When it comes to the Friday The 13th sequels, they are either universally praised or hated by fans. For example, Friday The 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter is considered a classic. Meanwhile, Jason Takes Manhattan is despised by the community as one of the worst.
However, in the case of Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood, fans are often divided into two parties. Those that love it and those that hate it, which has turned The New Blood into an enigmatic sequel. It's easy to see why because The New Blood takes on many interesting ideas as well as succumbing to familiar trappings.
Underrated: Another Villain Besides Jason
It's rare to ever see another main antagonist besides Jason Voorhees. In Part VII, fans are introduced to Dr. Crews, who is attempting to exploit the main character's psychic abilities for his own gains. Though he does not play a large part in the plot, it is refreshing to have another villain besides the slasher.
This is why his punishment at the hands of Jason is very satisfying to watch. Terry Kiser is also very effective at playing a slimy manipulator thus making the audience hate the character even more.
Fell Flat: Repetitive Forest Scenes
It is yet another entry of the Friday The 13th movies to take place on Crystal Lake. Sure, Jason stalking characters in the woods is the bread and butter of this series. However, The New Blood suffers from a problem where the characters run through the forest way too much.
It's not just that though, nearly every scene in the forest is so clearly the same pieces of land being reused over and over again. It makes the property of Crystal Lake feel much smaller than it is or it makes it obvious that the filmmakers weren't allowed much space to rent out and film.
Underrated: Well-Balanced Tone
Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives took a note from movies like Evil Dead II by embracing its ridiculousness. As a result, Friday The 13th started to have more fun with itself by injecting a flavor of humor into the mix. Especially when Jason was turned into an immortal zombie.
Though the humor is toned down in The New Blood, it is still there. Such as when Jason kills a woman with a party horn and it makes a cute little squeak as he impales her. Some of the characters feature some funny lines and even Jason gets hit with a few Home Alone-esque traps.
Fell Flat: Typical Slasher Fodder
Despite having some differences between an actual villain and one of the better protagonists, The New Blood is still a slasher film. This means that most of the young adults that come to Crystal Lake are all idiotic archetypes; the stoner, the mean blonde girl, the overly sexual girls, etc.
None of them provide anything different than other survivors in the series. The only somewhat decent thing to come out of the characters are the kills but even those suffer from issues.
Underrated: The Iconic Sleeping Bag
There are a few really great and memorable kills by Jason in this one. However, the most famous one of The New Blood and the franchise is the sleeping bag kill. Jason tears right into a tent to drag a woman out wrapped in her blanket, and with one brutal swing against a tree just crushes the woman.
Originally the kill was much longer and graphic but the end result is still a great kill. One that would be homages in Jason X, the 2009 reboot, and would be a signature kill in Friday The 13th The Game.
Fell Flat: Where's Tommy Jarvis?
This one is more of a mixed entry since up until The New Blood, Tommy Jarvis had been the iconic star of three Friday The 13th movies. In a way, he was to Jason like Laurie Strode was to Michael Myers. So, fans were disappointed that he did not return after his great battle with Jason in Jason Lives.
Though Tina Shephard makes for a great replacement, there is no denying that it would have boosted The New Blood if she joined forces with Tommy Jarvis.
Underrated: Kane Hodder's Jason Voorhees
C.J. Graham did not return to play Jason after Jason Lives but this proved to be a blessing. The New Blood introduced Kane Hodder as Jason Voorhees, the only actor to portray him across multiple films. The New Blood version features one of the most fan-favorite designs for the killer but Kane is a dedicated stuntman.
Throughout The New Blood, Kane Hodder takes on every stunt. From the hard falls, getting crushed, and being set on fire to break a world record at the time. Kane Hodder also brings an intensity to Jason, like the character is always in a raged-out state. Kane would become an all-time favorite Jason for many and it all started with The New Blood.
Fell Flat: The MPAA Ruined The Kills
Later on, the MPAA seemed to really dislike the Friday The 13th movies and as a result, they tampered with several movies. One of the worst cases was with The New Blood where the filmmakers had shot several extremely gory and graphic kills.
In the final product, it often cuts away or zooms in so the gore is off-screen. This is a baffling choice since the gory kills are much like the fatalities in Mortal Kombat: watering them down is the last thing that should happen. Some fans have even petitioned for an unrated director's cut of The New Blood.
Underrated: Tina Shephard Is A Great "Final Girl"
As mentioned, the new protagonist Tina Shephard does manage to stand out. This is due to the fact that she actually fights Jason and holds her own thanks to her psychic abilities. The character brings charm, personality, and a bit of depth seen only with Tommy Jarvis.
The climax of The New Blood features a great set of battles between her and Jason that earned the movie a nickname: "Jason VS Carrie." A reference to similarities between Tina and Stephen King's titular character. The character even gets a happy ending rather than the typical final second jumpscare.
Fell Flat: The Ending Is Laughable
The MPAA strikes again as originally, the ending featured Tina using her powers to summon her dead father. He had a more gnarly and zombie-like appearance as he battled Jason and took him into the water. For reasons that are likely ridiculous, the MPAA forced reshoots of the scene.
This time, the father comes out of the water looking more human with a few bits of dirt for a less effective ending to what was a great climax. While the original ending likely wouldn't have been great, it would have been better than what the final product gave.