There are some legitimately good scares in the film, but even this isn't accomplished with a great deal of skill, but rather the most conventional horror scares in the book. The saving grace of the first four installments of Friday the 13th was getting the most out of shock value. There isn't nearly enough of this in Part 5, except perhaps during the climactic horror sequence I like to refer to as The Grand Tour of Body Discovery.
The disc's Special Features are interesting, but leave something to be desired. There is a short film called Lost Tales from Camp Blood - Part 5 that is just a new series of scenes showing Jason hunting people. The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited Part II is a "documentary" which looks back on the Crystal Lake murders from a true-crime perspective. This is a good idea, but it loses a lot in the execution, especially since the actors look like they were chosen based on proximity rather than talent.
One feature worth catching is the behind-the scenes featurette New Beginnings: The Making of Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning. You get to hear members of the cast and crew share some interesting background about the making of the film. Also included is a full-length commentary by co-writer and director Danny Steinmann.
Unfortunately, there's very little to make Friday the 13th Part V worthwhile. It's not just that it's a bad horror movie; it also lacks the enjoyable aspects found in so many bad horror movies. In that sense, it's mainly just depressing and a bit boring.
Which makes the final twist seem even more like a punch in the throat.








Article comments