**EXTREME SPOILER**
Even devoted series fans despised "Friday the 13th, Part V." It's not because of its overall poor quality, but because this time, "Jason" is an imposter; a man seeking revenge for the death of his son. This fact is not revealed until the very end, but since it is such common knowledge among genre fans, I feel blameless in discussing it here. The truth is, the film is so arbitrary that it would have made no difference even if Jason had truly risen from his grave, where he must have been rolling for the duration of the film. Director Danny Steinmann seems to be aiming for a murder mystery type of story, suggesting that the killer may be a mental patient or some redneck. However, this element is so ineptly handled that it simply doesn't matter. It's just a bad slasher movie that lurches from one kill scene to another, peopled with cartoonishly obnoxious characters who deserve what they get. There's plenty of gore and female nudity, but even then, it never rises from the muck.
For the most part, the performances are strictly amateur night, although John Shepherd does a decent job as Tommy Jarvis, a decade or so after part 4. Shavar Ross does his best, though kid characters in horror movies are almost always annoying. (Exception: "Halloween") Melanie Kinnaman is okay; at least she doesn't embarrass herself. Otherwise, most of the actors, who shall remain nameless, deserve to have their SAG cards torn up, especially that Michael Jackson wannabe. Why do actors do these movies anyway? Are they that desperate for the money? Don't they know that appearing in a Jason flick is a guaranteed career-killer? I think one actress was denied a promising role in an Oliver Stone film for that reason. To be fair, there's little that can be done with such poor material.
The only good part is the flashback in the beginning, featuring a cameo by Corey Feldman. Otherwise, it's pure and utter drivel; poorly acted (discounting the above exceptions), written, and directed. I'm not a snob; I actually enjoyed parts 6 and 7 at times, though otherwise the films are just average slasher movies. I'm giving this one a bad review simply because I found no chills or thrills in this unfortunate sequel. I tend to be fairly critical of horror movies, and this one deserves a good thrashing. Didn't this one actually send fans protesting at Paramount's gates? See, even with the fans, you can't throw just anything at them; they know what they want too.
1/2 star (out of ****)
Released by Paramount Pictures
Even devoted series fans despised "Friday the 13th, Part V." It's not because of its overall poor quality, but because this time, "Jason" is an imposter; a man seeking revenge for the death of his son. This fact is not revealed until the very end, but since it is such common knowledge among genre fans, I feel blameless in discussing it here. The truth is, the film is so arbitrary that it would have made no difference even if Jason had truly risen from his grave, where he must have been rolling for the duration of the film. Director Danny Steinmann seems to be aiming for a murder mystery type of story, suggesting that the killer may be a mental patient or some redneck. However, this element is so ineptly handled that it simply doesn't matter. It's just a bad slasher movie that lurches from one kill scene to another, peopled with cartoonishly obnoxious characters who deserve what they get. There's plenty of gore and female nudity, but even then, it never rises from the muck.
For the most part, the performances are strictly amateur night, although John Shepherd does a decent job as Tommy Jarvis, a decade or so after part 4. Shavar Ross does his best, though kid characters in horror movies are almost always annoying. (Exception: "Halloween") Melanie Kinnaman is okay; at least she doesn't embarrass herself. Otherwise, most of the actors, who shall remain nameless, deserve to have their SAG cards torn up, especially that Michael Jackson wannabe. Why do actors do these movies anyway? Are they that desperate for the money? Don't they know that appearing in a Jason flick is a guaranteed career-killer? I think one actress was denied a promising role in an Oliver Stone film for that reason. To be fair, there's little that can be done with such poor material.
The only good part is the flashback in the beginning, featuring a cameo by Corey Feldman. Otherwise, it's pure and utter drivel; poorly acted (discounting the above exceptions), written, and directed. I'm not a snob; I actually enjoyed parts 6 and 7 at times, though otherwise the films are just average slasher movies. I'm giving this one a bad review simply because I found no chills or thrills in this unfortunate sequel. I tend to be fairly critical of horror movies, and this one deserves a good thrashing. Didn't this one actually send fans protesting at Paramount's gates? See, even with the fans, you can't throw just anything at them; they know what they want too.
1/2 star (out of ****)
Released by Paramount Pictures