Review Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985): Jason is back?

genre: horror, slasher

Friday the 13th: A New Beginning opens up with what seems like the resurrection of Jason and Jason getting revenge on young Tommy Jarvis (Corey Feldman) from previous part.. Only to find out that an older Tommy (John Shepherd) was dreaming. Apparently he is not doing so well mentally and he is being haunted by nightmares about what happened to him and of course Jason. He is being transported to a progressive halfway house where the goal is for him to recover and eventually return to society as a normal functioning person. Sounds good right?

We don't really get to know the patients and what exactly their conditions are but it hardly matters since you know what their purpose is. You might be under the impression that these mental patients are only mildly disturbed since they are allowed to roam free without shackles and even are allowed to use all kinds of tools and sharp objects. Old Ethel, a neighbour, is not a fan and wants this house and these nuts gone. Dr. Matt Letter (Richard Young) is convinced that most of the kids are good and harmless so he and the sheriff dismiss the fears of Ethel. Not long after Joey (Dominick Brascia) gets cut into pieces since the guy chopping woods couldn't take Joey pestering hum. To be fair Joey was annoying but to cut him up like that is a bit of an overreaction if you ask me.

Short after we are witness to people getting killed left and right  but we don't get to see who the killers is although it is heavily implied it's Jason. First question after the first murder of the two greasers wannabe''s I had was if this truly is Jason how did he come back? Up until this movie they always would point out that Jason was still alive and kicking. Surely that kind of thing would be  a priority this time as well. Only in the last fifteen minutes we are shown Jason in all his glory. Was this the moment where the epic battle between Tommy and Jason would start? Up until this moment the audience is teased about Tommy's mental health and his ability to beat the crap out of everyone who pestered him. Seemed like Tommy had been training and preparing to fight. Unfortunately that epic battle never takes place. The skirmish between him and Jason is a little underwhelming apart from one twist.

Underneath are spoilers. So only click on them if you don't mind them. You have been warned.

So what is the twist? This person who we thought was Jason is not Jason. He is Roy Burn, Joey's father who was hurt and disgruntled about his boy getting killed. He wanted revenge for the people responsible and wanted to make it seem like the murders were done by Jason. And while we are at it. 

The other big twist is that Tommy has lost it completely now and that now he thinks he is Jason. Or he is triggered and has awakened murderous tendencies. Doesn't seem like a good development.

Naturally this would be the first time ever where technically the real Jason is not even featured.

End of spoilers.

Friday the 13th: A New Beginning seemed like it was repeating the trend set in the third part. However it didn't. It actually tried to add that something creative to make it stand out from the previous parts. And for that I commend director Danny Steinmann. Since it is exactly the reason why I like this part a whole lot better than Final Chapter. Still far from good or perfect but at this point that is impossible. And yes the twists do take out a vital element of the Friday the 13th film series. However it's done in a way to empower the myth so something that should be applauded instead of hated.

Overall Friday the 13th: A New Beginning is a slight improvement on the Final Chapter and at least tried to do more than just repeat the same Jason shenanigans. 

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