Friday The 13th Part 7: The New Blood featured many over the top kills that were unceremoniously cut by the MPAA. The film itself is still among the fan's favorite in the series, but if the kills were left intact, the movie could have reached a popularity higher than it is now. That is why the "coochie face" kill has been widely talked about for decades.
Images Courtesy Crystal Lake Memories
The nickname for the kill is affectionately derived from the film's Director, John Carl Buechler, for very apparent reasons. The sequence called for actor Larry Cox (Russell) to have his face split down the middle while allowing for what John Buechler called "the geyser of good". The workprint footage featured below shows that the blood did flow from the face of the character like a geyser and then shortly thereafter "Russell" is shown convulsing on the ground
Producer Ian Patterson In Make-Up
Producer Ian Patterson played the "Russell" character with the makeup on while laying on the ground. For a producer, he played a pretty good dead guy! The MPAA really destroyed the impact of this scene and the cheers that the audience would have emoted in the theaters. However, this film is still looked upon as one of the best in the series and is a true fan favorite.
In all, the Friday the 13th Part 7: The New Blood is a great entry in the series, but leaves the audience experience empty due to the MPAA cuts. If fans could get the unedited version of the film they want and deserve, you could see The New Blood skyrocket to the Top 3 in many fans’ lists of the best in the Friday franchise. The axe face kill is a personal favorite of this writer and I hope one day the raw footage can be cleaned up and made into a usable print for home viewing!
