SECOND HELPINGS: Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

After three bloody slaughter-fests, this was to be the final Friday the 13th movie. While we know now that this was a big fat lie, you have to wonder what moviegoers anticipated leading up to its release. Would Jason go out in a blaze of glory? How will it all end? Will Jason finally die? Hardcore fans of the series were probably eager for this film and were likely disappointed, while everyone else who thought it would be little more than the same old Friday shenanigans may have found themselves pleasantly surprised.

After a weird greatest hits kind of montage of clips from the first three films, we pick up where Part III left off. Jason, thought to be dead, escapes from a hospital morgue and makes his way back to Crystal Lake. Somewhere on the lake, the newly divorced Mrs. Jarvis moves into her lakefront cottage with her teenage daughter Trish and her young son Tommy (Corey Feldman). A bunch of rowdy teenagers move into the cabin next door for a week of unsupervised fun. All of them lie in Jason’s path, leading to yet another round of blood-letting.

This film made me ponder some very important questions: How does Jason find his way back to Crystal Lake? Why can’t anyone hear this large, lumbering maniac until he is right on top of them? How is he able to break into buildings so quietly? Why are all the girls who visit Crystal Lake opposed to wearing bras?

Once again, we have a bevy of horny teenagers incapable of making good decisions. Sadly, very few of them get memorable or unique executions, something that the first three installments prided themselves on. Despite a lack of flair in his killing technique, Jason actually shows signs of planning his actions and even, dare I say it, comes off as a cunning villain at times. That certainly sets it apart from Jason’s first two rounds.

Other positive points include characters we actually care about. The Jarvis’s are innocent bystanders just trying to make it as a family; they aren’t your typical horror flick fodder. There is also a subplot involving a man hunting for Jason in the hopes of exacting revenge for his sister’s death in Part II. It falls apart a little when you realize that The Final Chapter takes place no more than four days after Part II, but it’s still a nice idea. Then there is also a virgin girl among the rowdy teens. She is the only level-headed one in the bunch. Sadly, most of these likeable characters don’t make it through the film for one reason or another.

Other than a few random acts of decent cinematography, The Final Chapter is more of the same. It doesn’t bring anything full circle or provide any kind of emotional closure one might expect from a final installment. Instead, we get a loose ending that suggests that, while Jason does die, another might step into his shoes. Sure enough, the joke is on us, since this movie made enough money for Hollywood to renege on that whole Final part.

The Final Friday is a step up from both Part II and III, but considering how insipid those two films were, being a step up isn’t really saying much. I have yet to see all of the Friday the 13th movies, but I surmise that this is probably the best place to stop watching the series if you absolutely have to go beyond the original.

ORIGINAL RATING: 1 out of 5

NEW RATING: 1 out of 5