Review: Friday The 13th Part VII (1 Viewer)

[Will K]

The scariest thing about The New Blood isn't even in the movie. It's the MPAA rating card in front of the film notifying us that once again, we're presented with the truncated theatrical version. Alas, pleas and fan petitions
fell on the deaf ears of Paramount. On the bright side, we can at least count on the studio(most of the time) to provide top-notch quality.

Sometimes referred to as Carrie Vs. Jason, this was the first entry to blatantly steer into metaphysical territory. Apparently picking up some years after Jason Lives, the story begins with young telekinetic Tina(Jennifer Banko, not the little girl from Poltergeist as some moronic moviegoers thought) witnessing her drunk father slap her mother around. Naturally distraught, she dispenses of pops by crashing the dock into the lake with him on it. Flash-forward a few more years to a grown Tina(Lar Park Lincoln of Knot's Landing), who's guilt-ridden and under the care of Dr. Crews, a shady psychiatrist played by Terry Kiser. Fans of Weekend At Bernie's will recognize Kiser as the posthumous title character of that classic.

As with the majority of the Friday The 13th series, the plot isn't terribly complicated: Tina unwittingly resurrects Jason from his lake slumber and he's a itchin' to kill. Lucky for him, there are campers and a whole pack of young partiers staying next door to Tina. Naturally, he offs them in the best ways the MPAA would allow. Of course, a rousing showdown ensues where Tina gets telekinetically medieval on Jason's ass, bringing things down on his head and tossing various objects towards him. The entry marked the first time Kane Hodder put on the hockey mask and he's really terrific. Of course, it was a non-speaking part, but Hodder's take on the character is robust, towering, and terrifying; easily, the best Jason ever. The ending is a bit on the cheesy side, but this is one fun movie, if only for Friday fans, even if the MPAA butchered the holy hell out of it.

The A/V Presentation
Finally available in widescreen, The New Blood is presented 1.78:1 and anamorphically enhanced. Originally filmed open-matte, this transfer provides for a more balanced, theatrical look than old, full-frame VHS and laserdisc versions. The opening begins with a few nicks and scratches but clears up quickly as title sequence starts. Overall, it's a very crisp, clean-looking image that actually improves over the course of 88 minutes. Grain is also minimal. Photographically, this sequel was shot with a lot of gray and bluish tones. Bright colors do not leap off the screen here but I don't think they were meant to. Fans familiar with older transfers should be quite pleased with this.
Sonically, Paramount opted for a 5.1 mix this time around. This film always had a great mix for a low-budget horror sequel and the 5.1 provides for decent, if not great, results. Much of the sound field is confined to the front channels and the action is always crisp and clear. Sound effects are appropriately placed to provide a bit of fun in the mix. The film's score has always been bassy and thundering, but I had to turn up my subwoofer a notch to get more of that effect.
Extras

What, are you high? On the supplementary side, this sucks on so many levels. Not even the theatrical trailer is present, which I can't understand why because being familiar with it from my movie theater days, I don't see what could have possibly caused clearance issues(but what do I know? To a company like Paramount, I'm just a dumb consumer who doesn't deserve more for my money). Perhaps they will revisit the series in the future, but they also have tons of cut footage that could have been presented as an extra. Shame on them, but who's to say they care?
In Short
A fun but censored Jason flick, priced a bit too high at $24.99 with zero extras, but the technical quality should please fans.

 

[Andy_MT]

nice to see paramount showing contempt for fans of this franchise once again. where's new line when you need them ?
of course it's nice to get a good quality 16x9+ edition, but paramount, sort your sh*t out, get those prices down. bare bones catalog title, retail at $15, not $25. what are we going to do with this studio ? :frowning:

 

[Esten]

Nice review.I'll pick this up in the next month or so.I have a bunch of,much better valued,MGM discs to buy once i get the money.
First Carrie vs. Jason,now Freddy vs. Jason,or should i say Freddy and Jason vs. a member of Destiny's Child. Desperate execs... gotta love 'em.
Oh,and Will K..... the print of part one is slightly different than the r-rated version.Did you notice any differences,like sound effects,angles etc. about the 7 DVD?
Just wondering.

 

[Rich Romero]

They could of atleast given us the trailer like all the rest. Jeez.

 

[Patrick McCart]

Was the film censored for DVD or was it cut before release in theaters?

 

[Will K]

Was the film censored for DVD or was it cut before release in theaters?

It was massively cut prior to theatrical release. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be actual uncut version anywhere in the world, aside from what Paramount has locked away in the vaults. I've seen some of the cut footage at Fangoria conventions...for those interested in a lengthly rundown of the cuts, here's a link .

 

[Gruson]

In my opinion, this is the last good Friday the 13th movie.

At least it takes place around the lake and has the same creepy atmosphere unlike the last 3.

I will be picking this one up for sure.

 

[Damin J Toell]

Paramount has said time and again that the first go-round of F13 DVDs will be barebones theatrical versions. Instead of complaining about being disrespected by something we always knew was their plan, we should instead now focus on showing our interest in unrated SE F13 discs. One of the best ways to do this, I think, is support New Line's upcoming SE releases of parts 9 and 10; I'm certain that Paramount will be paying close attention to how New Line's discs sell. Further, we should continue to be outspoken about our desire for these releases. The wrong way to do this, however, is to act in a hostile manner towards Paramount. Right now, they're satisfying what they believe to be the market for barebones R-Rated discs (e.g., the Blockbuster rental market). This is a completely valid and logical decision on their part that may, indeed, financially fund the production of the very discs we want. So instead of bemoaning this choice for the millionth time, we should act in a mature and constructive manner to show that our market, too, is worth their time.
DJ

 

[Andy_MT]

RE: Damins post ... always nice to have a paramount exec chime in. many thanks
seriously, i know this discussion has been discussed to death, and for a good reason. it's important.
i don't think i'm being overly hostile to paramount, i just think they need a good kick up the bum to get in line with other studios. it's for a good cause! i recently watched "from hell" from fox. not only purchased for the same price point, but it's a very impressive 2 disc special edition. this is what we want. product from a studio that puts in the effort (even though from hell isn't a well known franchise). or if they don't put in the effort, price it accordingly. not this $25 nonsense.
paramount seem to want their cake and eat it and it's not fair to consumers. your not doing us any favours by sticking up for them Damin. paramount are one of the most frustrating studios when it comes to DVD, but if we keep chipping away, maybe one day we'll break through. that guy in shawshank managed it, so maybe there's hope

 

[Frank Sadler]

I hope Paramount do actually release SE's.

They can't say there isn't a demand.

 

[Beau]

"Extras
What, are you high? On the supplementary side, this sucks on so many levels"
GREAT Jason X reference! I'll be getting this and JTM, and also can't wait for the JGTH and JX DVDs in October from New Line. As long as Paramount eventually re-releases all 8 movies SE/UNCUT(I'm not sure if ALL 8 were butchered by the MPAA, I read just a few days ago at F13forum.com that TFC (Part 4) wasn't at all cut to gt an "R" rating, But all the others uncut would kick ASS), I'll be happy when Paramount gives these films what they deserve.

 

[Justin_S]

I seriously don't expect these films to ever be released uncut by Paramount. They just don't give a damn about their horror titles. MY BLOODY VALENTINE (a film I want uncut even more than the F13 series) has been given a similar release to these films, and I seriously can recall only one Paramount horror title that ever had a decent amount of extras. DON'T LOOK NOW, which is an absolute horror masterpiece, is yet another cut and totally barebones release from them, so if they don't do the horror masterpieces justice, its hard to ever expect them to do any of their wonderful horror titles justice, and its a damn shame too. Paramount is one of the studios that annoys me the most, but at least they still release OAR, and thats about their only plus for a horror fan like myself.

 

[Damin J Toell]

your not doing us any favours by sticking up for them Damin.

I'm not "sticking up for them." I'm urging us to act properly and maturely when trying to get what we want from them. Telling Paramount that they're showing "contempt" for us (by releasing exactly what they said they would all along) and commanding that they "sort their sh*t out" isn't productive at all. Let's not forget that Ron recently reiterated the Forum rule that we act politely and constructively towards studios; using foul language doesn't seem to fit that requirement to me.
DJ

 

[Dave Anderson]

A fun but censored Jason flick, priced a bit too high at $24.99 with zero extras, but the technical quality should please fans.

I disagree. $24.99 is a steal for the beautiful presentation on Friday 7. Extras are icing on the cake, but my first priority is top notch a/v and I'll gladly pay top dollar to any company that provides it (i.e. Paramount). Friday 7 is worth 3x its price tag.

 

[Andy_MT]

$24.99 is a steal for the beautiful presentation on Friday 7.

another grievance. this is only a SINGLE layer disc. for this price, they could at least fork out the cash for a DUAL layer presentation. so they're pleasing no one. not HTFs (for optimal audio/video) and not joe public for the extras. and neither for the price.
sorry, but i think something at paramount needs to change. either a new philosophy or new home video management. they're shooting themselves in the foot.

 

[Beau]

"$24.99 is a steal"

I have to disagree with that, not that the picture quality isn't important, but $24.99 for 1, JUST ONE DVD with nothing on it but the movie is sorta strange, when I bought the Sleepaway Camp set that has 4, FOUR!!!! DVDs on it for $24.99. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to buy it, I'll be first in line when it comes out this tuesday, but A LOT of people aren't going to buy it because of Paramounts price.

 

[Esten]

www.moviesunlimited.com has 7 and 8 for preorder at $8.99 a peice! At that price,no one should complain.Buy them now.
With shipping it's like $22 for both.

 

[Brett C]

Paramount is the most lacking studio for DVD releases in my opinion. And the fact that their quality is good is a mute point to me (so is every other major studio's quality!!! thats the whole point of the DVD format). And with this recent thing with them not including even a trailer on their catalogue releases reeks of nothing more than a cost cutting exercise. The fact that they still charge 24.95 list for these bare bones discs is disgraceful in my opinion. They very much need to lift their game up to change my opinion of their releases...

 

[Gruson]

Parts 9 and 10...HA!.....how can those even be called "Friday the 13th?!?!?!?!?"

 

[Andy Olivera]

I'm not sure if ALL 8 were butchered by the MPAA, I read just a few days ago at F13forum.com that TFC (Part 4) wasn't at all cut to gt an "R" rating,

Part 4 was cut like all the others. Check the IMDb. Under "Alternate Versions" each film has a complete(I believe) list of what was cut...