Sexta-Feira 13 - Parte 4: O Capítulo Final

Joseph Zito, the director hauled in to oversee this fourth installment, previously directed the wretched "The Prowler", the wooly but entertaining "Invasion USA", and would go on to direct the shot-in-South Africa "Red Scorpion" (with Dolph Lungren). Since "The Prowler" was such a stinker, it's hard to see how Zito got the job. Maybe he was a master romancer and could talk actresses out of clothes because this episode in the "Friday" franchise has more nubile nudity and panty shots than any previous entry. It is also the goriest since the original with Savini returning as the effects adviser.

Jason is resurrected from gory pieces and returns to his old ways after a stint on a slab. He has a grudge for a particular family and must tangle with resourceful horror fan and pint-sized weirdo Tommy (Corey Feldman).

Just as the nudity and short shorts levels are elevated, so is the suspense. Using "The Prowler" as a guide on not what to do in a slasher, Zito creates some genuine unease and keeps things moving at a fast and bloody clip. The Euro version of this film, which is the one I have, is gorier than the US version and sexier, too.

The next installment proved to be one of the worst; so if you're going to subject yourself to one "Friday" sequel, choose this.

The first four Friday the 13th movies are the best, by far. The next 7 films were half-baked money makers. And if you ask me, Paramount should have left it at this film.

Part 4 combines action, horror, thriller, suspense, and even mystery. And the opening sequence is a combined amount of clips from the previous 3 films. The opening sequence explains the series quickly, so Part 4 is a great Friday the 13th film to start with.

The film will have less appeal to fans of the similar series, Halloween. The Final Chpater may combine elements from the previous 3 films, but seems to steal ideas and share ideas with Halloween. Friday the 13th was inspired by Halloween, but at times it seems as too much.

Overall, the film is the last Friday the 13th film you should watch.

'Friday the 13th' may have been panned by critics when first released but since then it is one of the most famous and influential horror films, the franchise containing one of horror's most iconic villains. The film is popular enough to become a franchise and spawn several sequels of varying quality and generally inferior to the one that started it all of.

Liked the first two 'Friday the 13th' films, despite not exactly considering them great. Had mixed feelings on the third film, but it is one of the more watchable follow-ups. This fourth instalment for me is the second best of the sequels, and although one knows that it was not the 'Final Chapter', the general consensus is that it should have been and that there was no need for the rest. Have to completely agree with this, to me 'Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter' was the last average and above of the series.

It may not be a great film, neither were the previous three. The story is paper thin and there is not much new. Again, while actually the best acted film of the whole series, some of the acting is far from what one would call good.

The dialogue, as can be expected (the 'Friday the 13th' films are not to be seen for the script), is awfully crude, cheesy and simplistic, and most of the characters are as dim-witted and underdeveloped as ever (though other sequels did this aspect far worse). There is some unintentional humour here and there that dissipates at times the generally very well done atmosphere.

However, there are three performances that are actually the best of the whole series. Corey Feldman in his prime is appealing, showing that it was a shame that his personal life went as down the toilet in the way that it did since. Crispin Glover is lots of fun in his role and Ted White is one of the scariest Jasons.

Visually, 'Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter' has grit and professionalism and the effects and make-up are simply terrific and steal the show even more than Jason. There is plenty of suspense and tension that was missing in the third film, with a return to deaths and moments that are creative and unsettling. The film contains the best ending of the series, certainly of the sequels, truly nightmarish. There is far less padding too.

Overall, decent, one of the series' best and the last one to be average or above. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Another fun sequel, with some memorable characters and scenes. Although with more cliches and dumb scenes than movies before, a bit repetitive too, but still entertaining enough. I would rate it higher if the ending wasn't so weak.

I've seen every Friday the 13th movie more than once. I'm a horror completist, what can I say, and Friday the 13th happens to be one of the more campy and fun horror franchises out there. The first three were fine - all had great ideas, great kills, and great atmosphere. Unfortunately, there was at least one thing off in each of those movies. The original's climactic ending hasn't aged well and some shots linger for way too long, and some parts of Part III felt clunky and poorly paced. Part IV isn't perfect either, but it's a step above its predecessors for a number of reasons.

1. The acting - No one watches horror for the acting, I understand that, but when a horror movie has a likable cast and characters you can relate to and root for, it makes the experience all the more enjoyable. Crispin Glover is great as a nerdy, horny white boy and his dancing skills are unmatched. The lead girl and the rest of the supporting cast are all convincing as well, and the boy Tommy Jarvis actually isn't annoying for a child actor. In fact, he's pretty darn good.

2. The nudity - No one watches horror for the- okay, some people watch horror for the nudity, and boy is there nudity in this one. For the "final" chapter the crew went all out, throwing two gorgeous sisters and numerous blondes into the mix and having all of them show their tits and ass. Yeah, both, and although its gratuitous and adds nothing to the plot, it's a nice break from the bloodbaths and I'd take a little eye candy over forced dialogue in a horror movie any day of the week.

3. The pacing - The movie begins with Jason's "dead" body being sent to the morgue, and it isn't long before the body count ensues. The hospital scene is excellent for a few reasons. One, it has two characters that have less than five minutes of screen time but more personality than anyone from the first two F13s, and two, their deaths are awesome. It's a briskly paced movie and surprisingly keeps a large amount of its cast alive for a majority of the film, yet there are enough disposable characters to keep the body count going. It's a great balance.

Everything else comes down to good writing and good directing. I like the addition of a family, I like the group of teenage Jason fodder this time around, and there really aren't many dull moments. The inclusion of a seasoned backpacker was a nice touch, and Jason finally getting the sh*t kicked out of him was no doubt satisfying. Although the whole Tommy arc didn't work out in the next installment, he was a nice addition in this one and actually contributed a lot to the story.

Not only is this the best Friday the 13th film, but it's a damn good slasher in its own right. The characters are likable, the third act is plenty suspenseful, it's an entertaining ride from beginning to end. If you like '80s slashers and want to see some good looking people get terrorized by Jason Voorhees then there's no reason not to check this one out. And check out the others too because, why not?