Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter

Director - Joseph Zito (The Prowler, Bloodrage)

Starring - Erich Anderson (Dallas, Quantum Leap), Corey Feldman (The Lost Boys, Gremlins), and Kimberly Beck (The Munsters, Nightmare at Noon)

Release Date - 1984

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Friday, April 13th, is Jason's unlucky day"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     When you talk to other horror fans they always seem to have their favorite Friday the 13th film and they often look down at you if you don't agree with them.  Over the years I've realized that Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter is one of the fan favorites among horror fans.  It is the beginning of the Tommy Jarvis chronicles and features Savini once again on effects.  Chronologically, it is another first, like previous Friday the 13th films, where we feature Jason dying for the final time.  Honestly, I like it but it is far from my favorite of the series.  It gets my respect but I can't proclaim my love for it like others do.

     The film follows the Jarvis family who lives in a cabin at the lake.  A group of teens rent the adjoining cabin for a weekend of partying and sex.  Young Tommy Jarvis and his sister are happy to have people their age near them but soon find themselves face to face with the hockey masked Jason and his favorite machete.  

     Most people love this film because it introduces the Tommy Jarvis character and has Tom Savini returning on effects.  The Tommy Jarvis character is very important in the Friday the 13th mythos but I can't justify that enough to say this is my favorite film in the series.  Honestly, I don't know if it would even make my top five.  However, it is still a very enjoyable film.  The acting in this one is very consistent with the other films.  However, the characters are not as memorable as some of the others from previous installments.  The shopkeeper and Shelly from the third film, Ted from Part 2, and Crazy Ralph all stand out when you speak about these films and every movie has a stand out character up to this point.  However, none really "stand out" aside from Crispin Glover's dance.  Even the Tommy Jarvis character blends into the story here.  Important as he is he just doesn't stand out like the previous films.  The acting in solid but the characters are so cliched that they just blend into the background.  The story for this one takes the standard and true Friday the 13th slasher story and finally gives the character of Jason an ending...for a limited time.  The movie once again delivers on the teens going to the lake that Jason calls home where he kills them one by one.  With that being said, the film tries to give a sense of closure with Jason's death.  In 1984 this ending was a big deal but those that watched these films after that date knows this was very short lived.  Finally, this film takes us back to some great practical effects and iconic deaths.  This film features some of the series most unforgettable deaths including Jason's unfortunate demise.  The effects are fantastic and this really set the standard for slashers from this point on.  Overall, The Final Chapter Is another important installment in an legendary film series but I don't like it as much as other fans do.  It introduces the character of Tommy Jarvis and features Jason's real death making it another important film up to this point but I couldn't watch this one over and over like I can the first three films.