Film Review: Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter - A True Masterpiece
The Final Chapter which was helmed by Joe Zito and came with an all-star cast.... of unknowns at the time and a script that was so cleverly written was bound for success right?....................You Damn Right It Was
This Film had everything that a horror fan could have wanted, a great story which picks up in real time from the events of part 3 and at the same location, to witty humor, to great characters and clever kills. For me every time i pop this movie in, there is never a dull moment.
We get engrossed from the moment we are brought back to Higgins Haven and follow Jason to the morgue, meeting several characters along the way. One character right away that always comes to mind is Axel. Not only is his death sheer brilliance, but who will ever forget his classic line "Jesus Christmas! Holy Jesus Goddamn! Holy Jesus Jumping Christmas Shit!" No matter how many times i watch this film i still get belly laughs from that line.
As the story progresses we meet more of the cast which include soon to be stars Crispin Glover and Corey Feldman as well as many others. While i thoroughly enjoy all the Friday films, i feel like this one took it's time in bringing the characters to us, watching them develop and bringing them to be a bunch of people we cared about and we affected by their deaths. It is akin to the great writing of Joel Goodman. The idea of a kid being the rival to the villain was ingenious and i think Corey's portrayal of the character was phenomenal. Which is why i think this character had continued on in the series and became such a likable character.
The Music which of course is a staple with the Friday The 13th Films, brings us more Manfredini goodness. The powerful stings of the string orchestration is back in full force. With each film we always get something new from Harry Manfredini, such is the case with how the famous "Ki Ki Ki Ma Ma Ma" Sounds to the different themes he provides throughout the film.
I absolutely love the title sequence music starting from seeing the mask with the high string notes to the quiet with Ki Ki KI.......Ki Ki Ki and then the explosion. Simply awesome.
Not only are the characters and the music a hit in this movie, the kills were creative and were so different from each other. There was lots amount of blood to go around and the man himself, Jason Voorhees was in full bad ass mode thanks to Ted White.
I can't say enough good things about his portrayal as Jason Voorhees. From the stance, to the walk, to the run and the head tilt, all done with perfection. While all actors who assumed the role of our fave killer, i feel along with the fan fave Kane Hodder, Ted White brought something special to the role. There was definitely something about him and the previous portrayals. He was more menacing, more calculating and even more intelligent. Setting up traps and scares for his victims to lead them to their inevitable death was outstanding.
From ripping the electrical box off, to nailing Crispin Glover to the doorway for Trish to find showed Jason being methodical and toying with the other characters. Ted White truly made Jason scary and menacing and will always be one of my fave Jason's.
Like all Friday films the endings always had a final battle which ended in Jason being brought down, but i would have to say out of all of them The Final Chapter has the greatest finale to Jason. When i first saw Jason take the final hit and then drop to his knees you just knew it wasn't going to end well for him and we were treated to one of the most spectacular special effects deaths Courtesy of Tom Savini and his crew. The build up to this was so perfect that the whole death sequence was the perfect punctuation. I don't know if this type of impact for a final confrontation between a character and a villain will ever truly be replicated.
As for the ending i will say this, now having the original theatrical ending and the alternate ending which was released on the deluxe edition dvd, i will say that if they had left it in i think it would have been that one good final scare to complete the film. I only wish that it had the accompanying music score and audio track to go with it's debut on the deluxe dvd. It would have made for one hell of an ominous sequence followed by the theatrical ending with Trish hugging Tommy and then the blank stare into the camera and then the fade.
Nonetheless, this film for me is a true masterpiece and shows that with the right person directing, a good cast of characters, a solid script and the right person to play the villain you can make a film that will stand the test of time in the horror genre. For me this is without a doubt one of the greatest Friday films to have ever been made.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Machetes
Review By: Adam Wilson
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