Friday the 13th Part 5: A New Beginning

This probably ranks as the single most hated film in the entire series, as the killer turns out to not actually be Jason, but just a copycat (this is similar to the mass hatred of Halloween 3 for not having Michael Myers in it, regardless of how it’s still one of the best in the series). The people who have a blind hatred for this film based on that (and there are a great many of them out there) are fools.

This is, of course, the second film in the Tommy Trilogy, and Corey Feldman, aside from an opening scene in a dream sequence, has been replaced by an adult version played by John Shepherd. Surprisingly enough, after a childhood spent chopping a deranged killer to little bits, he’s now a rather emotionally troubled adult, and the film opens (after the dream and credits) with him getting shipped off to a home for disturbed teens. This gives us the sheer joy that is the Mentally Disturbed Hero, as he just goes completely bucknutty on a couple people, giving them some just delightful beatdowns just to keep everyone in line. This film is also notable for having the single most gorgeous women in the entire series, and if there’s only a couple really memorable kills in it, there’s still a lot more nudity than any of the other films, and I must say it’s very appreciated.

I will say, in defense of the haters of this movie, that the film’s big flaw does come in the form of the killer’s poor motivation. Just to spoil it for you here, he turns out to be a paramedic who gets called to the Home for the Criminally Insane Tommy is at after an incredibly annoying fat kid there gets murdered by another resident, only to find that the fat kid that got killed was his own son *Da-DUUN*. Naturally this sends him on a murderous rampage, and naturally he would decide to dress himself like the town’s most famous slasher to deflect suspicion away from himself, but I really must question his choice in victims. I can accept that he would blame the halfway house or whatever the hell it’s supposed to be for killing his boy and would target them, even if the one who actually killed his kid was arrested right there in front of him and is never seen again. What I cannot accept is how he kills like half a dozen other people that have no connection to the place, and for the most part only show up to accomodatingly die (and in one case get obligingly topless before accomodatingly dying). It just seems random, really.

By the way, for those following along to this box set with me, pay attention to the comment by the police chief about how Jason’s body was cremated after his death, and see how well that jibes with his corpse appearing in a grave in the next film. Continuity is for fools, I say.

Rating: ***