Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!
Plot Summary: Years after part 6, a girl with psychic powers accidentally releases Jason from his watery grave.
Review: It was going to be virtually impossible to top the awesomeness of part 6, but I will give this film some credit for trying something different. The main problems are that Jason comes off more as a nuisance than a full-fledged threat, the deaths are heavily censored, and this is probably the weirdest defeat for Jason in the whole series. This is not to say that this entry didn't contribute some fantastic moments such as the badass intro narrated by Crazy Ralph, the main character, Tina, able to fight Jason evenly, and this is maybe the most menacing Jason ever looks in the entire franchise. Before we get more into it, let's talk about the newest changes to the convoluted timeline. So the last entry we are guessing took place in 1995 at the earliest, and we will give this film the benefit of the doubt and say it opens one year later in 1996; realistically, I feel that this film's beginning takes place more than a year later but oh well. We see a young Tina accidentally kill her father with her psychic powers causing him to drown after being trapped by a collapsed dock. The film then jumps 7 more years into the future putting the majority of this film at 2003. Lastly, I should mention that they pointlessly renamed the town Crystal Lake again.
The premise this time around is that Tina, her mother, and her psychiatrist, Dr. Crews, are returning to the home where the father died, which is conveniently near Crystal Lake, in order to help Tina alleviate the guilt she feels over killing her father. Unbeknownst to the others, Dr. Crews hopes to enhance Tina's emotions in order to fully realize her psychic abilities so he can, I guess, become famous or something? This little subplot could have used more exploration and serves so little purpose to the plot. Later, when Tina is feeling erratic, she senses a presence in the lake, and, believing it to be her father, inadvertently unleashes Jason from his chains. Jason, now played by Kane Hodder for the rest of the main series, looks waterlogged and there are some impressive details to his design like the visible spinal column. But what would Jason be without fodder to slay and we have a brand new group gathering for a birthday party at the house next door. Hmm, where would you like to spend your birthday party? Some place you've always wanted to go? A quiet evening at home with close friends? Or some fucking cabin in the woods at a town where like 100 or so people have been murdered?! Bingo. The fodder characters had some promise when introduced, but, for the most part, they are pointless and maybe do one or two things before dying. The only likable one is Nick and that's because he's supposed to be Tina's love interest and all around cliched nice guy. It's probably worth noting that this is the first entry to introduce a character the audience is anticipating to die which would become a regular occurrence for the rest of the franchise.
Despite the audience begging for some characters to bite the big one, none of the deaths are all that creative and, as I said, censored pointlessly--maybe worse than part 5. Plus, Jason uses a lot more varied weapons so it was annoying to see all the kills so toned down. As with all the previous installments, everyone is massacred until only Tina and Nick are left alive to face off against the big boy. This is when this film really shines and steps its game up as Tina uses her telekinesis to fight Jason excessively. I must say, Jason takes quite a pounding as he's lit on fire, electrocuted, hung, falls a great distance, has objects thrown at and through him, and has his mask crushed. Unfortunately for Tina, nothing keeps the man behind the mask down except perhaps a deus ex machina. After fighting their way out toward Crystal Lake, Tina is about to die when the ghost of her father magically comes out of the water and binds Jason with the chains again. Huh? I know they were trying to continue with the near-invincibility of Jason presented in part 6, but what the hell happened? Tina is psychic, but now she can summon ghosts too? Or did the dad seriously come back to life to save the daughter? A little explanation is due here I believe. Fuck, why not have the ghost of Alice or Crazy Ralph show up and save the day while you're at it?!
I know this entry seems to be toward the top of many fans' list of worst F13 movies, but I think this is more in the middle for me. Yes, the ending is over the top and borderline ridiculous, but this franchise is beyond farfetched to begin with. I was never bothered by Tina being psychic and fighting Jason with her powers, and, in fact, I kind of liked it and felt it was the highlight that sets this entry apart from the rest. I can't, however, overlook the censored kills so easily nor can I ignore how far into the background Jason has gone for this installment. The characters are mostly bland with little likability or personality, and there were too many of them considering the story's emphasis on Tina, her treatment, and the whole drama with whatever the hell Dr. Crews was up to. On the other hand, Jason looks great, the action is strong, and there are some interesting effects and scenes. If you can accept or appreciate Tina being psychic and using those powers to fight Jason, I don't see why anyone would have any major problem liking this entry.
Notable Moment: When Tina is fighting Jason with her telekinetic powers. It was cool to see someone give Jason some trouble for once.
Final Rating: 5.5/10
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