters that are ultimately just introduced for the sake of trying to have a suitably icky death of course before the MPAA steps in to enforce edits on the film makers. In short: It’s fun, but VERY flawed.

But I’ve always had a soft spot for this perverbial Black Sheep of the series. I never really minded the Pseudo-Jason/Roy Burns imposter. And some of the characters are quirky and most of the girls (in fact, I personally find ALL of them) are hot in an attainable way for us North American’s. Especially totally tubular mid ’80s New-Wave hottie Violet (Tiffany Theisen from Reform School Girls). But ultimately, I will admit the film is NOT high art in the least, even if it was never meant to be, and there is some inane and even silly & dumb dialogue and equelly silly & dumb set pieces. By this point, the series was well-versed into it’s own retro-Slasher formula, and as a result, I feel the cocaine fuiled intensions of the film makers and others really needed a tighter script that focused on Tommy and a slightly better well written group of the trouble teens at the Pinehurst halfway house.

But, alas, even with the MPAA-imposed cuts (which is another thing that ultimately makes me grop this half a grade from a C+ to just a C) it has, I’ve just always had a soft spot for this mostly anti-social and much more eccentric & quirky and even very oddly mean-spirited as all fuck entry in the series. They truely don’t make’em as inane and anti-social as this anymore.

Yup, it’s not high art in the least, but it’s the last installment that I truely enjoyed, many flaws and all, and is a solid Exploitation picture that is well worth having, even if the script and the directing (I’m sorry but Savage Streets Danny Steinmann is a fine enough guy, sleazy ‘n fun to an extreme, but someone a bit more subtle should have been hired by Paramount, and they know it) are very off-kilter in places, and it lacks some style and flare. Especially after three vastly superior films before it.

So I DO really like it in parts, but not on the level as many like the good ole’ boys of http://www.deadpit.com radio, or such. I like it just enough, and yes, it SHOULD have been made, and it should have been pretty much the same, although the Pseudo-Jason imposter ultimately needed a better story, and Tommy after his next ordeal should have shown signs of spiritually healing and leaving the institute and ultimately Essex Crystal Lake County.

And some of the characters (yes even in a fifth Friday installment) should have been more well written. I like it for what it is, and it’s a fine guilty pleasure, but I can’t help but think now every time I watch it now that it is getting it’s ass kissed now a bit TOO much on places like IMDB for being quirky & eccentric like a lot of films, and most of the acting is flat to a bit too over-to-top and ultimately like I said, I feel they needed another director and tighter script in order to seal-off the Tommy Jarvis character for this movie.

So I like it, plenty, but not a lot and I don’t just love it. So it’s not the first four superior films of the franchise, but for what it is, this flawed piece of mid ’80s New-Wave sleaze will do.

my only problem with part V is not one the common, obvious complaints. i think alot of the kills have no setup and are poorly executed. …somebody’s doing something in a scene about nothing relevant, out of nowhere cut to a shot of hands holding a weapon and swinging, quick zoom-in on the person making a stupid face, end scene. …i’m not saying there aren’t some good kills, but alot of them are kind of WTF? that’s it?