FRIDAY THE 13TH: PART 4 - THE FINAL CHAPTER (1984)

Cast: Kimberly Beck, Lawrence Monoson, Corey Feldman, Crispin Glover, Barbara Howard, Camilla Moore, Carey Moore, Lisa Freeman, Bonnie Hellman

Directed By: Joseph Zito
Story By: Bruce Hidemi Sakow
Written By: Barry Cohen
Cinematography By: Joao Fernandes
Editor: Joel Goodman



This is officially the first Friday the 13th film that I saw uncut i.e. not on Television or edited. My uncle was watching it and I came in on the scene where Jason harpoons the guy through the crotch in the middle of the lake and I wanted to know how the film got to that point so I watched the rest of the film then rewound it and watched it from the beginning at first the violence was startling and scared the hell out of me. But I was happy I saw it truly prepared me for not only future horror films but the other films in this series.

I was initially intrigued because this film has the most recognizable and well known cast I mean it has Corey Feldman in it. It has Crispin glover and Lawrence monoson who I will always remember because of “the last American virgin” plus the rumor was the only reason Tom Savini agreed to work on this film was because it was supposed to be the final movie and he would be able to kill Jason off. Which also I’m sure helped the box office because when they saw how much money the movie had made they decided the series was worth continuing.

You can tell there original intent because this movie goes for broke in the way of the killings and the viciousness you would have thought all the teens had killed him mother themselves that’s how relentless he is. It certainly has the most sex and drugs but it also involves for the first time a character who is hunting Jason as revenge for one of his past killings even tough strangely he seems to be the only one who knows Jason is out there that has always confused me about the series I know the films up to this point take place supposedly only a few days apart but how come he never really goes to town to kill the townspeople who live around there or how come they don’t move knowing the legend of camp crystal lake. In part 2 he left camp crystal lake to hunt the survivor of the first film to her apartment. Just like if these films take place days after each other what is with the changing styles of clothes and music. Though I have to say all the kids in this film have the worst style in clothing and hair-dos I have ever seen maybe that’s why they go camping instead of to resorts to hide from the actual cool kids

It was my thinking these films took place every year or every few years for continuity always on Friday the 13th which is just a date to drive the audience and associate it with a notorious date like “Halloween” or “Christmas evil”. But these films are not going to take place on a different date they don’t want to change the date of the title. As this being the first one I saw I compare most of the films to my enjoyment of one this is where I really got to learn what the other sequels would most likely be like.

I really like the series and the movies. Though in this one he seems to enjoy hanging bodies around as warnings and traps. This is his abstract period I guess. This is a ending for the character somewhat. Ted White Who played Jason notoriously didn’t get along with director Joseph Zito especially the way he treated the cast and for years didn’t even want his name credited on the film

Definitely worth a rental.

GRADE: C+