Venerdì 13: il terrore continua

Young Tommy, the kid who defeated Jason in The Final Chapter, has grown into a troubled young man who is haunted by nightmares and visions of his nemesis. His arrival at a home for troubled teens coincides with the start of a series of bloody murders which suggest that he might have somehow inherited Jason's bloodlust. There are so many characters in this edition of the long-running horror franchise that director Danny Steinmann doesn't even get time to show all their murders on screen, and the rate at which the bodies pile up becomes a little farcical by the final reel.

'Friday the 13th' may have been panned by critics when first released but since then it is one of the most famous and influential horror films, the franchise containing one of horror's most iconic villains. The film is popular enough to become a franchise and spawn several sequels of varying quality and generally inferior to the one that started it all of.

The fifth film in the series 'A New Beginning' is the most maligned 'Friday the 13th' film by critics and fans, although it has garnered a cult following and its fair share of defence over time. To me, 'A New Beginning' is better than its reputation and that it tries to do something different is laudable. Also do not think it's the worst 'Friday the 13th' film. Having said that, the disappointment is understandable. There are good merits here, but it also did fall short to me.

Starting with 'A New Beginning's' strengths, the best things about it are the as ever haunting music score and the terrific performance, both disturbing and moving, of John Shepherd. There are a few darkly funny moments, a few creepy ones and some of the death scenes are creative.

The nightmare sequences are stylish and as nightmarish as one would hope. It's a pretty decent looking film, not cinematic art (but in all honesty that can never be expected from a 'Friday the 13th' film) but not amateurish.

However, there are things that work against 'A New Beginning'. From my understanding, It is not that the film is different in the lack of Jason (this didn't bother me at all and is an insignificant issue), the more tongue-in-cheek tone and the idea it tried to introduce that irked fans, but the generally misguided way it was executed.

More problematic are the problems as a standalone. The acting is not good (Shepherd is the sole exception), Melanie Kinnaman being awful, and the clumsy and far too simple dialogue, that slips more into vulgar camp than darkly tongue-and-cheek, and the mostly annoying and dull stereotypes passing for characters fare worse (the only one to be interesting and get proper development is Tommy).

'A New Beginning' has the highest body count, and while there are some creative and unsettling deaths (others less so, hurt by gratuity and predictability) it was almost as if there were too many death scenes that gives one not that much time to compose themselves after each one. There is not enough suspense, the creepiness is too far and between and the story is thin and very hackneyed, with one of the series' silliest endings. The mystery elements don't work, being far too obvious, and neither does the identity of the killer, the killings committed by somebody that is not in it much in their real guise and doesn't have much presence.

In summation, not that bad and not deserving of its black sheep reputation but a long way from being great. 5/10 Bethany Cox

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.

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 honestly wish they would've ended this series after the 4th installment, which was a pretty good note to end on. However, studios are money hungry in Hollywood, and they wanted to continue to cash in on the horror craze that was still in full swing in the 80's. In order to put some life into an aging series they decided to do something different with the 5th installment of this series. For the most part this works and in my opinon it works a hell of a lot better than the zombie jason featured in 6-10.

I honestly don't know why fans hate this entry so much. It's slightly and i do mean slightly more original than most of the sequels in the series and they had to do something fresh to make the series interesting again. This is an interesting shift and i appreciate the attempt to make something different.

In that aspect i appreciate the film and it's probably the last Friday the 13th film i liked for more than its making fun of it value. However, in the end this is more of the same. Bad acting, characters just in it to be killed, and the same stalk/chase scenes to be presented in all films of this sort. The only thing original about the film is the concept, and that's about it.

The only performance worth mentioning is the lead. His acting goes beyond that of a horror film. He should be in better movies, not in something like this. Other than this performance all the rest are just there for the kill and bring nothing interesting to there characters. The setting in the institution is a nice touch but it's handled so unrealisticly that it becomes hilarious to watch. Jason is a bit of a threat in this film only because the new direction the character takes in this film.

I appreciate this film for the new idea alone. I think the filmmakers knew what they had to do to make something after a 4th film called THE FINAL CHAPTER. The same slasher antics are used which prevent the film from becoming a really good horror film but it wasn't a bad way to waste 90 minutes, unlike the next sequels that followed it.