• Release year: 1985
• Director: Danny Steinmann.
• Producer: Timothy Silver.
• Screenplay by: Martin Kitrosser, David Cohen, and Danny Steinmann.
• Cinematography by: Stephen L. Posey.
• Music by: Harry Manfredini.

Shotgun Commentary: better than any of the previous films from the saga, excluding the first one.

Review

Friday the 13th: A New Beginning is the first sequel of the franchise that is truly worth watching. While still problematic from a modern perspective, it is fun and actually interesting to follow, unlike all the previous ones. Additionally, changing the actor who plays Tommy was such a wonderful decision. It really improves the quality of the film, even it his recessive hairline makes it really difficult to believe that he is supposed to be a teenager.

Going nowhere

The feature begins with Tommy (John Shepherd). He is being transported into a house where a psychologist and his secretary take care of a bunch of kids with disorders. Maybe “take care of” is a bit of a stretch. They actually just give them food and shelter, no therapy or security whatsoever.

In fact, within half an hour, a kid who’s only “disorder” seems to be liking food but lacking the manners to eat it like a human being, is murdered by another “kid” with anger issues. Is there a whole fuss about it? Is this movie a courthouse type of film? Are all the kids significantly traumatised after the fact? No, no to everything. The whole tragedy is but an incredibly weak catalyst whose influence won’t be revealed until five minutes before the movie is over in a “huh” moment that barely feels significant at all.

The narrative keeps hinting at Tommy having been training since he was a young boy in order to be ready to defeat Jason if he should attack again. His great fighting skills are showcased more than once over the course of the account. Naturally, after seeing him in action on a few drills, you’ll be more than ready to witness a proper hero-villain fight… Yes, well, you might as well start looking for another film that features that. The Tommy-Jason (Dick Wieand) face off is almost as anticlimactic as losing the will to sneeze halfway through the motion.

Demonising food

Additionally, while fatphobic attitudes are smeared all over this franchise, this film takes the cake (pun unintended). The topic has surfaced many times in previous reviews of the saga. Still, none of the films are as bloody as this one about it. Joey (Dominick Brascia) is this feature’s victim, in more than one way.

Before being violently slaughtered by a fellow resident of the house for problematic kids, he is made to look pathetic, annoying, dirty, and clumsy. The look is very much on-brand for a franchise that never misses the chance to associate body weight with disgust and failure. The portrayal is offensive and absurd, perpetuating toxic stereotypes over logic and acceptance.

We are talking about the 80s, a decade where body positivity meant being a bodybuilder pumped full of steroids. Yet the people who seem incapable of eating without getting traces of it all over their face are the ones who are always eating?

Other than incapable of eating like a person, Joey is shown as an annoying guy that nobody wants to hang out with. However, he is literally just offering help and some of his food. His short but incredibly caricaturesque role is yet another reminder of a shameful past from which we’ve moved on very little, but that is a story for another day.

Silly and problematic, but still watchable

Going back to Friday 13th: A New Beginning, The only thing left to say is that, once again, sexism is just as present as idiotic decisions that inevitably lead to death. And we are talking about a film where a child says “where did you get that?”, that being a woman. His brother’s girlfriend, to be exact. You can imagine the extent of the stupid decisions if they manage to compete with those levels of sexism.

All in all, Friday 13th: A New Beginning has a great plot for a slasher, a bit obvious, but entertaining nonetheless. The portrayals of many characters are so cliché that the film borderlines comedy, although some very toxic actions kinda sour the mood from time to time. The ending is fun, but the face off is anticlimactic and Tommy’s reaction to “Jason’s” death is completely ludicrous. At the end of the day, it is fun to half-watch it during a movie night with friends.

Advice to take from this movie:

• Sometimes changing the cast is exactly what a film needs.
• What’s the purpose of running with your hands up? You’re going to lose your life, don’t lose your dignity too.
• If you refer to women as objects, it’s better that you stay in your cave.

What’s your take? Have you watched Friday the 13th: A New Beginning? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀