2020 October Horror Challenge #29: "Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood"

 

I've always liked this movie. I saw it on TV in college, and I was impressed for how good it was even though it's the seventh movie in a series. I guess I expected the studio to be phoning it in by this point, but I think this is the best "part 7" of any series I know. I was excited to check it out again this year and see if it still holds up.

So in this movie, Jason Voorhees is still trapped at the bottom of Crystal Lake after the events of the sixth movie (you'd think he would be able to free himself after years, but I guess he's powerful enough to do anything but break through a chain). A young girl with telekinetic powers causes a horrible tragedy at Crystal Lake, and years later she's grown into a troubled teenager who is back at the Lake under the care of her doctor and her mother, trying to heal her trauma by getting over the past. Unfortunately,  her powers help free Jason, and he starts hacking up the locals, so she has to stop him before it's too late. 

I don't have the highest opinion of psychiatrists in general,  but the one in this movie pisses me off in particular. He's so smarmy and condescending that I wanted to stab him myself and not wait for Jason to do it. The young girl is played by Lar Park Lincoln, and she really does a good job with her performance. I was definitely rooting for her to get out of the clutches of Dr. Death and find a way to survive on her own. I was also intrigued to see someone who was finally a match for the unstoppable Jason. Her powers help her fight him on his level, which is an extension of how the final girl used psychology to fight him in the second movie. That was a fun little connection I noticed.

There are some annoying party goers in the woods too staying in another cabin, so there are plenty of victims for Jason to Massacre in his spare time while he waits for the big showdown with psychic girl that we all know is coming. There's also a twist at the end that makes it much cooler than it would have been otherwise. Overall I still like this movie a lot and I'm glad it holds up to the fond memories I have of it.