THRILL SCALE 1-10
7.5
HAVE I SEEN IT BEFORE?
Yes, once, in April of 2018
BEST SEQUENCE
Tommy and Trish's takedown of Jason
BEST LINE
"It says...it says you're a dead fuck"
"What? A dead fuck?"
"A lousy lay. You know? A dead pecker"
- largely picking this because of the ridiculous number of times Crispin Glover is called a "dead fuck" in this movie, which is also just a ridiculous expression especially considering it's not used to refer to someone who has died
ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE
22%
ROTTEN TOMATOES CRITICS CONSENSUS
"As lumberingly single-minded as its homicidal star, Friday the 13th - The Final Chapter adds another rote entry to an increasingly labored franchise."
IMDB SYNOPSIS
"After being announced dead and taken to a morgue, Jason Voorhees spontaneously revives, escapes from the hospital, and stalks a group of friends renting a house in the countryside near Crystal Lake."
DIRECTOR
Joseph Zito
MAIN CAST
Kimberly Beck, Peter Barton, Corey Feldman, E. Erich Anderson, Crispin Glover, Ted White (as Jason)
THOUGHTS
- "The Final Chapter". That's rich
- To be fair, this was intended to be the last Friday the 13th movie because the producer, Frank Mancuso Jr., felt like his work wasn't being respected and Paramount Pictures was fine with ending the franchise due to the declining popularity of slashers. The Final Chapter ended up being a hit, though, so it only took less than a year for the next movie to be released, followed by 6 more sequels and the reboot, so the final chapter wasn't so final anymore
- And in fact, many consider The Final Chapter to be one of the best of the franchise, and this includes my wife, who says it's her favourite of all of them
- For me it's good, but not as good as the first one. I think the strength of The Final Chapter largely comes down to memorable characters. I've seen all of the Friday the 13th movies and I can count on one hand the number of characters who stick out in my memory (and this includes Jason Voorhees, Pamela Voorhees and Kevin Bacon's package). Corey Feldman's Tommy Jarvis and Crispin Glover's Jimmy Mortimer are very memorable characters and worthy additions to the franchise
- Feldman and Glover are also two of the more famous Friday the 13th cast members, to the point that I was surprised by how early this movie was in their respective careers. It was only the third movie for each of them, and the only prior movie I had even heard of was The Fox and the Hound in which Corey Feldman voiced Young Copper (and I also include this fact because I had no idea that Corey Feldman was in that movie)
- And just to emphasize, I really liked Crispin Glover in this movie. So delightfully weird and awkward, but in a very endearing way. Just watch him dance (and supposedly this was all Crispin, based on the way he actually danced in clubs)
- Best kill: Weird to say, but probably when Jason dies (even though we know it doesn't entirely stick). Machete to the head, he falls to the floor and the head slides down the blade. Probably also a good time to mention that Tom Savini, special effects and make-up effects master, came back for this one after having worked on the first Friday the 13th
- Second-best kill: Doug in the shower
- I actually found it hard to pick a best line for this one, as the script is full of gems. Here are a few more:
- "Some pack of patootsies, huh?"
- "Axel, you are the Super Bowl of self-abuse!"
- And, of course, "Jesus Christmas! Holy Jesus! Goddamn! Holy Jesus jumping Christmas shit!" (courtesy of Axel himself)
- As has happened before I had the privilege of watching this movie with friends, and here are their one-line reviews:
- Marlo: "More boobs than plot"
- Andy: "Fully believable"
- Ashley (my wife): "Rob Dier. Knife mechanic."
- And finally, this is an extra special day because not only is it Friday the 13th, but June 13th specifically is Jason's birthday! Blow out the candles, ya big lug, and we'll see you again in February! Or will we...
