Give it a Chance: Friday the 13th Part V

For anyone who was sitting down in a theater in 1985 expecting to see the rebirth of Jason Voorhees, what they got with "A New Beginning" was understandably disappointing. Simply stated, it's not Jason doing the killings. Instead, we get the story of a disgruntled paramedic who decides to adopt Jason's killing style after seeing the mutilated body of his son...

Logic does not abound in this movie. The killer, even though he is in no way associated with the real Jason, seems to be blessed with the same super-human strength and ability to absorb injuries as his namesake. He also seems to come up with increasingly elaborate ways to kill his victims, even though there's no real motivation for him to do so.

In fact, Motivation is a real problem for this movie. Because Jason was dead, they had the real opportunity to play with the audience from the start when it came to "who" was doing the killings. Was it Jason? Is someone stealing his MO?

To be fair, they do throw in a few ominous shots of Roy the paramedic throughout the film, but without the idea that it might not be Jason, these shots just seem bizarre and out of place. And because they choose not to so much as hint at this possibility until the final frames, the viewer is left feeling cheated. Well, at least the viewer who was sitting in that theater in 1985. As for the internet savvy horror fan? You've got no excuse not to enjoy this movie.

"Jason Voorhees? You're outta your f@#%ing mind. You've been out in the sun too long. Jason Voorhees is dead! His body was cremated. He's nothing but a handful of ash."

- Mayor Cobb

Because let's face it, at the end of the day this is still a "Friday the 13th" film. To hear people talk about part V, you'd swear that the stronger entries in the series reach near god-like status. As I get older and more mature, I've come to appreciate every single movie in this franchise... that's right, from "Jason Takes Manhattan" to "A New Beginning" to "Jason Goes to Hell." I don't care what hairbrained plotlines you throw at me, all I'm looking for is some good old Jason action.

And when judged on an impartial basis compared to other slashers, "A New Beginning" has the goods and then some. 22 deaths, 6 (wonderful) breasts, robot dancing, action, suspense, gore ... and a guy getting skewered while taking a shit. And let's not forget a totally random act of violence against a mentally handicapped person.

I mean come on people, this stuff is great! It's ridiculous characters (Reggie the Reckless?) stupid storyline (that's one elaborate costume you've got there Roy) and all around campiness make this a must see for anyone who's a fan of bad cinema. And don't tell anyone, but I kind of think that foul mouthed redneck lady is cute. Every time she says "f@#%wad," my heart melts a little.

So don't be a sheep... just because some guy with a website tells you that "Friday the 13th part V" is trash, doesn't mean you have to believe him... or me for that matter. I'm just trying to get people to think outside the box and consider that maybe, just maybe, your preconceived notions of a film are stopping you from looking at it objectively and enjoying it for what it is.... pure, campy, trashy fun. So give it another watch for my sake, and have some fun with it!