Vendredi 13, chapitre V : Une nouvelle terreur

There are a few "Friday" fans out there that can actually enjoy this film for what it is instead of complaining about what it's not.

Yes, the plot is a big departure from the previous films, but once you get over it, it's a pretty fun '80s slasher film with plenty of creative kills and some great chase sequences.

The acting is surprisingly solid for a series' fifth entry as well. I really never understood the complaints about the acting in these films, as to me it's always been passable and certainly above most of the slasher rip-offs the decade was littered with.

This time, the action takes place at a halfway house in the sticks where Tommy Jarvis, survivor of the previous bloodbath, comes to stay after an undetermined amount of time in a mental hospital. But Tommy can't seem to catch a break, as the bodies of the troubled kids soon begin piling up after his arrival. Is it Jason? Tommy? One of the locals who has a grudge against the disturbed kids? I won't spoil that here.

This film has the highest body count in the series, with barely enough time to breathe before the next murder is set up. Thankfully, the series retains its creative flair when it comes to dispatching the victims. Some highlights include a head crushed against a tree with a leather strap, a road flare being improperly used, and a death in an outhouse. There's also a nice moment you can only get in '80s horror involving a girl doing the Robot dance in her bedroom to Pseudo Echo's catchy song "His Eyes." Terrific.

If there's anything that sets this sequel apart from its brothers and sisters, it's the overall tone of the film, which is much darker this time around. This can be good or bad, depending on what you prefer: a fun slasher sequel like part 3, this is not.

The final 20 minutes really get the action going as well. Fans of nudity will also rejoice, as this has the most pair of breasts shown in a "Friday the 13th" film to date.

I found this better than part four, which I realize puts me on a chopping block with other fans. But I call it like I see it.

I can already start by saying that this is just another film in this franchise. He is not the worst of the entire saga, but he is of such a low level of quality that he almost causes you depression. All the dumb choices that are made during this movie irritate in an inexplicable way. The worst part of the whole movie is in the characters, where in addition to being uninteresting, they are very forced. The actors manage to be so insufferable playing the characters that you get annoyed with them all. The way they try to act crazy becomes comical, but not in a way that makes you laugh, a humor you'd rather pierce your own eyes with than rewatch those scenes. Don't watch this movie if you're having a good day, it could ruin your day.

What a waste of a film. This was more like the Scooby-Doo type of movie where Fred says "let's see who this really is, behind the Jason mask". For those who have not seen this could watch it for interest, but Ii must say that it was a waste of a film. If you pay close attention to the film, the killer practically gives himself away.

That wily rascal Jason Voorhees is at it again....or is he? Yes, this is the installment in the interminable "Friday the 13th" series that thought it would be a good idea to do without its only reason for existence...the hockey-masked Jason. Though you hardly notice the loss, since you don't KNOW it's not Jason until the film's final moments, and the copycat killer dresses like Jason anyway, so what's the difference? If you've seen one axe-wielding psycho in a hockey mask, you've seen them all.

Actually, I kind of like this entry. It provides the best nudity of the series....no fewer than three gratuitous boob shots, and nice boobs they are. And it's funny, sometimes intentionally so, as when the hillbilly mom calls her dufus son a dildo, sometimes unintentionally, as when the Michael Jackson look alike sings a duet with his girlfriend through an outhouse wall while he's on the crapper.

And the filmmakers outdo themselves with the body count this time around. By the end of the movie, there's no longer time to show them being killed off. Characters you've completely forgotten about just pop up as dead bodies. But what do you expect with all that plot to get through? Compared to the other films in the series, this is practically "War and Peace," what with the murder mystery story and the Tommy Jarvis plot line, which attempts to add a sense of continuity to the middle batch of movies (o.k. so Part 6 picks up Tommy's storyline in a completely different place and with a different actor, but for a series like this that's the best you can hope for in the way of consistency).

Grade: C

This movie is bad, but for some reason I watch it over and over again. It seems more like a made for TV movie, but it's still good. It's at the bottom of my list as one of my favorites right above Jason Goes To Hell. The story isn't all that bad, it's just the lack of blood when someone gets their head split open and the acting is pretty bad. Don't get me wrong it's still part of the series and it's not that bad, give it a chance.