Vendredi 13 : Chapitre final

Joseph Zito, the director hauled in to oversee this fourth installment, previously directed the wretched "The Prowler", the wooly but entertaining "Invasion USA", and would go on to direct the shot-in-South Africa "Red Scorpion" (with Dolph Lungren). Since "The Prowler" was such a stinker, it's hard to see how Zito got the job. Maybe he was a master romancer and could talk actresses out of clothes because this episode in the "Friday" franchise has more nubile nudity and panty shots than any previous entry. It is also the goriest since the original with Savini returning as the effects adviser.

Jason is resurrected from gory pieces and returns to his old ways after a stint on a slab. He has a grudge for a particular family and must tangle with resourceful horror fan and pint-sized weirdo Tommy (Corey Feldman).

Just as the nudity and short shorts levels are elevated, so is the suspense. Using "The Prowler" as a guide on not what to do in a slasher, Zito creates some genuine unease and keeps things moving at a fast and bloody clip. The Euro version of this film, which is the one I have, is gorier than the US version and sexier, too.

The next installment proved to be one of the worst; so if you're going to subject yourself to one "Friday" sequel, choose this.

I've seen every Friday the 13th movie more than once. I'm a horror completist, what can I say, and Friday the 13th happens to be one of the more campy and fun horror franchises out there. The first three were fine - all had great ideas, great kills, and great atmosphere. Unfortunately, there was at least one thing off in each of those movies. The original's climactic ending hasn't aged well and some shots linger for way too long, and some parts of Part III felt clunky and poorly paced. Part IV isn't perfect either, but it's a step above its predecessors for a number of reasons.

1. The acting - No one watches horror for the acting, I understand that, but when a horror movie has a likable cast and characters you can relate to and root for, it makes the experience all the more enjoyable. Crispin Glover is great as a nerdy, horny white boy and his dancing skills are unmatched. The lead girl and the rest of the supporting cast are all convincing as well, and the boy Tommy Jarvis actually isn't annoying for a child actor. In fact, he's pretty darn good.

2. The nudity - No one watches horror for the- okay, some people watch horror for the nudity, and boy is there nudity in this one. For the "final" chapter the crew went all out, throwing two gorgeous sisters and numerous blondes into the mix and having all of them show their tits and ass. Yeah, both, and although its gratuitous and adds nothing to the plot, it's a nice break from the bloodbaths and I'd take a little eye candy over forced dialogue in a horror movie any day of the week.

3. The pacing - The movie begins with Jason's "dead" body being sent to the morgue, and it isn't long before the body count ensues. The hospital scene is excellent for a few reasons. One, it has two characters that have less than five minutes of screen time but more personality than anyone from the first two F13s, and two, their deaths are awesome. It's a briskly paced movie and surprisingly keeps a large amount of its cast alive for a majority of the film, yet there are enough disposable characters to keep the body count going. It's a great balance.

Everything else comes down to good writing and good directing. I like the addition of a family, I like the group of teenage Jason fodder this time around, and there really aren't many dull moments. The inclusion of a seasoned backpacker was a nice touch, and Jason finally getting the sh*t kicked out of him was no doubt satisfying. Although the whole Tommy arc didn't work out in the next installment, he was a nice addition in this one and actually contributed a lot to the story.

Not only is this the best Friday the 13th film, but it's a damn good slasher in its own right. The characters are likable, the third act is plenty suspenseful, it's an entertaining ride from beginning to end. If you like '80s slashers and want to see some good looking people get terrorized by Jason Voorhees then there's no reason not to check this one out. And check out the others too because, why not?

Friday the 13th Final Chapter (1984) I recently watched from my personal collection. In this story Jason returns from the morgue to a new group of campers and a family with a unique son. This movie is directed by Joseph Zito (Red Scorpion and The Prowler) and is one of my favorite Friday the 13th movies. It stars legends Corey Feldman (Gremlins), Crispin Glover (Back to the Future), Judie Arson (Weird Science), Peter Barton (Hell Night) and Kimberly Beck (Independence Day. The storyline for this one was so fun. Adding the spooky kid who loved horror films and horror props that could carry the torche was a great direction. Kill scenes, specifically the hacksaw and throw out the window scenes, were awesome kills to add to the slasher museum. Strongly recommend this movie. The rewatch value is tremendous. I'd actually give this a 7/10. The Crispin Glover dance scene is legendary.

Savini's death make-up and Jason effects are at their peak. worth watching for tommy's freak out at the end. Crispen Glover is in it, and performs the ultimate BAD 1980's dance scene, worse than anything in footloose. The body count reaches a great height and the nudity and sex is as gratuitous as ever. I personally feel that this is the best of the original 4 Friday movies, coming in a close race with the third Jason. I've seen all the movies more times than i can count and this one holds up surprisingly strong among all eleven films. For those of you who are Friday fans, if you haven't seen this one, you are missing out on a key moment in Jason's history, so go pick this one up today.

How many times do you have to stab Jason Voorhees before he dies? Apparently many times, because he returns yet again. This time a family (mother, son, daughter), a house full of teenagers, and a hunter (who happens to be the brother of a prior Jason victim) are the unfortunate ones to be in Jason's path. Is this, as the title suggests, the "final chapter"?

Many people give this film a low rating, and maybe they're looking at it differently than I do. To me, you can make only so many movies of a guy hacking up teenagers before the idea gets a little stale. Part four (this film) is when the crew realized you could break up the monotony with a little humor. So now in part four you have a fair amount of laughs, some improved gore (compared to the first few films) and the same old formula of killing kids.

You also have two key guest stars: Corey Feldman and Crispin Glover. You cannot play down the Feldman power here. Sure, he's young. But he really steals the show and watch his expressions when he finds some neighbors doing something naughty. Feldman's absence from this film would likely have lead to dullness and the premature death of the series.

Glover, meanwhile, is the humorous aspect. Well, okay, not just Glover -- the whole opening scene with Axel the Coroner is morbidly amusing (and really anticipates part nine's coroner). But Crispin Glover is fun to watch, and his "white boy dance" is pretty amusing.

The inclusion of character Rob Dier (brother of part two's Sandra Dier) is a good move, adding some continuity to the movie, further connecting it to the previous films. And for horror fanboys who like nudity (and you know you do), this is the episode that contains by far the most nudity in the series. For some people, that's all it takes to sell a picture.

So I understand if people rank this film lower because they think it's getting stale or if the humor makes them think the creators aren't taking the series seriously anymore. As for me, that's what makes this one of my favorite episodes in the series (probably in my top three out of eleven films). We have a crew that just wants to have fun, and if we go along for the ride we have a little fun ourselves. Seems fair.