PCJ1

Creepy, Atmospheric & Chilling: Three words that spring to mind when trying to describe FRIDAY THE 13TH - THE FINAL CHAPTER. From the recap at the beginning to last shot of the film, you get a real sense of madness and the horror that sums up the first four films so well. Anyone who disregards these Friday films really is missing the point. It's about the atmosphere and the tension. And this film has it all. It starts were the supposed dead Jason is taken to the mortuary. He soon proves that theory wrong and dispatches a couple of the staff before making his bloody way back to Crystal Lake (the scene of his weekend bloodbath). It isn't long before he's up to his old tricks again as one by one the holiday makers are murdered, all in graphic detail. But a young lad called Tommy Jarvis plays Jason at his own game and proves to be more than a match for the previously unstoppable Jason Voorhees. Buy the DVD, it's got more gore and the trailer is fun too. 5 out of 5.

"A New Beginning" was the 5th installment in the hugely successful "Friday The 13th" series of films, and by the time of release it seemed as if the world had tired of the slasher genre. Critics everywhere proclaimed this tight little horror flick as the worst of a bad bunch, but I beg to differ. I think this atmospheric movie is great. Not the best of the series, but still very good, that said, after the excellent "Final Chapter", the year before, any follow up would look a little uneventful. The story revolves around Tommy Jarvis (John Shepherd), who had put a bloody end to psychopathic killer Jason Voorhees' weekend of carnage, in the previous film. Tommy has never recovered from the horror of that weekend and has spent his teenaged years in various state institutions. Now Tommy has been relocated to a much more relaxed half-way house. So relaxed, in fact, that on Tommy's first day he is witness to the murder of one of the "guests". This triggers a series of nightmarish visions of Mr. Voorhees. But reality and nightmares become merged when a new spate of murders begin, all done with Jason's unique style. But is Jason really dead, or is someone else taking over the hockey-mask. I think that this film lost a lot when it was edited by the BBFC. But thanks to DVD we can finally get to see what the director wanted us to. And it's alright. So there. **** out of *****

Well, I came across this little number in Greenwich at the Exchange shop and although the sleeve was an awfully painted picture that "bears" little to no resemblence to any scene in the film I thought I'd pay the £3 and give it a twirl. I'm glad I did. It's good little slasher flick compared to most of the low budget teen horrors of the time. The plot is a little thin as are the not-so-special effects and the killer's stupid costume, but all this adds to the charm. It's the kind of film you'd get from the video man on a friday night and watch with your cousins. And there's loads of almost familar faces that we've all seen in horror films from the era including "Vicky" from "Friday The 13th Part 2". Watchable if you can actually find this title anywhere anymore.