I am beginning to like the Friday the 13th franchise more and more as I make my way through the seemingly endless installments. Even with Friday the 13 Part III missing the mark and falling, somewhat, on its face, I find the premise, dating back to 1980, to be incredibly intriguing. The problem with introducing so many installments based off of the same premise is that, as things progress, material begins to run thin and things become repetitive. On top of this, writers and directors in charge of moving the franchise forward begin to compete with themselves, bringing down the finished products. This becomes overtly apparent in Joseph Zito’s Friday the 13: The Final Chapter.
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter attempts to branch out and take audiences somewhere other than just camp. Jason (Ted White) makes his way from location to location, continuing his murderous way. New teens (and adults) are on the path of Jason’s redemption, and they will soon feel the wrath of one of the most well-known individuals in the area.
For the first time since Kevin Bacon in the first installment, audiences are given a cast containing individuals who would shortly make it big in Hollywood. Corey Feldmen (Tommy) and Crispin Glover (Jimmy Mortimer) take the stage, and, given the fact that I am more than thirty years removed from Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, my expectations for the two stars are high. I have the luxury of hindsight and I know what both Feldmen and Glover have accomplished throughout the course of their careers. If audiences know anything about these two, they know that they were incredibly successful in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s. This leads audiences (including myself) to believe that the acting in this installment would surpass what was seen in previous films. Sadly, I feel that the acting in this particular installment is the worst to date.
The story becomes a bit too repetitive and a bit too similar to the ones told in the first three installments. I know the goal here is to change the scenery a bit, but, realistically, it needs a full makeover. Move away from camp, forget the teenagers and attempt to make some changes to keep the story alive and audiences on their toes. Writers Barney Cohen and Bruce Hidemi Sakow (and of course director Zito) fail to make the necessary changes but do appeal to audiences in a way that differs from previous installments. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter finally introduces a character--Trish (Kimberly Beck)--who has enough intellect to compete with Jason. While the film ultimately fails, their introduction of Trish is, in many ways, a saving grace. If you are into the Friday the 13th films and you plan to watch them all, unfortunately you will have to watch this film, but don’t expect it to live up to any expectations you might have.
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