[7]
Jason Voorhees escapes the morgue and returns to Crystal Lake where he preys on a fresh batch of victims in the fourth Friday the 13th movie. Among the fresh meat this time around are Crispin Glover (Back to the Future) and Lawrence Monoson (The Last American Virgin) as vacationing teenagers who, along with several friends, rent a house in the woods, and Corey Feldman (Stand By Me) as a horror movie and monster makeup fanatic who lives next door with his sister (Kimberly Beck) and single mother (Joan Freeman). They eventually cross paths with a lone camper (Erich Anderson) who’s hunting Jason to avenge his dead sister, killed in one of the previous movies.
Joseph Zito (The Prowler, Missing in Action) picks up the directing reigns and does a good enough job casting, creating spooky ambience, and staging entertaining kill scenes to take the series to what many fans consider the franchise’s high water mark. Naturalistic (and reportedly improvizational) performances from Glover and Monoson help distinguish The Final Chapter. These are characters we’re not just waiting to see slaughtered. We actually enjoy spending some time with them. Feldman’s character also has a singular appeal, a pre-teen fan boy capturing the interests and motivations of many in the audience. He’s also a smart character who employs some daring psychology to triumph over Jason in the film’s satisfying climax — one that features some of effects artist Tom Savini’s finest work.
Critics who mock and deride the Friday the 13th series often miss the point. These aren’t high art, they’re campfire ghost stories. To be effective, they have to follow a recognizable pattern of visceral thrills young audiences (and nostalgic oldsters) are looking for. The Final Chapter delivers on its promise of prerequisite sex and violence. (Jason even kills Camilla and Carey More, the sexy ‘Doublemint Twins’ from a series of popular ’80s gum commercials.) That it exceeds expectations — in casting, ambience, creativity, and relatability — makes it arguably the best entry in the series… and far from the alleged ‘final’ chapter.
With Judie Aronson, Peter Barton, Barbara Howard, Clyde Hayes, and Ted White behind Jason’s hockey mask.