SPLATTERdrome

Release Date: May 13th, 1988

Director: John Carl Buechler

Screenwriter: Manuel Fidello & Daryl Haney

Genre: Horror

 

 

So here we are, seven parts into the series and how far have we come? The very first film involved a killer stalking and murdering teenaged inhabitants of a summer camp, there was a rainstorm, well-timed power outages, a storyline involving a tragic parental relationship, and an epic conclusion involving a lake. Watching The New Blood I can tell you that we’ve come a long way since…urm…no wait, all that stuff happens in this one too. Ok I surrender, there’s no point in pretending that these films are anything less than endlessly gory variations on a specific formula and aesthetic. If you’ve stuck with the series this long then you’ve already realized that but you may also have picked up on something else: somehow these movies got better!

 

The New Blood is remarkable in how it neutralizes predictability by being awesome. You already know what’s going to happen before you press play right? Well, the director made this film with such foresight in mind. The screenplay is built around a new story involving a troubled girl with a violent past at Crystal Lake. This is then merged with the Jason timeline, focusing more on Tina’s psychological exploitation than the reemergence of Jason from the lake. Although the usual amount of disbelief must be suspended this merging of narratives works very well. This is probably the only time when the plot for one of these movies isn’t either painfully contrived or completely lacking in effort.

 

Director John Carl Buechler also gives us veteran stuntman Kane Hodder as Jason, easily the most valuable franchise contribution since the introduction of the hockey mask. Hodder is masterful with his movement and able to communicate a great deal without speaking. His huge frame, exaggerated breathing, and vocabulary of turns and head gestures gave Jason a degree of personality and visible fury that had never been seen in these films. In addition to that the Jason makeup is outstanding. After spending years underwater he is decayed and falling apart in the true zombie tradition. There’s no doubt that this is the best portrayal of Jason ever seen on film.

 

The major downside of The New Blood is that it was heavily cut by the MPAA. Buechler set up some devastating death scenes and, since a director’s cut was never released, many of these no longer exist anywhere in their full form. It’s a shame because, had these scenes been included in their entirety, this might be unequivocally declared the best film in the series. As it stands I think The New Blood is tied with Part 2 for the title of franchise crown jewel. They’re very different films but each represents the best aspects of different eras within the series. 

 

The New Blood is a considerable high point for the series but its completion also marks the point where the franchise stopped putting out a decent product for over two decades. Some of what came after is interesting (at best) but that's about the nicest thing I can say. After many years of watching these films I still can’t believe how pitiful they become after this. Have mercy on me.