Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) Reviews

• My favorite underrated a good Friday the 13th horror slasher film

  ivo-cobra82017-09-24

  Friday the 13th: A New Beginning is very underrated and a really good horror film. It is my sixth favorite Friday the 13th film. It grew on me Friday the 13th Part III 3D and this one really grow on me and they become my favorite films. I am big Friday the 13th Fan and I love mostly of the films. This is the good movie. I know it get's a lot of hate because it doesn't have a Jason in it, but Tom Morga who played the hockey-masked killer was fantastic. It has good kill's and it is really my favorite 80's horror film. This movie reminds me on The Blob (1988) the diner scene my favorite horror sci-fi film. I love this film this time around the fourth time in the row it become guilty pleasure of mine. Melanie Kinnaman was a good bad-ass heroine, she was good and her performance was decent. The dinner scene was a fantastic death scene. Rebecca Wood as Lana was a good victim and I like the death kill. When the killer beheaded that biker guy Junior it was a good kill I like it. Tom Morga was a fantastic hockey-masked killer. Juliette Cummins as Robin was a hot great sexy babe. I like her as a victim. I like this film it is an alright slasher film not that bad. Danny Steinmann R.I.P. who is no longer with us anymore. I respect Mr. Danny Steinmann and his vision of the movie what he was trying to do. Please my remorse goes to his family and rest in peace Danny you are really missed. You have my respect Danny Steinmann you were great director and your direction of this movie was solid and your writing ability for the screenplay was talented. Melanie Kinnaman as the blond Pam was good excellent heroin I loved her. I love that in this movie the hockey mask design in this movie fro the killer was blue. I love in which Pam fights off The Killer with a chainsaw really awesome climatic battle fight scene. I have enjoy this film and however I feel now it is better then Friday the 13th Part 2 because the killer wasn't so clumsy and the chainsaw worked in this movie. Just like the first movie it ravels about revenge. In the original film is Mrs. Voorhees and this movie has Roy paramedic the killer. I still love Part 2 to death but it does have confusing plot. Friday the 13th: A New Beginning grew on me and I didn't thought it was horrible. I still don't like John Shepard as Tommy Jarvis but the movie more revolves around Pam and Reggie which I like. It is a good horror film. A 10/10

• The best of the Friday the 13th series

  Cujo1082006-10-22

  I love this film, and, as far as I'm concerned, it's the best of the series. "Friday the 13th: A New Beginning" is vastly underrated by all the crybabies out there. "Oh, boo hoo, where's Jason?!" He's not here, so get the hell over it already. Too many sequels that try to shake things up a little get shat all over for daring to not be a clone of what's come before. It's sad. I love the halfway house setting. It's a unique idea that naturally lends itself to some offbeat slasher fodder. I also find the area in which the film was shot surprisingly atmospheric. Along with the killer being unseen for the first time since the original, it helps to make this a creepier entry in franchise. This is probably the most bizarre film in the series, too, which only makes it more endearing to me. The characters are great. From the quirky halfway house residents to the crazed backwoods hicks, to the wacky Demon, this film's characters are very entertaining, and on many occasions, quite amusing. I also love the direction in which they take the character of Tommy Jarvis, having all these mental problems thanks to Mr. Voorhees. His hallucinations are actually rather eerie, to boot. It's a damn shame they didn't continue the idea in Jason Lives, which I consider to be one of the weakest entries in the series (but that's another story for another review board). I think the kills in this film are some of the most original in the series. A leather strap crushing someone's head against a tree, a road flare to the mouth, a cleaver decapitation while riding a motorcycle, among others, aren't your typical slasher kills. I also love the fact that the killer is copycat, Roy. It's a nice, refreshing take. I always see people whine about Jason not being the killer here, but I say it's better that way. I think having chocolate bar boy be his son was a nice twist. Funny how he kills everyone but his son's killer, but I'm sure he couldn't get to him with the authorities taking him into custody. I could go on and on about how enjoyable this film is. It has a real charm to it, and it's a shame that so many consider it one of the low points of the series, even the worst. I was disappointed to see this film on the IMDb bottom 100 a good while back. It's no longer on the list, so that's cool. And remember, "Y-ya don't s-set a place for a dead person!"

• One Of The Best Slashers Ever

  scott_beowulf2006-08-20

  The status of Friday The 13th Part V: A New Beginning as the least popular film in the series has always frustrated and perplexed me. Masterfully directed by Danny Steinmann, it is a supremely entertaining exploitation slasher film. The most common reasons given seem to be: (a) there's not enough gore (b) the story is stupid/the acting isn't very good (c) Jason isn't in the movie. Of course, none of these explanations is valid. First of all, if gore alone is your litmus test to determine whether or not a film is enjoyable, you should probably steer clear of the entire Friday The 13th series, as well as any movie that has been subjected to the wacky ratings system and experienced a wide theatrical release. Go watch… I don't know… a Guinea Pig film. A New Beginning has as much gore as any of the Friday films. If a strong plot and acting of the highest caliber is important to you… well, let's be honest, criticizing A New Beginning for its silly plot is like dismissing Van Gogh because you don't like the color yellow. You're missing the point. Yes, I sort of understand the complaint that Jason isn't in the movie, as he is my favorite of the classic maniacs. (Cropsy, Marty, Michael Meyers, and Angela round out the top five.) But his absence alone shouldn't ruin the whole movie for you. I'd rather watch an entertaining movie that alludes to, yet doesn't feature the actual Jason, as opposed to a boring movie that completely screws up his mythology. (Here's a clue. It comes after VIII and before X.) Friday The 13th Part V: A New Beginning works because it takes the elements that make a good slasher film and completely exaggerates them. All irony aside, A New Beginning is a trashy, sleazy, exploitative masterpiece. The very premise of having "Jason" hack up a group of mentally-ill teens, which includes two nymphomaniacs, an angry sociopath, a chocolate loving man child, a new-wave goth who likes to dance, and a stutterer, is indicative of the sick-minded, oozy greatness of this movie. Jesus, I haven't even touched upon the mother-son hillbilly biker duo or Demon! This movie has more great characters than the entire Halloween series combined! Are you not entertained by Demon in his "sh*tbox" singing "Oooh, Oooh, Baby…. Oooh, Oooh, Baby" to his sexy girlfriend before being impaled? How could this be? Are you made of stone? Are you? Do you not enjoy watching Violet, who is the most uniquely attractive female in the entire Friday series, do the robot to Pseudo Echo before being killed? I love her with all my heart. What about Ethel and Junior, the most vile, hate-filled, "loony" hating hicks to ever interact with a stained voyeur-drifter? Junior's decapitation, after being pummeled by Tommy following a prank which consisted of shining a light in his eyes, is a fitting end for the angry dullard. Oh, and Vic? The greatest red herring in slasher history. He violently kills Joey after the overweight stereotype accuses him of being "out of line." Harsh words from a strange man! The number of kills in this movie dwarf the previous Friday record. (Subsequent sequels had more, but, with the exception of Jason X… another unjustly maligned classic… not by much.) The fact that most of these kills are peripheral to the story, unnecessary, and hilarious only adds to their quality. Case in point, the hideously obnoxious, cocaine-addicted mental health worker Billy who picks up Lana the waitress at the diner. She who proceeds to get naked while saying "It's showtime!" to herself in the mirror. You don't see the entertainment value in that, my friends? Following this odd display, a cat bafflingly drops from above and bounces clumsily and hard off a booth. It was a cheap shock and laugh at the same time! Shortly thereafter, Billy and Lana are both killed with enough blood to make it all worthwhile. That entire scene is mesmerizing. And let's not forget the two jerks with the broken down car who appear earlier in the film. They're greasers! Greasers! I watch slasher films not for genuine scares or insightful twists, but to be entertained. And I am usually entertained by their exploitative depths, bloody action, nudity, uniquely stupid characters, and the basest nihilism of it all. I simply cannot see how anyone could argue A New Beginning doesn't contain every single one of these qualities in excess. It's a sleazy, vicious, offensive slasher that epitomizes everything that makes the genre popular. The time has come to re-evaluate this amazing film and give Steinmann the credit he deserves.

• Ooooh baby! Ooh Baby!

  unkle_nasty_fingers2008-01-09

  This is the best Jason to watch drunk, it's almost like a Friday the 13th blooper reel. I love the singing on the crapper part, the mod chick doing the robot, the "just wanna earn a meal" guy, Crazy Ethel and Junior, Billy and Llana, that kid from Diff'rent Strokes, the stupid arse ending, and the excessive nudity. It's a time capsule of sorts, it captures all the bad 80's slasher films in a hour and a half. Bad acting? GOT IT! Ridiculous costumes? GOT IT! Lot's of big haired women topless? GOT IT! No name stars obviously coked out of they're mind? OH THIS MOVIE HAS GOT PLENTY OF THAT! Watch it and laugh, preferably with some friends

• Not as bad as its reputation.

  lostanddelirious852010-12-17

  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.