It all started with a candy bar. If Vic hadn’t gotten “completely out of line” with fat fuck Joey, we never would have bore witness to enchilada diarrhea death or Ethyl’s grandeur home cooking segments. It’s a hideous thought to ponder, and while some might disagree, A NEW BEGINNING is the definitive breakout star sequel of the FRIDAY THE 13TH franchise.
Yes. I’m as serious as Tommy Jarvis’ stare when I say that.
Every horror franchise seems to have ONE film in the series that goes off the rails. HALLOWEEN had “SEASON OF THE WITCH”, NOES had “FREDDY’S REVENGE”, and FRIDAY the 13th has “A NEW BEGINNING”; and that’s precisely what it was meant to be. A way to veer off from what was definitively “THE FINAL CHAPTER” where Jason had clearly met his demise at the hands of a young Jarvis and an opportunity to pass the machete, so to speak, to a new killer in the franchise. In the past 40 years in horror movies, switching killers in an iconic horror franchise has never really seemed to pan out with the majority of fans and A NEW BEGINNING was no exception as Crystal Lake campers flocked to the theater to see Jason back from the dead in 1985, only to leave confused and pissed off the for the most part. To this day, the fan base seems to be divisive on that matter, while Part V has a cult following, that yours truly is Vice President of the Violet Moraine Fan Club, while others deem it as the red-headed stepchild of the series and a low point for Friday films.
I tend to think those are the same people who hate SEASON OF THE WITCH because Michael Myers isn’t (technically) in the movie. Although I do like to point out that he actually is when that argument comes up.
YEAH, SEE RIGHT THERE! He is actually PIVOTAL in the (assumed) demise of millions of children wearing Silver Shamrock masks, since the original movie is marketed with the BIG GIVEAWAY.
Now back to A NEW BEGINNING– Jarvis, now a teen, is suffering from massive PTSD from his encounter with Jason, and who wouldn’t be fucked up from that? He was institutionalized and then transferred to, of course, a camp institution in the woods for kids with “problems” like himself. And after the death of chocolate-loving Joey at the hands of another unstable teen at the residence, all the teens there are picked off one by one, by well, presumably Jason, Only to come find out at the end of the film, it was Joey’s father, Roy the paramedic who attended to the homicide scene, seeking revenge on the camp for the death of his son. A son of which he obviously told no one about, or was some sort of dirty secret of his. Which at the end of the day, makes perfect sense since Jason was technically DEAD. And the franchise was breathing fresh new blood into the storylines to keep that sequel cash flow going while offering the fan base something other than the same regurgitation of Jason killing teens having sex and trespassing on his stomping grounds.
However, upon release, there was some mixed reviews from fans with the largest complaint being Jason wasn’t actually in the movie. Again, just like HALLOWEEN III, he technically was, via Tommy’s dream sequences and hallucinations. I mean, he sure as shit wasn’t dreaming about a blue-eyed homicidal paramedic. Or maybe he was. I’m not judging.
Director Danny Steinmann told FANGORIA in issue #44 in 1985: “I have complained a lot about other people taking over my films, but on this one I was pretty much allowed to make it happen in a way that I thought would get the biggest response from the audience. I’ve been given a true shot. I can’t complain on this.”
With Tommy and Pam taking out fake Jason, A NEW BEGINNING sets up Tommy to be the franchise’s new slasher, and I can’t help but wonder what could have been if they had gone down that road. Of course, personally speaking my favorite films in the series are actually 5-8, so with that being said, Jason would have never jammed with Alice Cooper or taken a boat, I mean, Manhattan. And I’m not sure I want to live in a world where “the darkest side of the night” never happened. Still, it was a smart move to make if they were indeed going to continue or flat-out end the series. But fans are gonna fan, and they just wanted more of the real Jason.
So let it be written. So let it be done. And he lives.
We also have to talk about the great batch of side characters in PART V. The FRIDAY movies usually have a great set of people lined up for slaughter. Some we like. Some, we can’t wait for them to get a machete through the skull. In this movie though, I think we have some of the most memorable side cast in all the films.
We got Reggie the Reckless. THE FIRST BLACK TEEN TO SURVIVE A HORROR MOVIE. And with that kind of charm, it would have been such a waste to kill his character off. I’m only sorry he didn’t make a return as an older teen or adult in later films.
He also has an older brother, Demon, who by far has one of the most memorable death scenes in the entire franchise. His appearance was brief, but impactful-also probably the most quoted, with “Them Damn Enchiladas”. I can’t be the only one who simply can NOT just say enchiladas when they’re around. They are specifically referred to as THEM DAMN ENCHILADAS.
There’s the ultimate comedy relief of Ethyl and Junior. As far as comedic duos go in the Friday franchise, there are none greater than these two dildohs.
And of course, Miss Violet and what was my first introduction to “His Eyes” by Pseudo Echo. Such a perfect song for the characters of Roy and Jason with a cool kid goth dance before getting a machete to the groin. It was actually supposed to splice her genitals . Too bad that never made it into the movie as the first of its kind.
45 years later, A NEW BEGINNING seems to have found its footing with, ironically, a new generation, making it a favorite among some fans, launching it into cult fandom. But it was also 80s kids like myself who were too young to see it in the theaters, but caught multiple viewings of this on cable television; most notably on the USA Network. I swear they must have played this movie a million times in the late 80s and early 90s when that station had its horror marathons and also during the infamous UP! ALL NIGHT with Rhonda Shear or Gilbert Gottfried.
Case in point:
That being said, one might argue a bit of nostalgia plays a part as well, but I won’t label it as cheap as that. It’s a goddamn good movie that was way ahead of it’s time. OoooOO baby I’m just glad the once bastardized sequel now has its rightful place as a worthy contender for one of the best in the franchise with horror fans that can see this entry for what it is: Not just a slasher movie, but a movie that attempted to bring the series back to its roots with the infamous whodunnit horror. Part V at least remembers that this franchise wasn’t just a mindless killer stalking and murdering teenagers to begin with; it was a mystery killer going around and murdering said teenagers. That was part of the initial magic of Friday the 13th, and I think most people may have forgotten that. It’s damn fun, the kills are brutal, and it’s PEAK 80s horror.
What’s not to love? Now sit down and eat yer fuckin’ slop, haters.
